Backpacking Necessities

In the year of my birth, 1942, duct tape was also born. That trivial fact gives me sort of a special bond (pun incidental) with this sticky but very useful product which I now believe is high on the list of backpacking necessities.

: Image via Wikipedia

I have not always had warm feelings for duct tape. I hadn’t even heard of it when, in my early twenties, I took a solo (not recommended) eight-day hike in the High Sierras.

As recently as four years ago, I didn’t openly agree when a friend insisted that duct tape was an essential item on a backpacking equipment list. What did he know? He was from Ohio. (Where are the mountains in Ohio, I ask you?) On the other hand, where I grew up in Northern California, the Sierras were my playground. I knew best.

A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE

I have since come to rue my skepticism and embrace duct tape as an essential item for all sorts of applications including wilderness travel. I can’t argue with success.

After all, duct tape has even been used in the U.S. space program. The saving of Appollo 13 in 1970 relied heavily on the ingenious use of duct tape. Appollo 17 astronauts and engineers used it to repair a damaged fender on the lunar rover. Who can argue with that record?

Duct tape, also known as “duck tape” (“gun tape” among the Canadian military types), was developed during the Second World War to tape up ammunition cases and do quick repairs on military equipment including weapons, vehicles and even aircraft. It’s that strong and versatile.

Also known as “100-MPH tape” in the U.S. military because it so often exceeds all expectations, this fabric-backed vinyl wonder is strong and water resistant. It is easily applied. So, why couldn’t you find some use for this household item in wilderness adventures?

WILDERNESS APPLICATIONS

Indeed many wilderness applications have been found for duct tape. And this ingenious product can easily be spotted in official wilderness equipment lists for hiking, backpacking, kayaking and climbing.

Wondering how many duct tape applications I could find for wilderness adventuring, I did a bit of internet research. Following is a partial list that I made up from my research in the far reaches of cyberspace. Actually, most of them came from this one web address: http://thezac.com/ducttape/.

NOTE: Many, if not the majority, of the following applications that I discovered can be taken seriously.

1. Patch ripped or frayed clothing,

2. Make a rappelling harness in a pinch,

3. Substitute for toilet paper (ouch),

4. Repair backpacks,

5. Repair snowmobile seats,

6. Reattach a separated sole to the rest of the boot,

7. Substitute for waxing when your rasor goes dull (double ouch),

8. Make a makeshift climbing rope,

9. Replace a belt that has given out or that you forgot at the trailhead,

10. Patch a hole in a canoe or kayak,

11. Repair glove seams,

12. Repair glasses when that tiny screw falls out and your temple falls off,

13. Wrap a sprained or strained ankle,

14. Replace velcro on any type of equipment,

15. Patch a hot spot before it turns into a blister,

16. Dress a blister when you fail to patch the hot spot,

17. Hold shoe laces together,

18. Replace shoe laces altogether,

19. Use as handcuffs if you catch a poacher or literer,

20. Dress big wounds,

21. Attach a leg splint to a broken leg,

22. Use as hair ties,

23. Fix holes in a sock (just don’t tape shut the hole your foot is supposed to go into),

24. Tape a strip to a tree and write a note on it,

25. Cobble a clothes line (credit goes to the Peace Corps for this one),

26. Wrap a water bottle for insulating purposes,

27. Make a new hat when a bear steals your old one,

28. Waterproof footwear,

29. Make a drinking cup,

30. Make a headband,

31. Hold up socks suffering from ED,

32. Make suspenders after day 30 of a backpacking saga,

33. Make a makeshift camera or binocular case.

CONCLUSION

So, throw a roll of duct tape into your backpack or kayak before you head out. Better yet, to save weight and space, wrap a well-thought-out measure of tape around your water bottle or a trekking pole. Because of both its portability and its versatility, duct tape will always be high on my list of backpacking necessities.

Richard Davidian, Ph.D.

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