Field Repair Kit: What to Pack and How to Fix Gear Outdoors

What goes in an outdoor repair kit? A camping repair kit list

The right kit is the one you will actually carry, so build it around the failures that really happen: fabric rips, punctured mats, snapped poles, broken buckles and stuck zips. Everything below is a generic category – no brands – and most of it you already own.

Match the kit to the trip. A weekend with a tarp needs tape, patches, cord and a needle; a tent adds pole and zip parts; a winter trip adds buckle and glove repairs. The Kit Builder adds a repair pouch to your packing list so it is not forgotten.

How to pack a repair kit small – and where to keep it

A good kit is flat, flexible and in one place. Keep it in a single zip bag, labelled, in the lid pocket or the top of the pack, where you can reach it without unpacking. A kit buried under the sleeping bag will be left unused until it is too wet to repair anything.

• Tape: wind 1–2 m round a bottle, a trekking pole, a lighter or a pencil instead of carrying the roll. It saves bulk and the tape stays clean.
• Needle and thread: push the needle into a piece of card or cloth, wind the thread round it and wrap it in a scrap of tape so the point cannot poke through the bag.
• Patches: round the corners at home and carry them flat, between two pieces of backing paper.
• Cable ties and pins: clip them on a safety pin or keep them in a small bag so they do not spread through the pack.
• Glue: in its own small bag, away from fabric and the first aid kit. A home-made pine pitch stick is a natural back-up for jobs on wood.

Check the kit before every trip: does the glue still flow, are the patches still sticky, is the thread rotten, is the lighter full? Replace what you used straight after you get home, otherwise the next trip starts with a gap.

How to repair a tarp or tent in the field: torn fabric

A rip in a tarp or tent fabric spreads under tension, so act early. The method is the same for a tarp, a tent, a jacket or a rucksack: clean, dry, rounded patch, press, repeat on the other side.

For tears longer than a hand, sew the edges together first with a loose herringbone or whip stitch, then patch over the seam. Tape alone peels from a long rip in the first rain. Seam tape and sealant need dry, warm conditions to cure, so treat them as a home job.

How to fix a broken grommet or tie-out with a pebble

A ripped-out grommet or torn tie-out loop is a common tarp failure, especially in wind. If the corner fabric is still sound, you can make a new anchor point in a minute with a pebble and a piece of cord – a "button" tie-out. This is the classic way to make a tie-out anywhere on a tarp; see also choosing a tarp.

The pebble tie-out works with anything round: a pebble, a pinecone, a small stick or a bit of folded cloth. It is a temporary fix; on a tarp you plan to keep, sew a proper reinforced loop from webbing at home. The paracord guide shows which cord to carry for guylines and tie-outs, and natural cordage covers making cord on the spot.

How to fix an air mattress leak: find it, dry it, patch it

A sleeping mat that slowly loses air makes a cold night, and the first thing to know is that finding the leak is harder than patching it. Work calmly: inflate the mat fully, search it systematically, mark the spot, and give the patch time to cure. Until the patch has cured, a spare layer or a pile of dry leaves under the mat helps; more in sleeping gear.

Not every slow leak is a hole. Check the valve first: dirt on the seal, a half-closed valve or a cracked valve body all leak. Cold also drops air pressure overnight, so a mat that "leaks" only in the cold may need a top-up and nothing else.

How to repair a broken tent pole in the field

A pole snaps at a joint or splits where it is bent most. With a repair sleeve – a short tube slightly wider than the pole – you can splint it in five minutes. Without one, use a straight stick and tape or cable ties. It will not be as strong, but it keeps the tent standing for the rest of the trip.

For a pole without a sleeve, lash a straight stick or a tent peg along the break with tape or cord at three points and let the splint extend 10–15 cm either side. Poles with a long split in the middle may need two splints; keep tension on the guylines low in wind.

Zips, straps, clothing, boots, stove and other quick fixes

After fabric, mat and poles, a handful of small failures account for most of the rest. The table is a symptom-first lookup; the sections after it explain the ones that need care.

