diff --git a/gnu-system.am b/gnu-system.am
index 6b2b1c7bf38be375df55be2b602366b18cdf86b8..d4631d6c9ed7b6df54b7330f513cad9b5b1fd777 100644
--- a/gnu-system.am
+++ b/gnu-system.am
@@ -534,6 +534,7 @@ dist_patch_DATA =						\
   gnu/packages/patches/ratpoison-shell.patch			\
   gnu/packages/patches/readline-link-ncurses.patch		\
   gnu/packages/patches/ripperx-libm.patch			\
+  gnu/packages/patches/sed-hurd-path-max.patch			\
   gnu/packages/patches/scheme48-tests.patch			\
   gnu/packages/patches/scotch-test-threading.patch		\
   gnu/packages/patches/sdl-libx11-1.6.patch			\
diff --git a/gnu/packages/base.scm b/gnu/packages/base.scm
index e59abd035c27bf6bd35565872fbe665f5f4fa2d8..37ada9c7bfa9ab043a3c4afc3e8a009084df8814 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/base.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/base.scm
@@ -101,7 +101,8 @@ (define-public sed
                                 ".tar.bz2"))
             (sha256
              (base32
-              "1myvrmh99jsvk7v3d7crm0gcrq51hmmm1r2kjyyci152in1x2j7h"))))
+              "1myvrmh99jsvk7v3d7crm0gcrq51hmmm1r2kjyyci152in1x2j7h"))
+            (patches (list (search-patch "sed-hurd-path-max.patch")))))
    (build-system gnu-build-system)
    (synopsis "Stream editor")
    (arguments
diff --git a/gnu/packages/patches/sed-hurd-path-max.patch b/gnu/packages/patches/sed-hurd-path-max.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5226cba4cb84a76cc91ed7dd86bb92c2db44cb99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gnu/packages/patches/sed-hurd-path-max.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+7bb8d35d0330161a5af5341471d0c183a067e8c2
+Author: Jose E. Marchesi <jemarch@gnu.org>
+Date:   Sun Oct 6 14:43:38 2013 +0200
+
+    Set PATH_MAX to some constant in case it is not defined in system
+    headers.
+    
+    2013-10-06  Jose E. Marchesi  <jemarch@gnu.org>
+    
+    	* basicdefs.h (PATH_MAX): Defined to some constant in case it is
+    	not defined by system headers.
+    	* sed/utils.c: Do not include pathmax.h anymore.
+    	* bootstrap.conf (gnulib_modules): Do not use the gnulib module
+    	pathmax.
+
+diff --git a/basicdefs.h b/basicdefs.h
+index 0d28a97..09f5beb 100644
+--- a/basicdefs.h
++++ b/basicdefs.h
+@@ -40,6 +41,13 @@ typedef unsigned long countT;
+ #define obstack_chunk_alloc  ck_malloc
+ #define obstack_chunk_free   free
+ 
++/* MAX_PATH is not defined in some platforms, most notably GNU/Hurd.
++   In that case we define it here to some constant.  Note however that
++   this relies in the fact that sed does reallocation if a buffer
++   needs to be larger than PATH_MAX.  */
++#ifndef PATH_MAX
++# define PATH_MAX 200
++#endif
+ 
+ /* handle misdesigned <ctype.h> macros (snarfed from lib/regex.c) */
+ /* Jim Meyering writes:
+