Anyone with a modicum of cleverness can come up with the list of 50 ways to do this or 50 ways to do that. The problem, as I see it, is many of these lists are a rehash of another list with the author having little or no first hand experience with each of the listed items. Not that it is devious or wrong, but there has to be a better way.
Something I like to do is to ask real people how they manage situations and use things. I couple that with my own knowledge and experience and viola! We have a better way!
When I wrote about 5 Oddball Uses for Duct Tape, I was curious to learn about some other oddball uses of duct tape. Backdoor Survival readers came out of the woodwork to respond!
And so today, I share with you 23 brilliant uses of duct tape, gathered from your own, proven testimonials.
23 Oddball Uses of Duct Tape In Real Life
Repairs Of All Types
1. Repair Car Upholstery
I have duct tape patching an awkwardly located hole in the fabric of my car seat.
2. Hold Boots Together
The most oddball use I can think of would be to tape my boots together.
3. DIY Welding Glove
I have a welding glove that I used for the entire build of our Shipping Container House ( 55+ lbs of wire through my welder…) that has almost an entire roll on it since I kept burning holes in it but couldn’t see purchasing another set of gloves when I only used the left hand… …M… (EVIL ZJ)
4. Repair Cracked Bathtub
I did used duct tape as a temporary repair for a crack in the floor of my bathtub while I was deciding on what to do for a permanent repair. I was using regular duct tape so I had to replace it every week or two.
5. Repair Broken Windows
We used duct tape to repair two broken windows in our kitchen
6. Extend the Life of Running Shoes
I once had a blowout on one of my running shoes where the whole side seam came apart. Several strips of duct tape and I was back on the road, worked great for a while and when needed just replaced old tape with new. Got a lot of extra miles from that pair.
7. Hem Clothing
I do a temporary repair to the hems of my pants. Invariably I put my heel in the hem of my pants just before I get to work or to an interview and can’t sit in the loo to fix them, Bit of duct tape and I can wait till I get home to do a proper repair.
8. Re-Connect Broken Tail Light
Temporarily connect tail light cover to car after backing into mailbox.
9. Replace Broken Cap
I used duct tape to make a replacement cap on bottle of contact lens solution.
10. Repair Strap on Handbag
The rubber coating on my Ameribag shoulder bag strap ripped and duct tape fixed it so it no longer hurts my hand when I pick it up.
11. Repair Rear Axle on Vehicle
Repairing a broken rear axle on a car with pieces of rattan furniture and a roll of duct tape.
12. MacGyver a Generator Belt
A long time ago I had a VW Bug lost the generator belt made one out of duct tape lasted the 4 miles to the gas station without over heating, looked like it would have gone on. I have since learned that a pantyhose will work also.
13. Fix a Hole In the Side of a Boat (while in the water!)
I was on the way to Catalina in a small sail boat at night we hit something in the water and poked a hole in the side. Went in the water with some sand paper and duct tape (3M) sanded the slime off and applied multiple layers of duct tape using my fingernails to get good adhesion and press out the water. Then we dried off the inside and applied a hot mix epoxy and fiberglass patch, back on our way in under an hour.
14. Fashion a Bike Seat
Maybe not weird but my grandson’s bike seat is all duct tape.
15. Create a Makeshift Window Glass Repair
A windstorm sent a flying branch which cracked a pane of glass in the hen house door. The only place to get replacement glass was miles away, so I used duct tape to hold the broken piece and cover the open area until I had time to get replacement glass.
16. Replace Broken Hinges
I’ve also used it to replace broken hinges on small things like the pill caddy in my purse or a small storage box.
First Aid
17. Remove Warts
I love using it to remove plantar warts from the bottoms of my feet!
I once removed a wart on my finger by wearing a piece on my finger overnight for seven nights!!
18. Substitute Band-Aid
I have wrapped a piece of duct tape around a cut finger wrapped in cotton gauze until I could get a band aid.
19. Turtle First Aid
Several years ago I repaired the cracked shell of a snapping turtle that had been run over while crossing a sandy spot on a back road. After it was kept in a box for 2 days, it was released. The following year it was spotted and still had fragments of the tape on its shell!
