Speaking of tires, patches flats and stuff reminds me of a good tip this fellow called the Wolf in houston taught me long ago. When your sidewall blows out for whatever reason just about the best "boot" material you can use to get home or finish a days work is a dollar bill. (US dollars but maybe others will do) The fine linen/paper construction of these folded over once or twice will hold back a lot of air pressure and will work the same when wet. Plus you get your dollar back when you get home and replace your tire. It works tons better than anything you'd normally find on the side of the road.