Bunga boot bumper question

[lutefisk]

I've bought two pair of bunga boot bumpers (ankle sleeve with a gel cushion for the front of the foot and another cushion to protect the Achilles tendon in the heel of the sleeve.  They work fine.  However, in both instances, after about 6 months of use the Achilles tendon gel cushion starts to separate from the knit ankle sleeve.  The longer I use the sleeves the more the heel cushions separate until they come off the knit part altogether.  This is a little annoying in that the rest of the product including the lace bite cushion in front is fine and has many more months of useful life left.  My question is: can these gel cushions be glued back in place without creating a potential mess inside one's boots or are they somehow bonded in place by heat?

[AgnesNitt]

There's a special gel cushion glue which I saw once on a medical website for gel cushions. There's also a special tape.

Regular glue in a hot and sweaty boot might have reactions with your skin. You could try sewing a patch over the heel cushion to hold it in place.

[lutefisk]

There's a special gel cushion glue which I saw once on a medical website for gel cushions. There's also a special tape.

Regular glue in a hot and sweaty boot might have reactions with your skin. You could try sewing a patch over the heel cushion to hold it in place.

Thanks.  I also emailed the vendor for info but nothing back yet.  I'll google search for gel cushion glue/tape.  I wonder if the gels are heat bonded to the knit.

[AgnesNitt]

Thanks.  I also emailed the vendor for info but nothing back yet.  I'll google search for gel cushion glue/tape.  I wonder if the gels are heat bonded to the knit.

You could give heat n' bond fabric glue.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Heat-n-Bond-Lite-Sewable-Iron-On-Adhesive-Value-Pack-17-x-5.25-yds/17338066?action=product_interest&action_type=title&beacon_version=1.0.2&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&client_guid=96329037-a1c6-4c71-8df3-e677a50c4684&config_id=106&customer_id_enc&findingMethod=p13n&guid=96329037-a1c6-4c71-8df3-e677a50c4684&item_id=17338066&parent_anchor_item_id=17338069&parent_item_id=17338069&placement_id=irs-106-m2&reporter=recommendations&source=new_site&strategy=PWVAV&visitor_id=D6YY0ASEbMUiPlIu-hHqFI

[Leif]

Also check out Silopos, they make almost the same product, but cheaper in case you end up buying more.

[tstop4me]

Thanks.  I also emailed the vendor for info but nothing back yet.  I'll google search for gel cushion glue/tape.  I wonder if the gels are heat bonded to the knit.

As a temporary fix, I wouldn't use anything more than double-sided sticky tape.  I would advise against glues (chemical or heat set) or thermal fusion until you hear back from the manufacturer.  You simply don't know what chemicals and temperature ranges are compatible with the specific materials used in the Bungas.  You may need to be patient.  My overall experience with contacting manufacturers is that they typically do answer, though you may need to wait a month in some instances.

[lutefisk]

So I heard back from the manufacturer.  They use heat to bond the gels to the knit ankle sleeve.  They do keep records of who buys what and checking back, the rep whom I spoke with pointed out that I'd purchased my last pair back in March of last year, so more than a year ago.  She said they sell to NHL players and those guys are lucky to get a few months out of a boot bumper!  Anyway, she offered me a discount on my next pair and so I placed an order.  Meanwhile, I plan to experiment with the old ones.  I'll turn them right side out and slip a piece of waxed paper between the Achilles gel pad and the lace bite pad so that the two pads won't (hopefully) bond together while I run a medium hot iron over the knit sleeves in the areas where the edges of the Achilles gel pads are coming loose.  If I ruin the old pair then I haven't lost much and if I get lucky maybe I'll be able to squeeze a few more months of use out of them.  I guess the bottom line is to expect about a year's use from these items (depending on how often you skate; I skate 3 to 4 times a week) and plan to buy new ones at the start of each skating season.  The happiness of my feet is worth it!

[LunarSkater]

Ooh, please let us know how your experiment turns out. I'm having the same issue and would love a cheap fix.