I took up camping way back in 2004, and for the first few years, the most we needed in the way of emergency kit was a newspaper to stick in the doorway and a dustpan and brush for removing excess sand.
In more recent years though, I’ve experienced split poles, torn tents, and leaks. And gradually, I’ve put together my camping emergency kit.
It all lives in a clip lock lunch box, £1 from poundland. Bargain eh?
Seamgrip Seam Sealant
Then I’ve got an eyelet kit. Honestly. Because once someone tripped over a guy rope and ripped the eyelet out, and I had an unstable tent for a week in the wind. It happens.
Duck Original Cloth Tape
That strange hooky thing? (It came with a circle loom actually.) I’ve used it a couple of times when replacing a section of tent pole. (The spare sections don’t fit in the clip box, but I assure you I’ve got a spare section in the tent bag.) Also, when I got replacement elastic I got a special bit of wire with a hook on it that works well for threading as well, but again, it doesn’t fit in the box.
And the nappy? Yes, that lives in the box. We had a miniature flood a couple of years back during a summer storm, and in desperation I flattened out a disposable nappy in the puddle. Water gone in moments, brilliant. So yes, I pack a nappy. I have some high absorption cloths as well, but they are just standard camping equipment for mopping up after muddy wellies and so on, this is the serious stuff.
So, there you go, my tried and tested camping emergency kit. I should add it to my camping list really shouldn’t I?
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My “tent box” is a 35L really useful box and includes my repair kit (what you have plus a length of shock cord long enough for a pole and a shock cord threader, and airbed repair kit, and various random useful bits left over from butchering a dead tent, but not the eyelet set, yet – that’s a good idea) plus first aid kit (including tweezers), sewing emergency kit, spare tent pegs, peg puller, mallet, bin bags, wipes (both for cleaning things and people), gardening gloves, survival bag, nappy (similar reasons to you), sanitary supplies (I’ve been on too many camps where the different circumstances means someone comes on unexpectedly, often for their first period) basic kitchen supplies, whistle, spare batteries, wind up torch, small bottle of water, tissues, kitchen roll, good scissors and good knife. It is also able to function as a table, seat and stool (not all at once), withstanding an adult’s weight. It might seem big and overkill, but every single item has been used at one time or another in the last 6 camping trips I have been on. The medicines, matches and sharp things are kept in a locked container within, at least till I have children old enough to not worry about.
The short bits of elastic are to replace the short brailing loops, which are under variable tension (hence being elastic.)
I love the nappy idea! Still laughing :)))