Do you remember that blog I wrote about the mad horse on 29 April? And do you remember how I casually (!) and calmly(!) produced a few cable ties to lock the gate shut? Some of you might have wondered why I had them with me and so today I will explain all about my little bag of come-in-handy bits and pieces – the ‘spares and repairs’ bag which, if you walk regularly, you might want to think about putting together and keeping in the bottom of your rucksack.
The trick is to carry only what you might one day find useful and resist trying to cover every eventuality. You really don’t need to carry an electric kettle in case you flask leaks! Remember you have to carry whatever you choose to pack in your bag.
Also remember that this is NOT the same as your first aid bag or your spare clothing bag – we will blog about these another day.
Below is a photo of my spares and repairs bag – it’s not very big is it? But notice two things: firstly, I’ve used a dry bag (dry sack is the same thing) which is robust and secures easily – you can buy these for only a couple of pounds in any of the high street walking shops or online. I recommend a strong bag because it will need to sit in the bottom of your rucksack for months and you don’t want it to split or perish if it gets wet and then everything spills all over the hill at the very moment you need it. Secondly, notice that I have labelled it up with permanent marker pen so that it is quite obvious to anyone what it is. It may not be you who needs to get it out of the rucksack and my first aid kit is in a similar looking dry bag.
And here are a couple of shots showing what is in my spares and repairs bag:
Below is a list of what I carry in there and why:
Spare laces – it’s worth getting into the habit of checking your boots and laces after each walk when you clean them (yes you should clean them after each walk: they are the most important piece of kit you have so look after them). But laces can go at any time and they could also come in handy for a range of other tasks such as repairing a broken ruck sack strap or binding a tent pole.
Para cord – this is really strong nylon string (well it is parachute cord!) and has similar uses to the above, plus it is good for binding walking poles for use in lifting a casualty should you need to carry someone off the hill. (A bit serious that one but again it’s light so throw in a couple of metres worth).
Cable Ties – for repairing a broken gate lock after a mad horse has charged at it! Again it’s great and quick binding and if you are not too good at knots they are particularly useful. I have kept these together with a safety pin so they are easy to grab hold of.
Spare Compass – needs no explanation. Suffice to say I found a compass sitting on a rock a couple of years ago. I hope its owner was carrying a spare! You might be very careful and tie your compass to one of your trouser loops but that does not mean that you might not sit on it and break it. And sometimes a second opinion can be useful if you suspect your compass is giving you dodgy readings!
GPS – (Global Positioning System) really useful if you need to check your position for example in an emergency. You should consider this as a back-up and not your primary means of navigation for many reasons some of which I covered off in my blog about Map Reading (4 May 15).
Spare Batteries – torches and a GPS are great when their batteries and fully charged or new. Breaking News – batteries run flat! Carry spares. I take fully charged rechargeable batteries in my pocket as well as the non-rechargeable type in my spares bag.
Gaffer Tape (Duct Tape) – I love this stuff. If you rip a pocket or the main body of your rucksack or waterproof, this is the stuff you need. I have also wrapped a couple of feet-worth around my walking stick. It can also come in very handy for binding a splint if you are unfortunate enough to need to make one. it also keeps the kids quiet if placed over the mouth!
Head Torch – you might not intend to still be walking at night but if something goes wrong you might end up in that situation – they call it ‘be-nighted’! A head torch enables you to keep both hands free for other things such as holding the map and using your compass. If your main head torch breaks or (heaven forbid) the batteries run flat, you have a spare.
Torch – I carry this little spare torch as a back up to my back-up! It’s light and works well (and my mam bought it for me ages ago so it seems disrespectful not to carry it!).
Pen Knife – posh walkers refer to up market versions as a ‘multi-tool’. This one has the usual array of bits and pieces on it, including a tooth pick! Again it’s a spare and I carry my main pen-knife in my trouser pocket.
You will notice that I do not have a spare phone. I do carry one and so should you but I rarely walk alone and my wife always carries hers so we do, effectively, have a spare.
Walking Tip No. 6 – carry a small Spares and Repairs bag in your rucksack. There are many ‘definitive’ lists of what it should contain and it will be useful to look at these but at the end of the day think about your typical walking circumstances and only carry what you might find useful. For example do not go out and buy a GPS to stick in the bottom of your rucksack because unless you know how to use it, it will not do you much good in an emergency.
Some of this blog might appear to be quite serious but remember sods-law – if you are carrying it you will not need to use it!
I’ll blog again about other rucksack contents another time.