My recent experience of having a leak in a busy stadium, with no supplies, has taught me a lot so I thought I would share some tips if this were to happen to you.
I’m not going to lie, I thought if this ever happened to me I would be prepared and to be honest, I wasn’t! I had got inconsistent when making sure I had a change of clothes and an emergency kit on me. I had left it in the car which was good to still have it as I was over an hour away from home but having to walk out of the stadium and to the car was awful.
The problem with leaks is are we ever prepared? We just never know when and where they will happen. I had changed my bag the night before and the leak wasn’t from the baseplate but from the outlet where the Velcro had come away. So no matter how much I had prepared, in terms of the actual bag change, there was nothing more I could have done to prevent the leak. I had on light grey bottoms which definitely didn’t help but I was lucky enough to have a coat and a hoodie, which I was able to tie around my waist.
There’s some things I would definitely do to ensure if this were to happen again to make sure that I am more prepared. First off, I would make sure that I am well prepared before I even leave the house by making sure I’m doing all prevention techniques that I can such as wearing a seal under my bag and changing my bag as and when needed instead of taking a chance. I also always double-check the outlet and Velcro on the bags now. I would make sure I have my emergency kit and a change of clothes with me at all times as you just never know when and where a leak will catch you out, and not let myself get too inconsistent by just leaving it in the car.
My hands were shaking when the leak happened, I couldn’t think straight and I was dropping things like the toilet roll which then was rolling away from me. If this were to happen again I would try to keep myself calm, sit down and let myself think before reacting.
Even though this was an awful leak and left me feeling really bad and set back, it has taught me so much. The worst has happened to me and I have now learned from it and will have the knowledge going forward to be more prepared, consistent and not to let myself stay in a low place about these things happening.
