From fixing bothersome blisters to sealing a ripped bagpack, the sticky stuff is always useful. Here are a few fun facts you may not know about duct tape:
Duck or Duct?
Actually, both are correct. The sticky stuff was originally called “duck tape,” because the U.S. military used it to waterproof gear during Word War II. Soon after the war, clever folks began using the product to wrap air condition ducts, and the name “duct tape” was born.
Wearable Duct Tape?
Each year, Duck brand duct tape holds a contest, asking high-school students to create prom dresses out of duct tape. They might look ridiculous, but the winner gets a $3,000 scholarship for college. Interested? Click here for more information.
• That famous silvery color comes from powdered aluminum pigment.
• Springfield, Mo., is considered the duct tape capital of the world, selling more than any other city on Earth.
• The amount of duct tape sold each year could stretch to the moon and back.
• A single strip of duct tape, doubled over itself, is strong enough to pull more than one ton.
• Duct tape is made of three layers: plastic, fabric mesh and rubber-based adhesive.
• NASA used duct tape during the Apollo 13 flight. Now it’s a mandatory tool on all NASA flights.
Tips & Tricks.
Here are just a few of the ways that you can use duct tape in the outdoors:
• Repairing a crack, hole, tear or rip.
• Make a bandage.
• Make a rope.
• Make a belt, sling or harness.
• Use it to write a note.
• As a makeshift carabiner.
• Keep dry.
• Make a drinking cup.
• Mark a trail.
How Do You Use It?
Have an interesting or unique use for duct tape? Tell me about it in the comments section below. Submit your best duct tape tips and tricks, and I’ll feature the most inventive uses on the site.
Want to win a duct tape wallet?
I’m giving away 20 duct tape wallets. If you want to win one, be sure to click here. You can enter once a day until the contest ends on Dec. 31, 2013. So come back tomorrow for another chance to win.