Episode 11 — The plaster's back home: a kit for camping in the woods

Nine in the evening. The tent's pitched at the edge of the woods, the campfire's dying down, and Basha, five, has just grazed her knee on a root.

I reach into the rucksack for a plaster, and there isn't one. Left at home, in the drawer.

And the nearest chemist's?

Twenty minutes' drive, and shut anyway. So I'm standing there in the dark with a tissue, thinking, how have I done this again?

Hello, I'm Tomasz Szuster. I built the Mojapteczka app. And what you've just heard is a classic, the camping kit, the thing you only think about once you're in the woods.

Today, what to pack so a grazed knee is a pit stop, not the end of the day.

And let's flag it straight away. We're talking about packing and order, not treatment. What to add to the rucksack, not how to treat something.

Exactly. Treatment stays with the doctor and the pharmacist. My job is making sure what you need is in the rucksack.

Then tell me how camping is any different from the kit I've got at home, because at home I've got everything.

And that's the whole difference. At home, the chemist's is round the corner, and if you're short of something, you nip out for it in the evening.

In the woods, it's the other way round. You can't buy a thing after dark, often you've no signal, and the mosquitoes and ticks come as standard.

So you pack for being on your own with whatever's in the rucksack.

So, a bit extra.

A bit extra, and a few things you'd never take in town.

Let's start with the basics. Little injuries.

Plasters in a few sizes. Blister ones included.

Because after a day's walking, your feet can really take a beating.

A sterile dressing. A bandage. Something to disinfect with.

Small scissors. Gloves.

The basics for a little cut.

And let's stress little. Because if a wound's deep or won't stop...

You don't improvise. You call for help. The kit's for a grazed knee. Not a serious injury.

Right. Insects. Because the woods are one big mosquito.

And midges. And ticks.

Three things. Repellent. A tool for removing a tick. A tick remover or tweezers. And afterbite gel.

Hang on. Repellent for a child. Because people grab whatever's on the shelf here.

And this matters. You choose one that says on the label what age of child it's approved for.

And you use it exactly as the instructions on the pack say. No guessing the amount.

And if you're unsure, you ask the pharmacist. This isn't the place for guesswork.

And a tick? Because that's probably a parent's biggest fear in the woods.

The rule here is simple. It's worth having a tick removal tool in the rucksack.

And what exactly to do after a bite? Best done in line with public health guidance.

And if anything worries you, with the doctor.

These aren't tips off the top of my head. And to be clear, the Moya Patechka app doesn't spot a tick from a photo.

And it doesn't diagnose tick-borne illness.

We actually did a whole separate episode on ticks. A tick after a walk.

So the app doesn't play doctor here?

It doesn't. And that's deliberate.

And the sun? Because woods are woods, but a clearing at midday can really catch you.

Sun cream. After sun, used as the label says.

And rehydration salts with a supply of water.

In the heat, a child dehydrates faster.

Dull until you forget it.

The classic. We pack a plaster and forget the water.

Quite.

Right. So where does the app even help on a camping trip?

Because so far we're talking about the rucksack itself.

It helps earlier, at home, before you pack.

Because the biggest mistake is packing a kit where you haven't even checked half the dates.

Last summer's repellent, afterbite gel, sun cream, antiseptic.

They've all got an expiry date.

And once they're opened, they go off faster.

And the worst moment to find out...

Is in the middle of the woods.

That's why the app has a soon view.

A list of the things whose date is running out, marked in colour.

Red when the date's gone or about to.

Orange when it's getting close.

Green when it's fine.

A glance, and you see what needs checking before you pack.

And that works on sun cream too?

Not just medicines.

On anything you add with a date.

You put sun cream or repellent in, just like a medicine.

Off a photo of the pack, even.

And the app reads the name and the expiry date.

And drops it onto the same list.

It's not a background scan chasing you with notifications.

It's a view you look at when you're packing.

Right. That does sound honest.

No scare tactics.

Because it's not about scaring you.

Just one glance before you go.

Now the hardest bit.

Regular medicines.

Because if someone takes something every day,

you're not leaving that in the drawer next to the plaster.

That's the part that's easiest to forget.

And the most important.

Three things.

First, enough for the whole trip, plus a reserve.

In case it runs on or something goes missing.

Second, before you go, you check how much is in the packs.

This is where the to top up list helps.

As you log a pack being used and the supply drops below a threshold,

the medicine lands on it.

You catch what's about to run out at home.

And when there's a few of us and everyone takes something different?

Grandma Irene is coming with us.

Leon, nine, has his medicines.

I've got mine.

Then the shared family list comes in.

Everyone has their own profile.

And a carer sees in one place who takes what.

You can have Leon's list separately.

Irina's separately.

And now my favourite question.

The woods.

No signal.

That whole list is on the phone.

And then what, if there's no internet?

It works offline.

On one honest condition.

The phone has to get a signal once and sync before you head into the woods.

If it does that at home or on the way,

then later, with no signal under the tent,

the list is still to hand.

All right.

So you're not promising magic without the internet?

I'm not.

It syncs once, then it works offline.

I'd rather say it plainly than have you find out in the woods that it doesn't.

I do appreciate that.

Because most apps promise everything always works,

and then it doesn't,

right when you need it most.

And one more thing, so we're honest all the way.

A camping kit is kit for minor first aid

and for keeping the medicines you're carrying in order.

Not for treatment and not for rescue.

With a serious injury, a big wound,

a strong reaction after a bite,

you ring 999 and get help.

And out in the middle of nowhere,

it's worth knowing in advance the way in by road

and where it's easiest to call that help from.

So Plan B isn't the app.

It's the emergency number and a level head.

Always.

The app organises what you pack.

The rest is down to you.

Then sum up what goes in the rucksack.

Quickly.

Wounds.

Plasters, blister ones included,

dressings, antiseptic, gloves, scissors.

Insects and ticks.

Repellent, as the label says,

a tick remover or tweezers,

afterbite gel.

Sun.

Sun cream, after sun, as the label says,

rehydration salts and water.

Regular medicines.

A supply plus a reserve.

An offline list, a shared family list.

And before you go,

a check of the expiry dates at home.

And on top of it all,

a level head.

The kit won't replace knowing where you are

and who you call if something happens.

Well put.

If you'd like to give it a go,

that's the Moya Pteczka app.

The app is free and works offline.

You'll find the link in the episode description.

And if this episode's been useful,

pass it on to someone who's packing a rucksack

for camping with children right now.

One more thing before we go.

This podcast is made with the help

of artificial intelligence.

I wrote the dialogue myself,

but the voices you're hearing aren't ours.

They're AI-generated, synthetic voices.

We're telling you this straight out

because we think it should be the standard

for any podcast made this way.

Full details are in the show notes

and in every episode description.

Until next time.

Until next time.