Welcome, @feeling_patchy You are making a great decision in quitting smoking.
Prior to quitting smoking for good, I attempted to quit three times by switching from regular tobacco cigarettes to vaping. Each attempt lasted less than 2 weeks and I felt I was vaping more than I was smoking. I started feeling sick, nauseous, and eventually decided vaping was not a good way to quit.
I can't speak for the patches as I did quit cold turkey but I do know there are a lot of others on this site who did quit that way and I'm sure they can give you good advice.
The most important thing is, you are putting the cigarettes behind you. Use what method you think is best.
You are doing a good thing in quitting smoking.