Duct Tape

[erugs]

Once again, I've seen the advice of putting duct tape on a water bottle or trekking pole to use when needed. Has anyone ever successfully used Duct Tape from those sources? I have, and the stuff wouldn't pry apart. Rather than struggling with that again, I have purchased one of those very small rolls of Duct Tape, which is the least economical way to do it but the stuff works then. The big roll stays home, of course. You?

 

[Hillwalker]

I have, and do carry the quality version of duct tape, not the cheap variety. I used quite a bit on the Camino walk this past September for blister treatment. My water bottles are the old flexible soft plastic variety that must be at least 15 years old. The tape adhesive may tend to harden on hard plastic Nalgene bottles. I also store it on my hiking poles, although I have pretty much stopped using them except when carrying a heavy pack on moderate terrain. Up heah in Mane they mostly stay on my pack to in order to put "hands to rock" as the Scottish say. Nothing like a wee scramble to get the pulse racing!

 

[JCarter]

I carry a small roll of duct tape in my first aid kit (sealed in a ziploc) for first-aidy things, and a tube/roll of Tenacious Tape for cloth gear repair. I can see where tape "left out" in the weather on a pole/bottle would tend to self-destruct over time. I suppose if you use a lot of it, you might be replacing often enough for it to not deteriorate. I have duct tape with Sharpie scribbles on many of my Nalgenes for identification purposes, and that junk is terrible to get off, I don't see how using that as a storage mechanism is really practical.

 

[peakbagger]

I have kept some wrapped on my lekis for several years and it was still usable. The outer wrap or two may be nicked up but the stuff underneath still works. I expect it is brand specific.

 

[David Metsky]

I carry it on my ski poles and have used it to fix goggles, repair jacket rips, and repair a broken ski pole. When camping I've used the duct tape from my hiking poles on all sorts of things.

 

[LarryD]

I have kept some wrapped on my lekis for several years and it was still usable. The outer wrap or two may be nicked up but the stuff underneath still works. I expect it is brand specific.

My experience has been similar to Peakbagger's. I wrap it around hiking poles and it works very well even a couple of years later.

 

[dug]

I repaired my snowshoes one winter using it from a water bottle, and I did such a good job I never replaced them.

It's come in handy a few times.

 

[summitseeker]

While teaching an outdoor skills and ecology course I encouraged my students to wrap their water bottles with about two feet of duct tape with a small "U-shaped" piece of paracord so they could attach it to a sling, belt loop, etc.

I did find that some generic tapes were less easily unwound and in my own experience some generic tapes over a long duration become almost unusable after leaving the roll. I have had very good luck with ACE Hardware black duct tape but after a year or so I have seen it get much more "gummy" on the shafts of my composite hockey sticks.

That being said, I know that all duct tape has some sort of shelf life once applied to a foreign surface, but I truly believe that quality makes the major difference when it comes to reusing an unrolled section of tape.

As my neighbor always says, "If you can't duct it, ______ it!"

Z

 

[DougPaul]

I don't wrap my duct tape around anything--I take a 3 or 4 inch section and fold in back on itself (sticky side to sticky side) and then wrap a length of tape around this core. This produces a flat package which is carried in my gear first-aid kit.

Doug

 

[nartreb]

Since I like to carry more than an inch or two of tape, the tape is wrapped multiple times around whatever object I'm using to carry it, so it sticks to itself just like when it leaves the factory. I can't imagine how the type of bottle or pole would make any difference except for the very bottom wrap.

I usually have tape in a couple of places - around my hiking pole(s) if I'm using one, around my thermoses if I'm using them, and a flattened half-used roll (score the cardboard with a knife so it collapses easily; if you want to save a gram you can peel the carboard away after scoring it) in my emergency kit. I've used it from all of these locations and never had a problem, except to notice that duct tape doesn't stick well to a tent that's already wet.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Ellen - as others have said, start with quality tape. The Walmart flavor probably won't work well, unless it's branded 3M or similar. Also, even the good stuff doesn't last forever. I carry it on my trekking poles, and every 3 or 4 years I replace it. Unwrapping it can be tedious, so instead I put a fresh blade in a Stanley knife and carefully cut down several layers and then peel off the chunks. If you do this a bit at a time, you won't risk scoring your poles with the blade. Actually takes longer to describe than it does in practice.