20. Ankle Brace
I once used duct tape to make an ankle brace for a friend that sprained his ankle while we were camping. Worked great.
Other Creative Uses
21. Create Insulation Using Garbage Bags
I have used it to tape plastic garbage bags to our small green house door to keep heat in with when a quick drop in temperature caught us off guard.
22. Hang Curtains
I have used it to hold up my solar curtains to keep the heat out of my bedroom
23. Weed Proof Garden Containers
When we were constructing some 4″x4″ garden containers, we wanted to put weed fabric down before filling them with dirt. We wanted the fabric to come up the sides of the container and stay there to keep grass/weeds from coming up between the fabric and the sides of the containers. We duct taped the weed fabric to the sides of the garden containers before filling with dirt. Worked well!
The Final Word
When it comes to duct tape, everyone has a story. If you don’t, you are probably an alien from another planet!
Seriously, though, some of the best ideas for being prepared come from the comments left by readers. What brings me joy is knowing how many of you freely share your thoughts and experiences with the rest of the Backdoor Survival community. Although you may be geographically located all over North America and the world, you are still part of this very special family.
So how about you? Do you have an oddball use of duct tape to add to the list?
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Related Articles:
11 Mistakes and Goofs That Every Prepper Should Avoid
5 Oddball Uses for Duct Tape + RediTape
8 Reasons Old Cookbooks Are Important
How to Recharge Alkaline Batteries
Bargain Bin: Below you will find links to the items related to today’s article plus some of my other favorite preps.
Gorilla Tape: Gorilla Tape is really tough stuff for the really tough job. For portability, Gorilla Tape To Go is extremely popular with Backdoor Survival readers.
3M Utility Duct Tape: Duct tape is an absolute necessity when sealing off a space to shelter in place. For this purpose you want something better than the cheap stuff you get at the dollar store.
RediTape Pocket Duct Tape 2-Pack: RediTape is available from Amazon in 2 packs. I love this stuff and am stashing packs in all of kits. In many cases it will replace a big bulky roll of the 3M stuff, giving me room for additional preps.
Sunferno Flintstone Portable Solar Panel with Rechargeable Battery Pack: This sturdy solar power pack is lightweight and small enough to be used in an EDC kit. I especially like that it has 2 USB ports.
Maximal Power FC999 Universal Battery Charger: This nicely built charger will charge AA, AAA, C, D, N, 9V, Ni-MH, Ni-CD, and Alkaline batteries. It has an LED display so that when you first put a battery in the charging bay, you know whether it is viable for charging or simply bad and ready to go back to the recycle box. See How to Recharge Alkaline Batteries.
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LifeStraw Personal Water Filter: The LifeStraw is considered the most advanced, compact, ultra light personal water filter available. It contains no chemicals or iodinated resin, no batteries and no moving parts to break or wear out. It weighs only 2oz. making it perfect for the prepper. For more information, see my LifeStraw review.
No Rinse Cleansing & Deodorizing Bathing Wipes: One wipe is more than enough for a complete “bath”. These are a good backup when traditional showers are not available such as the week or weeks following a disaster. Also good for the sick room as well as camping, boating, hiking and such. Here is my review.
Bicycle Canasta Games Playing Cards: This timeless classic will keep the entire family occupied when the power it out. Playing cards or board games should be in everyone’s preparedness panty.
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter: FREE SHIPPING! The LifeStraw is considered the most advanced, compact, ultra light personal water filter available. It contains no chemicals or iodinated resin, no batteries and no moving parts to break or wear out. It weighs only 2 oz. making it perfect for the prepper. For more information, see my LifeStraw review.
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Every family should have at least one Tote-able Toilet. I have priced purchasing the bucket and toilet seat lid separately and found that it was more economical to pick up this kit. I have filled my portable potty with sanitation supplies plus, of course, plenty of TP.
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Third Edition: The SURVIVAL MEDICINE Handbook
A frequent question I get on Backdoor Survival has to do with healthcare matters when there is no doctor around. This is the definite source of survival medical information for all Prepper’s and is my go-to bible for survival medicine.
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The post 23 Brilliant Uses of Duct Tape In Real Life by Gaye Levy first appeared on Backdoor Survival.