Aid Transport and Repair Kit
A brilliant aid is useless if it's damaged or missing on tournament morning, so transport and backup planning are essential skills. You'll learn how to build a reliable travel and repair system.
Safe Transport
Rigid boards should travel in a protective case or between two pieces of sturdy cardboard secured with rubber bands or straps, since a bent or creased board looks unprofessional and can affect a flap or panel's function. Always transport the aid in a way that protects corners and edges specifically, since those are the most common damage points.
Building a Repair Kit
A basic repair kit should include clear tape, a glue stick, extra cardstock matching the aid's material, scissors, and a backup print of any critical image in case a panel tears or a flap detaches. Packing this kit in the same bag as the aid itself, rather than separately, ensures it's actually available in an emergency.
The Backup Aid Strategy
For high-stakes tournaments, some competitors prepare a simplified backup version of their aid (even a plain printed version without elaborate reveals) that could be used in a true emergency, such as a board being lost or destroyed in transit, since delivering with a simplified aid is better than delivering with no aid or a visibly ruined one.
A speaker's board arrives at a tournament with one corner bent from being tossed into a bag loosely.
Because she packed her repair kit with the board, she's able to reinforce the bent corner with clear tape and a strip of matching cardstock in the five minutes before her round, restoring both function and appearance. Without the kit, the bent corner might have caused a flap to stick or tear during her reveal.
1. What is a recommended way to protect a rigid board aid during transport?
2. True or False?
"A repair kit is most useful when packed separately from the aid itself."
3. Why might a competitor prepare a simplified backup aid for high-stakes tournaments?
Answer all 3 to check.
Protect your aid's corners and edges during transport, and always travel with a repair kit packed in the same bag as the aid.