A failed zip

Most zip failures are a slider that has worn or been pulled slightly open, so the teeth no longer mesh behind it. First check that the teeth are clean and not bent or missing; sand or grit can cause the same symptom. If the zip simply opens, squeeze the slider gently from the sides with pliers, a little at a time, and test after each squeeze. Squeezing too hard crushes the slider and the zip will bind or break, so go slowly and stop when it holds. If one tooth is missing or the slider is cracked, use a safety pin through the holes or the spare slider.

Rucksack straps and buckles

Webbing frays from the ends; a quick pass with a lighter melts the end of a synthetic strap flat, with the fire safety rules from the fire safety guide in mind. A torn strap can be sewn through its old holes with strong thread or lashed with cord. For a cracked buckle, a spare of the same size is the best fix; if you have none, tie the straps with a knot or use a cable tie. Always fix the load-bearing parts of the pack at home, using proper webbing and thread.

Torn clothing and down leaks

Sew the edges of a tear together with small stitches and then patch inside with a self-adhesive patch. For down garments or bags, a small hole will leak feathers. Pull them back in carefully from the outside with a pin and patch over the hole; pulling feathers out only enlarges the hole. Use patches made for the fabric: tape sticks poorly to wet or very fuzzy fabric.

Boot soles, glasses, headlamp and bottle

A boot sole that has come loose is a get-home problem. Wrap tape or cord around the boot and sole, or use cable ties through the stitching holes to hold it. It will not last, and the boot should be repaired or replaced properly. Glasses survive on wire or thread through the hinge and a little tape. A headlamp that flickers usually has dirty or loose battery contacts; clean them with a cloth and check the battery orientation, and carry spare batteries, see lighting. A cracked water bottle can be taped and used for cold water, but replace it before you pour hot water into it.

Stoves: keep it simple

Stove problems that you can solve outdoors are limited to the simple ones: a blocked jet that you can clean as the maker says, a worn O-ring at the cartridge connection that you can check and replace, and a loose connection you tighten by hand. If you smell gas, close the valve, move away from any flame and do not light anything. Do not modify valves or fuel lines. See camp stoves for safe use.

Improvised repairs from nature (in brief)

Nature supplies some stopgaps when the kit runs out. They are weaker than a proper repair, but they can save a trip.

• Cord: plant fibres from nettle stems or lime bast can be twisted into cord for lashings and tie-outs, see natural cordage.
• Pitch glue: resin from conifers such as spruce or pine, warmed and mixed with fine charcoal and a little fibre, makes a traditional waterproof glue for small jobs. It is messy, brittle and temporary, and it needs a fire, so only use it where fire is permitted. Fat-rich pine wood, see fatwood, is a resin source too, but never harvest from living trees.
• Splints and pegs: a straight stick can splint a pole, replace a lost tent peg or serve as a toggle on a tie-out.
• Lashings: cord, root or flexible bark strips hold a broken frame together, see lashings.

Treat all of them as get-home measures and replace them with proper repairs afterwards.

What not to repair in the field

Some failures are not a repair job. A repair that fails on a tarp costs you a wet night; a repair that fails on safety equipment can cost much more.

If a safety-critical item is damaged, retire it, and change your plan: shorten the route, use a lower route or turn round. A broken boot sole on easy ground is a get-home fix; on steep or icy ground it is a reason to stop. For emergencies and rescue, see first aid kit and trip planning.

After the trip: proper repair and maintenance at home

A field repair is a loan, not a gift. When you get home, dry everything, then redo what you taped, pinned or tied: sew the strap, replace the zip, seam-seal the tarp and re-patch the mat with the right patch.

• Dry and clean tents, tarps and mats before storing; damp fabric rots and mildews. Sleeping bags need their own routine: see sleeping bag care.
• Replace temporary patches with proper ones, and re-seal seams where the tape peeled.
• Restock the kit straight away, so the next trip starts complete.
• Look after tools such as the knife and multitool: see tool care.
• Buy smart: a repairable, simple item often beats a cheap throwaway, see budget kit.

Practise each repair once at home in daylight, with a spare scrap of fabric: it is a lot quicker than in the rain.