Electrical Tape

[sm]

Yep, that small roll of black tape with the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) approval noted on the inside of the cardboard roll.

Seems like I last bought 2 for $1 , just because, this stuff is that valuable to not have around, and it is not expensive, so having a roll in umpteen places...

It is "slick" and "vinyl" today, compared to the more "friction" or "cloth" electrical tape I grew up with.

First Aid.
A roll in the truck, range bag, office desk, wife's car, teenagers car, house , garage, backpack at school, on a hike, camping, hunting, fishing....

This tape and using whatever is handy, from napkins from , Fast Food Joint napkins, roll of paper towes, shop cloths, to Diapers ( disposable or cloth) , piece of clothing, etc, will take care of small cuts and scraps to larger wounds, and with a Kotex or Tampon, take care of bullet wounds.

Need to make a splint? Two of anything, electrical taped will make a splint.

Electrical tape tends to stick real well, not come undone when exposed to wet, sweat or being rubbed.

One old trick is to use in place of moleskin, or in addition to moleskin for blisters.

Oh, before folks think I am nuts, take a look at Friction Tape used to wrap athletes.
This tape used to only come in white, now it comes in colors, and it sure does look, feel and act like the old black friction electrical tape I grew up with...

 

[sm]

Fixes.

Stuff breaks- period.

It does not matter how expensive, brand name, reputation, warranty, or anything else if one is caught out, and has something break.

Knife.
Take a lock back, traditional, modern, expensive, inexpensive, it does not matter -locks break.
They will do this at worst possible time too.
Notice how the blade just sorta goes back and forth and no tension at all?

Get a stick, and insert in between handles, with the blade out, like you would have it to use.
Just fashion a stick, to fit, to keep blade open, and fixed and wrap this knife with electrical tape.

All knives break, even fixed blades, while cord is nice, still two sticks on either side of what is left of a blade, still allows one to use that steel.

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Hoses on a vehicle, sometimes can be wrapped enough, to hold long enough, with water from a creek, lake, where ever to get one back in from way in the woods.

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Electrical uses of course, just normal repair or emergency, even field expedient repairs...
Being safe, surviving, making do, and whatever else it takes, electrical tape comes in handy.

 

[CWL]

Duct Tape is my 'wonder product'. Wider pcs and can be 'cut' using teeth.

I usually wrap the outside of my survival kit with it to form a waterproof seal as well as wrap a few extra yards around a golf pencil to keep inside.

Patches holes in people and equiptment. No more bandaids in my emergency first aid kit.

 

[mgregg85]

It also works wonders at insulating wires. I recommend Super 33+.

 

[Pax Jordana]

Electrical tape did wonders for us in drumline.

Harness rubbing you the wrong way?
Sticks getting too dinged up?
Blisters?
Cuts?
Loose nuts (temporarily, and hopefully not under load)?
Dampening falling off of your drumhead?
Uniform malfunctions?

It was 'Sorry, I don't have" x "but I do have tape.."

We had a secret war on with the colorguard, because white tape was a hot commodity. Black, red and day-glo green they let us keep, but the white was always missing somehow. Those big spools, they just roll away, y'know?


The only big difference between duct and electrical tapes is that electrical tape stretches. This is a very important difference.

Oh, and get the vinyl stuff, not the plastic. You can tell by how it stretches. Real invincible, fix-anything-if-you've-got-enough-for-the-job electrical tape should be like laying a strip of bicycle inner tube.

 

[Mandirigma]

I tend to keep both electrical tape and Duct tape lying around.


Once I was out four wheeling with my bronco. One of my old cracked hoses decided it was time to split.

After everything cooled down I wrapped the hose in electrical tape and put it back in place. It got me back home. It even held up for two weeks. I replaced all my hoses except for the one that I had taped up. And drove around normally just trying to test it. After two weeks I had enough and changed it out with the replacement hose.