Image thanks to Aspect:Ratio

About Snowdonia Gear Repair

four women standing outside Snowdonia Gear Repair with two dogs and a sign that says 'broken zip, need a patch, we're here to help.' the building has contour lines painted on the outside.

Croeso or welcome to Snowdonia Gear Repair.

We are a specialist repair shop for outdoor clothing and equipment, nestled between the Menai Straits and mountains of Eryri, in North Wales. Run by a team of 4 women and 2 dogs, we love sewing just as much as we love the outdoors.

We are on a mission to extend the lifespan of your kit, so you can spend more time out in nature doing what you love.

Meet the team

Why we do what we do

Our first and most important commitment is to the planet. Everything we do is in service of reducing our environmental impact. The outdoor sports industry is filled with plastic, greenwashing and marketing telling you to buy the “right kit” before daring to go outside.

We’re on a mission to change that story. Buy well, buy once, and make it last. There is no “perfect” gear, just the right thing for you that keeps you safe, warm, comfortable and won’t fall apart.

We repair, alter, advise and teach you how to care for your kit, so you spend less time in the shops and more on the actual mountain!

The space

Rolls of fabric stored underneath a cutting table

Our workshop is based in Hen Ysgol (Welsh for old school) Aberpwll in Y Felinheli, a 70-metre-square space filled with 13 industrial sewing machines including a coverstitch, lockstitch, walking foot, and a wall of every type of zip you can imagine, and a family of houseplants. We put lots of time and energy into making the workshop an effective, efficient, and pleasant place to carry out repairs.

We repair over 1,400 items per year, with zipper repairs making up the largest portion of repairs, closely followed by sewn patches. Our workshop is open to the public and we are more than happy to give tours! Just pop us an email.

In the winter months, we also run repair and DIY gear making classes. To stay up to date, join our newsletter, or have a look at our current offering.

Join a workshop

Our story

Like many small businesses, we started at the kitchen table. Founded in 2021 by me, Rosanna, I’ve built Snowdonia Gear Repair one machine at a time. An engineer by trade and environmentalist at heart, I was keen to channel my love of the outdoors into a meaningful business.

I set out to prove that the circular economy could be a genuine self sustaining alternative to mass consumption. Here’s the story:

2021

Had the idea for a repair shop, moved to Wales and started working at Alpkit as an “apprenticeship”

2022

Bought 3 machines at auction and installed them in a spare bedroom. Quit my job with £3,000 in the bank, made a website and started handing out my mobile number to strangers telling them I can fix everything!

a woman stitching on an industrial machine at a home workshop, with a colourful threadboard in the background and selection of zippers hanging on the wall
a home sewing workshop with cutting table, industrial machine, thread board, and hot water bottle on the chair

2023

Knee deep in repairs and struggling for space, took the plunge and signed the lease on a unit

sign for specialist in outdoor clothing repair, in front of warehouse space

Nov

 The unit leaks! So took an even bigger plunge and signed the lease on a room 3 times the size (and rent), in Y Felinheli

2024

Hired Sadie. We got the keys to the new room and started plotting…

Feb

Hired Ceri. We both like going fast, which seemed like a good idea!

Renovation of the new workshop space at Hen Ysgol Aberpwll, in Y Felinheli

A large partially renovated room with a table in the middle covered in tools. Two figures stand on scaffolding in the background.
a woman kneels next to a wall from which she is scraping paint
a man stands on a table, using a shop vacuum to put the finishing touches on newly built shelves

Oct

We finally finished the build. The original timeline was April, but we got there in the end!

four people holding hand tools, like a drill, measuring tape, mallet, and paint roller making funny faces to celebrate the work they've done in a sparse looking room with forest outside the windows

Nov

Panicked that we were getting through repairs too quickly and started making products

2025

Started classes and received the thumbs up that our application to the Cylchol Grant for sustainable development had been approved.

a man smiles contentedly while sewing sashiko style stitching on a swatch of denim

Apr

 Bought Dirtbags from the lovely Jen, having wanted to try rope upcycling for a very long time

a tangle of colourful dynamic ropes lay in a heap on the workshop floor, which is laminate
a selection of colourful belts made of dynamic climbing rope lay on the table having been labelled with a sharpie and twine, both visible on the table

May

Hired Hannah. Incredibly tidy, organised and a very very fast learner!

Dec

Growing in all areas of the business: the second hand shop, our own made products, repairs for customers and brands, classes and repair club.

a stack of colourful zip wallets made of paraglider, with paracord loops. In the background, blurred hands working at a sewing machine are visible.

