I've been thinking of putting a little traveling kit together to keep in the car while letterboxing and if we see a LB that could use a little repair, we could just replace a few things.... like a ziplock bag when there's have a whole, etc.

Do you have any suggestions what else we should have 'on hand' to help out with a small repair?

Thanks in advance.

Team Mac

I carry two different sized camo painted lock n locks with me, inside one is extra felt, ziplocks and extra logbooks. Also have roll of camo duct tape. Have fixed a cracked container or two over the years. I always try to help out a box in need when I can and hope most others would do the same for one of mine.

black gorilla tape
I put my repair kit in a lock and lock in a larger ziplock so if box is cracked I can replace it
4x5 sticky back foam insulation and scissors (in case stamp is cracking apart--temp patch and then I notify planter)
sm log book
paper towels/scrap material for drying out a box or replacing a soaked stamp wrapper if there's no time to wait for the old one to dry

Logbooks in various small sizes and various size baggies will repair most boxes.

I just purchased 6 boxes of pint size Ziplock freezer bags for that purpose. They can be hard to find in the pint size, but Walmart carries them during canning season, which is just about over. I bought the last six boxes at my store. I like the smaller size because they are less likely to get caught up in the tupperware seal. Baggies and paper towels are the most critical maintenance supplies. I also have a bandana tied around my pack that I often use to wipe out wet boxes.

I happen to have several of the white plastic spools that 2-1/4" cash register paper comes on. They're only about 3/4" diameter. I take a roll of duck tape and roll several feet onto that little spool; since the duck tape is 2" wide, that leaves about an 1/8" of spool on each end. I carry that roll along on hikes because it fits easily in a pocket, unlike the regular roll of duck tape which is bulky and cumbersome to carry.

Freezer pint baggies, sandwich baggies, pill baggies w/folded strips of paper for temp logbooks, 3 folded paper towels, all inside a quart freezer baggie that stays flat in my backpack. I don't carry or replace l n l's. Based on responses here, though, I plan to add a strip of duct tape wrapped around a pencil or flat piece of plastic. That's a great idea for repairs. Someone else mentioned a toothbrush to clean out gasket seals on the l n l's, so I'm considering that, too.

I do carry 2 different sizes of LnL containers with me, but actually rarely decide to use them.

You may find yourself inspired by a great box, though. You follow some clues that surprise you with how clever they are and find yourself in a little-known slice of heaven and are already blown away before you reach into the hidey hole -- and pull out a squirrel-chewed container with several gaping holes. That's perhaps how it should be; the so-so boxes are allowed to deteriorate into oblivion while the truly outstanding boxes get maintained by everyone involved.

Thank you Kirbert for presenting a positive approach to this thread. It is refreshing to read in a constructive light.
The other thing in my kit, that I have not seen mentioned, is stamp cleaner. I dab on some cleaner then pat the stamp on a folded paper towel. This is for stamps that have ink built up on them.

I take duck tape and wrap it around a popsicle stick. You can do two colours on a stick and it's a lot lighter and less bulky than the roll of duck tape. I carry it mostly to make small repairs on a cracked box or pouch.

I take duck tape and wrap it around a popsicle stick. You can do two colours on a stick and it's a lot lighter and less bulky

....I had been thinking the same basic thing.......

Except I don't even use the popsicle stick....I just start with a 1/16th inch fold-over onto itself.