 

[tomcat32]

I always keep it on my trekking pole and have used it on a water bottle as well. Most frequently I use it for blisters. But have repaired tent mesh, used it to hold on TP as a bandage, even temporarily held sealed a punctured Camelbak tube, made an anti snowballing surface, to name a few uses. I never had any real problems peeling it. This could be the brand like others said.

 

[sardog1]

[Disclosure]: I have two brothers-in-law employed by the world's leading manufacturer of tapes and adhesives.[/Disclosure]

Now that the formalities have been met:

If it isn't from 3M, it's a poor substitute, whether "it" is duct tape, masking tape, a window sealing kit, or anything else that needs to stay put until it needs to come off. (Ditto for their abrasives, but that's a whole 'nother tale.)

 

[dug]

Scientifically, what is the difference when trying to pull tape wrapped around a bottle vs. how it is on the roll? On the surface, it's the same thing...it's wrapped out a circular base (the cardboard roll vs. a water bottle) and layered on top of itself. Would something happen when it's exposed to air to make it stickier? I haven't had the issue, just curious.

I've run out around the house a few times and had to use my backup (water bottle) supply occasionally without issue as well.

 

[iagreewithjamie]

I carry a small roll of Duck Brand duct tape (If you can't duck it... ). I use the inner cavity for small emergency items I hope I don't need: little box of waterproof matches, a little dime bag of cotton and kindling, very loud emergency whistle, etc. Put tape on both ends and suddenly, you have a carrying container that essentially came free with your purchase of duct tape.

 

[--M.]

I learned from reading (I think, there are several iterations of this title) "Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book" http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Really-Backcountry-Revised-Better/dp/0762745851/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

The recommendation is to wrap enough around your poles both to supply repair and to offer a lower grip on the pole (for continued side-hilling where a shorter pole would help). I tried and benefited in both ways. I had no trouble with the tape when it was time to repair something, and I was again hero-of-the-moment for being well-equipped. I still need to beef up that section of pole again! If I recall, we also used an old-skool bic pen as an insert splint on a broken pole..., with duct tape all around.

There are several good stories of 3M innovation (no relation); my dad was a materials guy who knew such things intimately and a little rubbed off (like a 'post-it' note!).

Before this, I kept a bunch wrapped around a piece of drinking straw in my pack, but chucked it after the success with the poles.

One thing: you need quite a bit wrapped around there to have enough for what you're fixing. It piles up quickly on the pole and you may think you have a lot when you only have three or four feet. I made the new 'grips' large enough to fit comfortably in my hand as I ski or scramble.

 

[MadRiver]

Since I work in a University Library I use barcodes on a daily basis. Once the barcodes are used up for a single sheet, I lay strips of Duct Tape onto the sheet and fold it over so that it is the width of a single piece of Duct Tape. If I need a piece, I simply peel back a section with no effort. It works wonderfully.

 

[erugs]

Loving the information and ideas. I have put my tape on an old credit-type card in the past, and before that an old plastic bobbin/spool that sewing thread came on. I think I prefer putting my tape inside my pack in a bag I carry for gear repair, which includes an old cloth diaper safety pin among other goodies.

 

[--M.]

One advantage would be to have some you could warm up in your pocket: the pole repair was done with freezing cold tape (which still worked), but it woulda been better if we could warm it up first. I guess that implies having the time to do that; a broken pole wasn't such a time. 'Nother lesson: carbon poles are lame. I looked twice the hero with ten-dollar Job-Lot poles AND fixed the carbon pole (to a degree: broken poles are still broken).

 

[DougPaul]

Tape in general does not stick very well in the cold. You may have to warm it into sticking with heat from your hand. (Once stuck, it usually stays stuck.)

I have seen the suggestion that one carry freezer tape in cold weather.

Doug