2026

Our biggest shift yet. 2026 started with a big move towards long term strategy. Now we’d built the bones of the business, we were finally ready to start on some big projects

Spring

Set our sights on sharing the repair knowledge we’ve built, including running a workshop series on our industrial machines and developing resources for DIY repairers. You can currently find us working on those offerings, and as always, repairing outdoor gear.

Present

three figures stand on a sandy beach looking out at a dusky sunset over blue mountains in the distance.
a black shaggy dog lays on the floor of a colourful sewing workshop, looking directly at the camera whilst chewing on fabric
Visit us
A woman in a purple turtleneck and dungarees prepares to stitch a roll-top back out of an upcycled camper awning. She's sitting at an industrial sewing machine in a workshop space.

To our wonderful customers & the local businesses who have supported us,

Thank you. We truly couldn’t do any of this without you. I always wanted this business to be proof that doing the right thing, for people and for the planet, can also be financially self sustaining. We will always remain:

  • Independent, with no loyalty to a brand, or any incentive to make you buy new things.

  • Self supporting financially, independent of subsidies or donations

  • Profitable on repairs alone, to prove that a circular economy can be a genuine alternative to mass consumption. No one needs to lose their jobs, we just need different business models!

Our priority will always be providing an excellent repair service, to get you out on the next adventure with the best and most sustainable kit there is… the things you already own. Happy trails,

-Rosanna, September 2026

Who We Are

A woman is smiling and zipping up a purple jacket with orange lining, standing at a workbench in a bright workshop or studio with large windows and various tools and equipment in the background.
A woman smiling outdoors in cold weather, wearing a colorful knit winter hat with pom-pom and a red jacket.
A woman stands confidently with her arms crossed, tape measure looped behind her neck, in her sewing workshop. Blurry thread boards and a person sewing are visible in the background.

Rosanna

Rosanna founded Snowdonia Gear Repair in 2021. A trained engineer, Rosanna grew up making things. The daughter of a fisherman and a sailor, she is most at home on the water. She is a qualified windsurf instructor, keen fisherwoman and mountain biker. When she’s not in Wales, you’ll find her back in Galloway, usually on or in the sea, or eating something from it. Find out more about her dads (award winning) smokehouse here:Galloway Smokehouse

A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and tattoos on her left arm is folding a teal-colored jacket or piece of clothing on a wooden table in a cozy room with plants and books on the shelves.
A woman smiling with a bicycle on a deserted desert road with mountains in the background.
A woman with a helmet smiling for a selfie outdoors on a trail with grass and ferns.

Ceri

Ceri worked as a freelance knitwear designer before studying textiles at university. She has always enjoyed creating patterns, sewing, and getting creative with fibres. A keen bikepacker and passionate photographer, she ties the two together as a means of documenting adventure, from landscape to wildlife photography. She is often busy designing new cycling routes. Check out her beautiful adventure photos here: Stills by Ceri

A woman smiling as she adjusts straps on a backpack in a well-lit room with large windows and greenery outside.
A person rock climbing on a steep, rocky cliff face, wearing a helmet, harness, and climbing shoes, secured with carabiners and ropes.
A woman wearing a grey helmet, smiling broadly, dressed in outdoor gear with an orange jacket and purple inner layer, in a dark outdoor setting.

Sadie

Sadie grew up on the coast of Maine. 6 years of expeditions and thru hikes in the American West imbued in her a reverence for the ‘more-than-human world’. In addition to all things repair, she is a passionate illustrator, climber, and dinner maker. She has a BA in Adventure Education and continues to work as an outdoor instructor. See her illustrations here: Sadie Sarvis Art

Woman holding small brush applies seam seal to an orange tent. She is working in a bright sewing workshop, with rolls of velcro and tape in the background.
sunshine hits a woman wearing sunglasses who is wild swimming in a deep blue lake. The sky is clear with a few cumulous clouds, and green land can be seen behind her.
black and white image of a woman leaning forward and laughing, with a field and forest behind her. She is wearing a beanie and silver jewellery.

Hannah

Fascinated by seabirds, Hannah previously worked as a bird researcher in the Falkland Islands, which instilled in her a passion for self sufficiency. When she is not in the workshop, she can be found drawing, crocheting, or swimming in wild places around North Wales. She is currently obsessed with her adventure-mobile, The Big Green Van.

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