How to use duct tape? Let me count the ways.
Food, water and shelter are obviously the most important items to have in a survival situation, but duct tape isn’t too far behind. It’s amazing how many uses you can get out of duct tape following a crisis.
In this blog I’m going to provide you with 19 ways you can use duct tape for everything from simple tasks to more complex activities to life-saving efforts in a survival situation.
- Clothing – If a clothing item such as sandals, visors, gloves or footwear wears out, you can layer and form duct tape to make a temporary version of them.
- Blister Care – You’ll get blisters walking a lot in the wild, but duct tape is perfect for holding a cotton ball over an infected area to help it heal faster.
- Leak Fixer – For small leaks in boats or buckets, duct tape could do the job. It could make the difference in reaching the other side of a pond or small lake.
- Enemy Binder – Temporarily restraining someone trying to assault or rob you may become necessary, in which case duct tape will hold him fast.
- Clothesline – Wet clothes in the wild can be a death sentence. Use duct tape to form a clothesline to suspend wet clothes over a fire.
- Trail Marker – If you’re trying to find your way out of the woods, leaving patches of duct tape on trees and rocks could save your life.
- Vehicle Repair – Duct tape can serve as a great short-term fix for a leaky hose, broken fan belt or rusted-out muffler, or to keep a loose window in place.
- Medical Usage – Uneven terrain makes rolling an ankle or spraining a wrist more likely. Use duct tape to wrap a joint, attach a splint or form a sling.
- Glass Protector – If the wind is strong and a window is weak, use duct tape in a crisscross pattern to hold it in place and lessen the chances of breakage.
- Wound Waterproofer – Once a wound is dressed, keep gauze or cloth from moisture, debris and germs by wrapping it in duct tape.
- Frostbite Protection – Exposed skin can suffer frostbite quickly. Use duct tape directly on your face if necessary.
- Cordage – If you run out of cordage, duct tape will come to the rescue. Simply twist and weave it into a strong and durable makeshift rope.
- Bottle Patcher – Water could be your best friend in a bug-out situation, so don’t let a leaky water bottle spell your doom. Duct tape will stop the leaking.
- Insulation – Even with boots your feet can get cold outdoors. Insulate them, especially in areas where they are ventilated or cracked.
- Pole Repair – Wooden poles can break, especially in tough survival situations, so use duct tape to splint a broken or cracked tent pole or fishing pole.
- Harness Maker – Use duct tape to create a safety harness if you have to climb or repel to avoid an obstacle. You could also form a stretcher with it.
- Sleeping Bag Patch – Duct tape can patch holes in sleeping bags and a tent, which will help you avoid the elements and dangerous bugs.
- Snowshoe Maker – You can fashion a pair of snowshoes using flexible saplings and some duct tape, especially if you enter an area of deep snow.
- Object Finder – Attach a wad of duct tape to the end of a stick and use the adhesive to pull up a valuable item if it fell into an unreachable crevasse.
What other uses for duct tape have you discovered? Please share them with us.
Like what you read? There’s more where that came from. See how your stockpile stacks up… Click here!
6 Comments
duct tape can be used as a belt, suspenders and use the clothes line method to tie you and your families, hand to hand so not to fall or get lost. . mend a broken knife or hammer handle. secure an intruder if necessary. make a set of crutches with tree limbs. I may have repeated some methods.
Wrap tape around your fingers and pat any surface to remove dog, cat or other critter hair.
Dear Frank,
When you have plenty of good old “100 Mile Per Hour Tape” (used to temp-patch holes in the wings of airplanes) you can do all sorts of things.
1. Make shoes.
2. Fletching for arrows or Atlatl darts.
3. Bind willows to make a 3 or 5 stick Apache Bow.
4. Make yourself a hat.
5. Secure fish traps.
…. an on and on and on!
Although a full roll is a bit heavy and big, we always have at least half a roll of full sised, as well as, a smaller 1″ wide roll in all our family BOB’s, Mini-Bob’s and GHB’s.
As for our long-term disaster supplies, we recommend people have at least a dozen or more rolls stored in a cool dry place, right next to their food. Duct Tape is that versatile for survival!!!
Happy Thanksgiving To All,
Orrin
Duct tape is also a great fire starter
What are you saying??? Was the Food for Patriots that I bought!! MREs that you are now saying are horribly inadequate?? What did I buy???
Dear Judith,
Not sure what this discussion about “duct tape” has to do with food, but to answer your question.
If you have ever eaten military MRE’s, they are filling, but most are not very palatable, frankly, although we have personally eaten hundreds of them over the decades. The big problem is they don’t store long-term well (about 5 years when brand new). And, those made available to the civilian market are usually near and sometimes past their freshness dates, yet still they are desperation food if needed.
GOOD NEWS! The Power 4 Patriots Survival Meals and a couple other commercially available products are not only delicious, but they will keep much, much longer!
We like to dehydrate product, then use our Food Saver vacuum sealer and make our own MRE’s That way we have meals we like and seasoned to our family’s taste.
God Bless,
Orrin