OTR Groups

Where to take your repair question

Most people land here after a strap has torn or a shell has started to wet out. If you are not sure which guide fits your job, the contact details below are the plainest way to reach the bench.

Postal address

The Firs, 32 Baker Street,
Rosebank, Johannesburg,
2196, South Africa

Used as a contact and postal point only.

Phone

+27 68 793 8879

No live replies or tracked tickets are offered on this site.

Email

hello@otrgroups.com

Send a repair question or a job you want considered for a teardown.

Before you write

A few details make a question easier to answer: what the item is, where it failed, and what you have already tried. If you are sending a job in for a teardown, mention whether the repair can be published. The contact page has the form for that. If you would rather read first, the field notes and the method pages cover the common failures in detail.

How to get help from the bench

This page is a routing point, not a repair manual. If your kit has failed and you are not sure which guide covers it, start here. Below are the honest ways to reach the people behind OTR Groups, plus the questions readers ask most often before they send anything in.

Send a repair question

The contact form is the only way to reach us. Describe the failure, name the gear, and add a photo link if you have one. There is no live chat and no ticket queue behind it.

Open the contact form

Write or call

Prefer email or phone? Both work for straightforward questions about a guide or a parts list.

Before you write

Check the guide index first. Most strap, shell, boot, tent and stove questions are already answered there, and the guide will tell you which tool you actually need.

Browse the guides

The questions that come up most

My pack strap tore near the buckle. Can it be fixed?
It depends on what gave way. If the webbing itself ripped, the strap needs a backing strip and a hand stitch. If only the stitch line failed, the webbing is still sound and the repair is simpler. Read the strap guide first.
My shell wets out across the shoulders. Is it finished?
Usually the laminate, not the surface coating. A wet-out shoulder points to a delaminated layer rather than worn DWR, and that changes whether a patch is worth your time.
The tent zip jams halfway. New slider or new zip?
The slider wears out long before the teeth do. Measure the coil gauge, match the slider, and test it before you commit to replacing the whole zip.
My boots stopped shedding water. Do they need resoling?
Not necessarily. If the membrane is intact and only the outer is saturated, a clean and re-wax will bring them back. Resoling is a separate question, answered by the midsole and rand.

Still unsure where your job fits? Send it through the contact form and describe what you have already tried. If you want to know how we handle what you send, the privacy policy sets out the details.

Send in a repair job

If a fix is not covered in the guides, the contact page is the way to reach the bench. Tell us what failed and what you have already tried, and it goes into the pile of jobs we work through for teardown posts.

What to include

  • Your name and an email address we can write back to.
  • The gear type, so the job lands with the right guide category.
  • A short description of the damage and any repair you already attempted.
  • An optional link to photos if you want the job considered for a teardown.

Where to go next

The contact page holds the only form on the site. No account, no booking, no live chat. You fill it in, it is logged, and a technical confirmation page follows.

Open the contact page
Email: hello@otrgroups.com Phone: +27 68 793 8879 The Firs, 32 Baker Street, Rosebank, Johannesburg, 2196, South Africa