April 30, 2009 Duct tape hack
(This is a re-post of a tape trick that has stood the test of time and use)
Duct tape can save your bag or your trip. This is no original idea, but still - don’t leave home without it. I do have a better variety of tape for you though. Scotch Heavy Duty All-Weather Duct Tape is amazing stuff. You can find it at hardware stores or home centers. It really is waterproof and will stick outdoors to nearly anything through any weather - for months. It can probably handle your ripped suitcase or broken pull-handle. I re-wrap about six feet of it around an empty plastic bottle, then cut the ends out of the bottle to make a flexible, flattenable, smashable core. One cool thing - it’s a darker gray than regular duct tape so it doesn’t look quite so much like, well, duct tape.
Reader Comments (13)
Great hack. I do the same thing, but I use a McD straw to keep the overall size down.
Thanks for the Scotch brand tip, too.
The larger core makes pulling the tape off easier. I use a small flexible bottle, about 1.25 inches in diameter. I used a lot of gaffer tape in my photographer days and I'd wrap it around my monopod and stick small strips everywhere they would fit - on the backs of cameras, bottom of motor drives, etc.
For those trying to avoid the traditional duct tape shiny silver look (for whatever reason), I have been able to find several different colors of duct tape at a local Home Depot.
I learned about this in an unfortunate way a few years back. I was getting the last out of an old car when the front bumper fell off after going over a bump on the way into a shopping center-- horribly embarassing. There was a HD at the center, so I went in looking for some way to get the car home. It was a white car, and I found some white duct tape that did the trick, and really wasn't too bad looking. I ran the car for another 14 months before it finally succumbed-- duct tape in place. It was definitely humbling to have a duct-taped car, but it got me through until I got a new job and a fantastically new car.
I recently bought a small roll of clear duct tape for less than $2 at a local home improvement store. The roll was small enough that I was able to smash the cardboard core down to make it more packable.
Gorilla Brand duct tape came out first in a test of durability and strength. However it is quite expensive and only comes in one color.
Walmart is a good source or colored duct tape, and usually cheaper than Home Depot.
I've heard Gorilla Tape is the awesome variety. Is the Scotch better?
I haven't used the Gorilla, but the Scotch is cheaper. Since you'll only use part for your travel kit, best to get the one that is most useful around your home. For that reason I like the weatherproof Scotch. You could literally fix a broken window or seal up the a garage door and it would last for months. Who doesn't need something like that?
The thing about duct tape is that it never comes off. I prefer gaffer's tape. sticks to most everything, strong, and comes off clean .
where does one get gaffer tape?
Gaffer tape is available almost exclusively from photo or cine supply stores. Try Calumet in Chicago or B&H in NYC. I believe B&H is at bhphotovideo.com
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=gaffer+tape&N=0&InitialSearch=yes
in several colors even... six pages worth
Wow! That is crazy expensive! Given that you need about three yards to go around the zips or closure of a a big case for check-in and a 60yd roll costs easily $20. That is about $1 per suitcase wrapping.
Good for small repairs but then duct tape would probably also do it and is cheaper. For suitcase closure/sealing I guess I prefer a luggage strap like the pac-safe model.
Gaffer tape is not as tacky - doesn;t stick as well as duct tape. But there's little if any residue. For emergency repairs I prefer the all-weather duct tape in non-duct tape colors.