With convention season about to hit the ground running one thing that is crucial to pack as a cosplayer is… a repair kit!
Repair kits allow you to fix minor damages so if something happens to your costume your convention isn’t ruined and you can still wear it. I have been cosplaying for years and had to use my repair kit frequently! There’s no shame in it. So if your seam rips or your paint chips your repair kit is there to save you.
Your repair kit will somewhat vary depending on what type of cosplays you bring, but some things are always helpful. Here’s what I pack and how I use it.
Standard Kit
- Hot glue gun & sticks
- Super glue
- Scissors
- Thread and needles
- Paint and brushes (whatever color you used and black)
- Zip ties
- Needle nose pliers
- Worbla and foam
- Safety pins
- Patches
You may see some items I dont list here in the images of my repair kit. Over time you will probably add and take, making your repair kit more personal to you. These are the items I pack for the latest convention I went to where I had foam armor and fabric cosplays.
Hot Glue
Hot glue guns are great for fixing so many problems in a pinch. You can glue anything from foam to fabric and you’ll have a pretty secure hold that should last you all day. One thing to note with hot glue is that if it gets hot enough it will melt again so this may not be your best option if you plan on standing in direct sunlight for hours, but that is rarely a good plan. I personally recommend the Gorilla Glue hot glue sticks. I have been using them for years and they work the best for me.
Super Glue
Superglue is an invaluable tool for day-to-day life, so when it comes to cosplay you know it will be useful. Hot glue and worbla won’t always hold plastics together so if you have hard smooth surfaces, super glue will be your weapon of choice. Remeber to pack whatever glues you think you might need or feel comfortable using.
Scissors
This one is somewhat obvious. Make sure you pack both fabric scissors and craft scissors if your cosplay has both armor bits and fabric. Don’t ruin your fabric scissors!
Thread and Needles
Make sure if you have a fabric cosplay you pack the thread color you used or a couple of spools of all the colors you used. Then you can hand stitch any rips or faulty seams if you have them. I have even sewn through worbla or foam in a pinch, just make sure you pack strong needles for this.
Paint and Brushes
Again just pack the colors you used and a couple of brushes. Cosplays can get damaged in transit or bumped into at conventions and photo shoots. You don’t want a chip in the paint if you can help it, so pack those paints!
Zip Ties
Zip ties are especially useful for armor on cosplays. You can poke a hole through anything and zip-tie two things together. You can also create loops with zip ties. Heck, you could create an entire outfit of zip ties if needed.
Needle Nose Pliers
Honestly, this is more of a case-to-case item for a lot of people. I always pack them because you never know when you’re really going to need to hold onto something.
Worbla and Foam
I pack small strips of both when I have any type of armor on a cosplay. You can easily patch and fix almost anything on your armor with these scraps and your hot glue gun. Also as a note pack a heat gun if you bring worbla.
Safety Pins
You can hold almost any two fabric pieces together with safety pins. You can also close a gap if your cosplay becomes too tight and take it in if it becomes loose. They really are just so useful and a must-have item if you are wearing any fabric.
Patches
This is something I recently added for the fear of getting a hole in one of my costumes. Holes are not always easy to repair and if you don’t want to hole to get bigger usually a patch is your best option. You can either use prepurchased ones or make them of your own fabric with heat and bond.
Conclusion
So here is a basic repair kit and what I pack to go to a convention. If you would like to know how to pack repair kits for specific types of cosplays or if you have suggestions for items to add let me know!
