10 Most Important Ways To Use Duct Tape For Survival
In today’s special, we’re going to introduce to you 10 different duct tape projects that, when used smartly, could take your survival abilities to new highs.
The origin of the modern duct tape we use today can be traced back to World War 2 when the U.S. armed forces extensively used it to seal ammunition boxes amongst various other usage including quick repairs of equipments, gear boxes, vehicles, and so on. The versatility of this new kind of duct tape was due to its far superior quality. First of all, they are easy to tear by hand and at the same time, strong, robust, and moisture resistant.
And because they are incredibly cost effective, the modern duct tape soon found its usage in different aspects of life. Read on to find out 10 easy but incredibly useful duct tape projects that anyone can learn and use.
Duct Tape Projects
- Resealing food containers: Duct tape can be used to seal up any partially opened package of your emergency/survival food supply. It’s too simple and probably you already do this in your day-to-day life. Just fold the duct tape over the top of the package and seal it tights. You can also use this technique to seal cans by fashioning a lid with the duct tape. Beware though; this technique is unlikely to prevent bacteria from spreading. Therefore, make it a point to follow recommended food safety guidelines while using this method.
- Sealing leaks: You can also use duct tapes for stopping leakage from a pierced hydration bladder or a cracked bottle. To use this technique successfully, you will first require drying the surface of the bag or the bottle before applying the tape.
- Setting up perimeter lights: If you need to set up perimeter lights during any survival situation, then duct tape makes a pretty good choice for the job. With some creativity, you can easily use duct tape ropes to hang the light source (such as glow sticks). Alternatively, you can also hang the light source from a tree branch.
- Stabilize a broken limb: When the going gets tough as it will be in any dire survival situation, it won’t be unusual for someone to break or injure a leg or ankle. In such cases, you can stabilize the injured limb with a decent amount of splint material, padding, and duct tape. Just pad the joining of a forked brand with bandage or clothes and then duct tape it to mimic a crutch (yes, we use ‘duct tape’ as a verb too).
- Home-made belt: Your fashion-friendly leather belts may get left behind when you bug-out during an emergency situation. And because you would hate to be pulled down because of a god damned sagging pair of pants, knowing how to make a belt out of duct tape can be a huge advantage. It’s simple – run a strip of duct tape through the belt loops and then use a final tug to cinch up your pants. Secure both ends of the duct to themselves. This way, if and when necessity strikes, you can undo the belt without any difficulty whatsoever.
- DIY survival arrow fletching: Even though sounds hard, you can easily make your own survival arrow fletching with duct tapes. All you would require doing is tear off a few 5-inch pieces and the long side of one piece to the arrow shaft. After that, fold the tape across its length and glue it to the other long edge of the same piece to the arrow. Repeat the whole process two or three times and then simply trim the vanes. This, in our opinion, is the simplest way you can find to build your own DIY arrow fletching. It’s pretty effective.
- Waterproof your stuffs: You can make your valuable belongings by making smart use of the duct tape at your disposal. From survival gears and food to your stack of emergency money – pretty much anything and everything can be made waterproof using duct tapes. And yes, in case you need to leave a waterproof note for a friend, family or rescue teams, you know whom to turn to – no hint for that one. (be careful while wrapping the paper with duct tapes – use only as much paper you would actually require to avoid wastage of duct tape).
- Duct tape restraints: If you are a fan of movies involving survival scenarios, you must be already familiar with that one odd person in every group who is either hostile or unreasonably stupid and eventually start endangering the safety of everyone around him/her. Apart from that, it is also possible that you may find yourself in a clash with the members of other survival groups. Don’t take these threats lightly – they are always possibility; especially when the entire population is fighting for the finite amount of available resources (a likely scenario in most survival situation). In the event that you should find yourself amidst such a crisis, you could always use duct tapes as restraints to immobilize the threat. The easiest way to do so is duct taping his/her hands around a tree or a strong enough pole.
- Make your boots cold-proof: In case you are struggling to cope with the harsh winter, use duct tape to insulate your boots. This is potentially one of the most important life-saving duct tape projects under extreme weather conditions. By applying duct tape (silver side up) on the insoles of your boots, you will be able to reflect the warmth of your feet into your boots.
- Hide your valuable items: You can also use duct tapes to hide your valuables – be it your emergency food supply, money, survival gears, or anything else. The easiest way to go about the task is to properly seal your valuable items using duct tapes and then hiding them under rocks, or inside a hollow tree, or pretty much anywhere that is accessible to you but not to the prying eyes you want to be cautious against.
Conclusion
Remember, these 10 duct tape projects are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to effectively using duct tape to boost your survival abilities. There are literally hundreds of more usage (some of which we’ll cover in our future articles) of the modern duct tape and with some creativity and smart thinking, you can always figure them out on your own.
What is your best Duct Tape survival tip? Please share them in the comments below…
