Mud, Mould and Money: A November Triage Plan for Your LARP Kit Bag

The last event of the UK season has a particular smell. Wet canvas, woodsmoke, mud that has somehow got into places mud should not go, and the faint whiff of a leather pouch that was put away damp in September because you were too tired to deal with it. Now it's November, the nights have drawn in, and the kit bag is lurking in the shed like a guilty conscience.

This is the ideal week to perform what we like to call the post-season autopsy. Not because you're a bad LARPer — everyone does it — but because kit that goes into storage wet in November comes out as a science experiment in March. Here's how to triage it sensibly, and work out what's worth saving, what's worth selling, and what has earned a dignified retirement.

Empty Everything, Outside, on a Dry Day

Pick a dry, breezy day and empty the whole bag onto a tarpaulin or the patio. Sort into piles: clean, repair, retire, sell, bin. Be honest. The bin pile is real and it is liberating. Do this outside, not in the kitchen, unless you enjoy domestic diplomacy conducted at volume.

Foam Weapons: Flex, Listen, Smell

Give each weapon a gentle flex and a listen. A crackle, a rattle, or a wobble at the hilt means the core has had it — retire it. Check the tip for splits and delamination, and press along the edges for soft spots. Wash latex with mild soap and water rather than detergent, rinse thoroughly, and dry it away from radiators and direct sun; both will cook the surface. Once dry, a light application of silicone spray keeps latex supple. If you find black mould spots, wipe with a dilute vinegar solution, dry fully, and keep an eye on it — mould on foam is a warning about storage, not just about the weapon. Store weapons flat or hanging, never compressed under other kit, and never in a damp shed.

Leather: Condition, Don't Drown

Brush dried mud off with a soft brush once it's dry — never scrub wet leather. Clean with saddle soap, then condition sparingly. Over-oiling is the classic mistake: it softens the leather, stretches it, and leaves it clammy. A little goes a long way, worked in with fingers. Mould on leather should be wiped with dilute vinegar, dried away from heat, then conditioned. Pay attention to rivets and buckles; green verdigris can be cleaned off and the metal lightly oiled. Hang armour on a wide hanger or store it loosely in a breathable bag, never folded into a plastic box.

Fabric, Wool and the Smell Test

Linen, wool and cotton can usually be washed, but check the care label before you do anything brave. Wool likes cool water and no tumble dryer. Dry everything thoroughly — a slightly damp cloak in a sealed box is a mould farm. Give soft kit the smell test after washing; if the damp smell persists, wash again with a little white vinegar in the rinse. Check seams, underarms and hems for strain, and deal with moth holes now rather than discovering them at the first event of 2026.

Maille and Metal

Maille wants to be dry and slightly oiled. Rust at the joins comes off with a gentle abrasive or a vinegar soak, but dry it thoroughly afterwards or it'll be back. Store maille in a cloth bag with a silica sachet, not in a heap on a concrete floor. The same goes for plate and helmets: dry, lightly oiled, and kept off the ground where condensation does its worst.

Waterproofing Before It Goes Away

Tents, canvas, cloaks and anything that claims to be waterproof should be re-proofed before storage, not before the first wet event of next year. Clean it, let it dry completely, apply a suitable proofer, and dry again. Never store canvas wet. Ever. If you only take one thing from this article, take that.

The Repair-or-Retire Question

Be ruthless about safety. Anything that protects your head, your hands or your joints and has failed structurally gets retired, full stop. For everything else, do a quick sum: what does the repair cost in money, time and favours, versus replacing it? A restitched strap is a ten-minute job and worth doing. A full relining of a gambeson is a project — fine if you enjoy it, less fine if it'll sit in the repair pile until 2028. Sentimental pieces can be retired with honour to a wall hanger or a loaner kit for new players, which is a genuinely lovely thing to do.

What's Still Worth Selling

Here's the bit people forget: November is a surprisingly good time to list. Players are planning next season, winter pay packets are looking for a purpose, and the January rush is still weeks away. Anything clean, dry, honestly described and genuinely usable is worth listing on The LARP Trader as event-ready gear.

Be specific. Give measurements, not sizes. State which UK system the item was last used in and whether it's been weapon-checked. Photograph it in daylight on a plain background. Disclose the wear — the scuff, the small repair, the faded dye — because disclosed wear sells and hidden wear gets you a reputation. Price sensibly; good second-hand kit typically moves at around half to two-thirds of new, depending on condition and maker. Bundle the odds and ends — the spare straps, the belt pouch you never used — into a job lot and someone will thank you for it.

Storage That Survives a British Winter

Finally, put it all away properly. Dry, ventilated, off the floor, and ideally not in the same shed that floods every February. Use lidded boxes with silica sachets, label them by event or by character, hang leather, lay foam weapons flat, and keep the whole lot away from concrete walls that sweat. A little effort in November saves a lot of swearing in March.

Then make a cup of tea, look at your sorted kit, and start planning next season. The mud will be back before you know it.