Today I want to talk a little about Survival and Emergency Uses for the infamous and always used in any situation no matter what it is along with bailing wire, Duct Tape.
This handy item has been around since WWII and has way too many uses to list here. So today we are only going to talk about 12. If you are lost or injured way out in the wild far away from civilization and you happen to come across some duct tape, you're in luck. But, if you don't want to press your luck, you may want to think about taking some with you. You can fold a good length onto itself and keep it in your wallet or in your backpack. You may also chose to wrap a good length around a disposable lighter. (Preferably one that works) Among the many uses, you can use this magical material in a Survival or Emergency situation to: Wrap a Sprained Ankle or Wrist- Slips, trips and falls are common when traversing through rough or wet terrain or when eating unknown mushrooms and can sometimes lead to an injury such as a sprain. To help you get you back to civilization a little more comfortably without furthering the injury, you may want to wrap the injury (sprain) to immobilize it. I always recommend people take a First aid class to ensure the proper techniques in tending to injuries. Make or Repair a Cup or Bowl - A cup or bowl in a survival situation can come in handy and they have many uses for gathering food, water or collecting essential items such as more mushrooms. To make a cup, find a tree branch in the diameter you want your cup to be. Start wrapping the branch STICKY SIDE OUT with the tape overlapping about half way with each pass until you achieve the height you want and then stop and tear the tape. You can now start wrapping the outside, (sticky side to sticky side). Now you have a leak-proof cup. Splinter or Stinger Removal - Then there are those times when mother nature gives you a little jab to get your attention. If/when this happens you'll be glad you have a sticky substance to help grab onto those little bugger jabs and pull them out for a nice relief of pain. Strip Pieces for Fire Starter - If you are having trouble getting your fire going because of rain or humidity, duct tape is there for you. Tear off a small piece then start to separate the "strings" running the length of your piece until you have a nice gooey birds nest. This will help get a flame that will burn a bit longer in order to dry out your official birds nest and other tinder. Secure a Sling or Splint - If you have once again injured yourself because the sprains in your wrist and/or ankle wasn't enough, get out the duct tape again. This time you're gong to immobilize your injury using other techniques. Use your tape along with a shirt, sock, bandana or even your underwear to fashion yourself a sling to now immobilize the entire arm that has the injured wrist. And while you're at it. you may as well immobilized your leg at the knee. You know, the one with the sprained ankle? Grab a stick or two and put one on each side of the knee and wrap it a couple of times with your tape. Unless it's your finger, then just use the next finger over as a splint. Repair Boots or Shoes - So maybe the reason you have tripped and received your fair share of injuries is because your boots have a hole in them and now they have filled with water making it so you can't walk very good. Now would be a good time to fix them. (Actually it was earlier) Grab your trusty duct tape and put a piece (bigger than the hole) on the outside and then on the inside. make sure to dry the surfaces well in order for the adhesive to stick. Hang Objects to Dry - Now that you have your fire going, it's time to dry your stuff out. Get your tape out again if you put it away and fashion yourself a clothesline (see making a rope) and tear pieces off to use as clothespins. Using a small section, tape a bit of the inside of the object, then around the clothesline and back to itself and to the outside of the object. Fix Torn Clothing - During your fall you probably tore some of your clothing. Now that you are used to fixing things, this will be a walk in the park without tripping or falling. Don't forget to put a piece on both on the inside and the outside. Make a Bandage - It's way past time to tend to the cuts you acquired when you took your spill. You really should have done that when you were tending to your sprains. It's just not your day is it? You can take a clean piece of your clothing (not your underwear) to blot the blood and keep in place with your great gray adhesive tape. You can even fashion yourself a custom butterfly bandage for your scraped up knuckles. Make a Spear - Now that all your injuries are taken care of, it's time to get out there and hunt. Make yourself a spear using a good long straight stick and a hard tip. A sharp pointed stone or knife will work well. Grind, split or notch a place for your tip and secure it with your sticky wonder adhesive. Make a Rope - To make a rope, say for a clothesline or something else useful, take a long strip and twist it as tight as you can by leaving the roll attached and spinning the roll until bonding all the adhesive. You now have a rope to help with a bow drill and also help you with making your sling from your earlier injury. Mark a Trail - Hopefully you thought ahead and used some of your tape to mark the trail as you went along. If you didn't, hopefully you will remember to do this next time. But, at least you have your tape to use as a piece of paper to write a "HELP ME" message on using the charcoal from your fire. Stay safe my friends!
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This is our newest addition to the Every Day Carry (EDC) category.
Don't let the size of this little fella fool you it just might get you out of tight situation. Overall Length is 8 inches Paracord weave is 4 inches
Be Safe and Be Prepared My Friends. |