When feces hits the fan, it’s best to be prepared. While it’s a good idea to have plenty of supplies at your disposal, few are as ubiquitously handy as duct tape. This semi-miraculous invention has been a mainstay in the tool kits of do-it-yourselfers for decades. Here are some of the ways that you could use duct tape in a survival situation.
1. Crack Sealant
If you’ve got radiation or biohazards to contend with, they will easily seep into your home through the spaces around your doors and windows. Using duct tape in these trouble spots can keep you and your family safe by keeping airborne threats sealed out.
2. Wound Dressing
In a survival situation, your chances of running into a skilled doctor with large bandages and iodine are slim. Large, gaping wounds can easily become infected or cause you to bleed to death if not dealt with. Fortunately, you have duct tape! It’s wide, durable and sticky enough to secure even the most grievous of injuries and keep out marauding insects and bacteria.
3. Food Safety
Many people who are prepared for emergency situations have food tucked away in plastic totes. However, these containers have a limited ability to protect food from radiation, moisture, biohazards and bugs because they’re not airtight. By applying a few layers of duct tape around the lids, food is kept safer and fresher.
4. Restraints
In an emergency, it’s every man for himself. In desperate times, there is a high chance that someone else will come along and try to take what’s yours. If you catch someone in the act of trespassing or trying to loot from your home, they can be incapacitated with a generous helping of duct tape.
5. Repair Materials
No matter how rugged and sturdy your clothes, tents and packs are, they will still wear out with heavy use. Duct tape is the perfect way to fix these things quickly.
6. Repair Tools
Tools are an essential part of a survival kit, but like anything else, they are susceptible to damage. Blades can come loose from knives, axe handles can split and ropes can fray at the ends. A little bit of duct tape might be all that is needed to make these tools usable once again.
7. Hand Protector
When you have to use your tools a lot, it’s easy for your hands to become sore and blistered. Wrapping the handles of your tools with duct tape provides not only a better grip but also superior padding. Duct tape can also be wrapped around your hands if you have to climb things like rocks or trees that can easily injure you without protection.
8. Water-Resistant Sticky Notes
Occasionally, people get separated from their loved ones in an emergency. If you want them to have a chance at finding you or your path, you can use duct tape as a sort of makeshift sticky note, especially if it’s fluorescent or very shiny. It will stick to smooth rocks and can be wrapped around trees and plants to mark where you’ve been and leave notes as to your whereabouts and plans.
