Heading to the great outdoors this summer? Don’t forget the most important, versatile tool to include in your gear bag: duct tape. After exploring duct tape’s myriad uses in our previous blog, we were inspired to dive into the more specific ways it can be used when one is braving the elements. Keep reading to learn how you can use duct tape during camping trips, survival situations, and beyond.
Repair your shelter
There are tons of ways duct tape can come in handy when it comes to keeping your shelter safe and secure. You can use it to:
- “Splint” a broken tent pole by wrapping both broken halves around a sturdy stick.
- Make replacement guylines—the ropes that keep your tent stable in bad weather—by tearing a long strip in half, and sticking both halves to one another.
- Patch a hole in a tent or anything else. Patch both sides of the hole for extra durability.
- Hold your door shut. Broken zipper? A strip of tape can keep the chill out.
Weatherproof your footwear
When you’re camping, dry feet can be the difference between a fun and a miserable experience. Help your feet by:
- Patching holes in shoes. You can also keep ticks and chiggers off your ankles by taping up the space between your pant leg and your shoe.
- Waterproof your shoes. If you need to wade through mud, muck, or straight-up water, binding your shoes tight with tape can help keep the water out.
- Mend a broken sole. If your boot sole catches on a rock and rips off the shoe, duct tape can keep the pieces together.
- Make snow shoes. In a pinch, you can make some rudimentary snowshoes by winding duct tape over criss-crossed branches, as show in this tutorial.
Render temporary first aid
As we stated in our previous post, duct tape should never be considered an adequate replacement for genuine medical care—but there are many situations in which it’s better than nothing. If you find yourself in a jam, duct tape can help by:
- Making a temporary bandage. While medical tape is the preferred tape for this, a piece of duct tape and a cotton ball can help stop the bleeding until you reach your first aid kit.
- Preventing blisters. You can also keep certain injuries from occurring in the first place, by applying a strip of duct tape over irritating bits of gear and footwear.
- Removing splinters. While tweezers are a much better tool for the job, duct tape can sometimes provide some temporary relief. For best results, let the tape sit for a minute, and remove it slowly.
- Stabilize a sprain. Far from an Ace bandage? Wrapping a suspected sprain in duct tape can provide temporary support.
Fabricate forgotten goods
When you’re out in the woods, you can’t just swing by the store to replace a much-needed item. But you can often make certain items out of duct tape, such as:
- Cups, bowls, and utensils. Thanks to duct tape’s waterproof qualities, these can usually hold liquids fairly well.
- While a duct tape hat probably won’t be winning any fashion prizes, it can help keep the sun off your face and neck. Check out this tutorial for a more detailed walkthrough.
- A fire starter. Some hikers suggest wrapping a thin thread of tape around your lighter or ferro rod, so that fire starting material is there when you need it.
- A firewood carrier. Gathering firewood is usually pretty easy; hauling it back to your campsite can be a challenge. A couple strips of duct tape can make the job much easier.
Get miscellaneous comfort and safety
Camping can be strenuous stuff. Here are some miscellaneous ways duct tape can help you enjoy your trip.
- Passive insect removal. If flies and mosquitoes are becoming a problem, hang some sticky strips from your tent ceiling to trap them.
- Active insect removal. If you’d like to take a more direct approach, try wrapping a forked tree branch in tape, like a makeshift tennis racket. Then, practice your forehand to your heart’s content.
- Protect sharp edges. If you have sharp things sticking out of your pack, protect yourself and those around you by wrapping them in duct tape.
- Eye protection. If your only pair of sunglasses becomes lost or destroyed, you can fashion some DIY eyewear out of tape. Cut horizontal slits over each eye to let in just enough light to see, Inuit-style.
Enjoy a fun and safe summer!
We hope that this post helped you see duct tape should be in every camper’s toolbox, and in every backpacker’s survival kit! With just a little ingenuity, this affordable tool can be used to repair just about anything. If you’re heading outside this summer, and your duct tape supply is woefully low, you can order some from SSI Packaging. Our Richmond packaging company offers duct tape in a wide range of sizes and thicknesses, as well as boxes, bubble wrap, and anything else you might need to pack and track your image. To learn more, stop by and see us today!