Disaster Skills: 4 Unconventional Uses For Duct Tape
Over the past 75 years of its existence, duct tape has become a staple product for “fix-it-yourselfers” from every walk of life. No doubt, this wonder tape has been used for jobs that the original duct tape developers never imagined. The versatile product can mend, bind, patch, repair and replace many of the items we would need in a survival situation - without specialized tools or training. Just tear and stick!
Burn It - Need something to help you start a fire in wet weather, or you’re just running low on tinder? A crumpled ball of duct tape will burn for a minute or two when lit with an open flame. Don’t waste your time throwing sparks at it, duct tape responds best to the flame of a lighter or match. The secret to its flammability lies with several of the materials that go into this wondrous product. It’s typically made from a cotton mesh, coated with a poly-ethylene resin on one side and sticky rubber-based adhesive on the other. Now, guess which ones will burn? How about all three!
Pull Ticks - Ticks are just another part of nature, but that doesn’t mean that we want them all over us. Depending on the species, an expectant momma tick may lay an egg mass with as many as 4000 eggs in one spot. When these hatch in warmer weather, this “pocket” of tick larvae can be like a land mine for outdoor adventurers. As soon as you step in the wrong spot, the assault begins. You may have dozens or even hundreds of baby ticks climbing up your foot and leg. The easiest way to remove these unwelcomed hitchhikers from skin and clothing is duct tape. Just peel off a strip and press is repeatedly on the affected area to remove the tiny ticks. Be very thorough in your tick removal. With certain tick species – even these hatchlings can carry diseases.
Make Rope - Even cheap duct tape has a lot of strength, but by twisting the tape, you add even more muscle to it. Twisting duct tape into rope will give you a surprisingly strong cord that you can use for a host of survival tasks. For best results, twist it as you peel it off the roll and use a continuous strip of tape for your entire rope. Splices will be weak spots! Military grade tape has a 40 pound (18 kg) breaking strength while the strength of less expensive tapes is in the 20 pound (9 kg) range. And by twisting the tape, you’ll even add a few more pounds to its tensile strength.
Close Your Cuts - You can also make your own butterfly bandage strips by cutting small rectangular pieces of DT. Add a smaller bit of tape in the center (sticky side to sticky side) to keep the tape from sticking to the wound. Or you can make four small snips with scissors, and fold the center of the tape in on itself from each side, so that no adhesive is exposed over your wounded skin. Use several of these strips to close long lacerations and just a few to close smaller cuts. Make sure you stick these strips to clean skin and leave them in place for several days. You may tear open a healing wound by peeling these strips off prematurely.
And for many more DIY survival skills, check out my Disaster Crash Course and Bug Out Weekend. If you wait until you need these preps and skills, you waited too late.
Written by Tim MacWelch First draft published on outdoorlife.com