There is a funny saying about WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn’t move, all you need is WD-40. If it does move but it shouldn’t, all you need is duct tape.
Duct tape is one of those things that every survivalist or homesteader should have. It is lightweight, uber-affordable, and can be used in a myriad of ways to make life much easier.
Here are 25 ways that you can use duct tape in various survival situations.
#1. Duct Tape Rope
You can never have enough rope! You can take a length of duct tape and spin it to make a lightweight rope that is as strong as a basic twice. Or, to take things further, you can make 3 or more of these duct tape twines and braid them to create a much stronger braided duct tape rope that is strong enough for the majority of your survival needs.
#2. Food Sealant
Plastic bags and food containers can fail, causing exposure to the elements and a lower lifespan.
Duct tape can seal bags and containers to make food last a bit longer until you locate better food storage options. It’s waterproof and will keep a good amount of airflow out as well.
#3. Real Camouflage
Store-bought camouflage won’t blend perfectly with your surroundings. But you can use duct tape flipped inside out to utilize the sticky part to pick up parts of your surroundings for natural camouflage.
For example, if you are in a forest, you can wrap duct tape around your clothing with the sticky side out and roll around in the dirt, leaves, and twigs for real camouflage!
#4. Start A Fire
Tear or cut a strip of duct tape into the smallest width you can. Then place them in a loose ball, just like a bird’s nest ball used to start a fire.
Duct tape burns well and serves the same purpose as char cloth.
Related: How To Make A Self Feeding Fire
#5. Fly Tape
Why carry fly tape when duct tape can be used in the same way. It’s not as sticky as fly tape, but it will get the job done and reduce the population of flies buzzing around.
#6. SOS Signal
You can get reflective duct tape that can serve the majority of the same functions on this entire list with the added benefit of being useful for a signaling device.
You can spell out SOS in reflective duct tape which will catch the rays from the sun or other lights, to catch the attention of nearby people!
#7. Casts With Duct Tape
Remember how I mentioned that duct tape is useful when things are moving when they shouldn’t? A broken bone needs a cast to stabilize it from moving and causing more damage.
Lining the injury with a thin layer of cloth or gauze and then wrapping tightly with duct tape can stabilize an injury until you can get better treatment on the area.
#8. Relieve Snow Blindness
Snow blindness could wreak havoc on your survival chances. You can fashion a pair of duct tape snow goggles by creating a thick layer of duct tape that fits over your eyes and cutting slits where your eyes are.
You can also attach these to your head with duct tape as well, ensuring you don’t stick the sticky side straight to your head!
#9. Waterproof Ammo Stores
During the days of WW2, ammo boxes were wrapped with duct tape to make them waterproof. This may be an old tactic, but that doesn’t mean it is ineffective!
#10. Waterproof Boat
If you have a small leak in your canoe or boat, duct tape can seal it up. If you can get the raft out of the water, you have an even better chance to seal the leak.
Make sure the surface of the boat is dry. Apply liberal amounts of duct tape to both the bottom of the boat and the inside to create a double-sided seal. Duct tape is waterproof when applied correctly, so it should hold up in a pinch!
#11. Duct Tape Spear
While the idea of a spear made 100% from duct tape sounds intriguing, this method involves your survival knife as well. You can tape a knife to a stick to create a makeshift spear in the direst of survival conditions.
#12. Shatterproof Glass
Place duct tape in an asterisk pattern on a piece of glass, like a window, to make it more resistant to shattering. If the glass breaks, the duct tape will help hold the pieces of glass together.
It can also serve as a bandage for already cracked glass to increase its lifespan.
#13. Duct Tape Clothing
No, I’m not saying you should make your shirt and jeans from a roll of duct tape!
You use can use duct tape to seal exposed areas from bugs or chemicals. Seal the joints of your clothing to create this protection. You can seal your shirt to your pants, gloves to your shirt sleeve, and even your collar to a ski mask.
The options are endless… well maybe not totally endless.
#14. Secure Wallet
You can make a wallet that holds money and cards with nothing but duct tape. You can even add in RF
ID protection with a couple of layers of aluminum foil between the duct tape, making a highly secure wallet with the simplest of materials!
#15. Lashing Straps
While you are better served making duct tape rope, you can use a limited amount of duct tape to create lashing straps to stabilize a load.
It won’t be overly supportive though, so don’t expect a foolproof haul!
#16. Duct Tape Bandages
Duct tape can handle some severe lesions! All you need is a little gauze to cover the wound placed in the middle in a strip of duct tape to act as an effective bandage that is more waterproof than most DIY ideas.
You can make a butterfly bandage to close the wound by placing the duct tape perpendicular to the wound itself.
#17. Duct Tape Handcuffs
You can restrain somebody or something effective with duct tape. Hands, feet, arms, legs, and head can all be restrained using duct tape. Very effective to ensure your survival!
#18. Reducing Blisters
Blisters are common in survival situations where you are walking far on varied terrain and using your hands more often than in your daily routine. Since blisters are caused by excessive friction, duct tape can serve as a prophylactic aid to reduce friction and the occurrence of blisters.
#19. Weather Stripping
Instead of having caulk or weather stripping on hand every time you need to seal off water or airflow, you can use duct tape for the same purposes. It will be just as effective!
#20. The Mechanics Choice
Duct tape won’t hold an engine together, but it can hold car parts together. It can also patch holes in windows, doors, and the interior, ensuring your vehicle will last longer.
#21. Joint Brace
A sprained ankle or wrist can cause a lot of pain. But, barring significant injury, if the joint can be held stable it can still be used.
You can wrap duct tape around a wrist, ankle, elbow, or knee, just like you would with an ACE bandage or athletic tape. Use a small layer of cloth between the tape and your skin. The thinner the cloth, the better the support will be.
#22. Duct Tape Fletching
In a situation where all you have on hand is a bow and you need to create makeshift arrows for survival, you can use duct tape as the fletching. Feathers are more useful for better aerodynamics, but use your initial duct tape arrows to take down a bird and use those feathers you harvest!
#23. Plucking Feathers
That bird you just took down with your duct-taped arrows? It needs to be plucked! Duct tape can make the plucking process easier.
Then, you’ll have those feathers to make more accurate arrows. A win-win for duct tape!
#24. Save Your Glasses
If a young Harry Potter can tape his broken glasses to be able to see, so can you! If you don’t get the reference, duct tape can be used to piece together broken glasses to usable functionality.
#25. Splint Securement
A splint requires better support than duct tape alone can offer. But, if you have two straight sticks, you can fashion them into a splint and attach them to your body with duct tape.
There are 25 unique ways to use duct tape to survive! Do you have any more ways that you know of to use duct tape? Let’s see if we can find 100!
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