According to Wikipedia, survivalism is “[...] a commonly used term for the preparedness strategy and subculture of individuals or groups anticipating and making preparations for future possible disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order. Survivalists often prepare for this anticipated disruption by learning skills (e.g., emergency medical training), stockpiling food and water, preparing for self-defense and self-sufficiency, and/or building structures that will help them to survive or ‘disappear’.”
After reading the latest book by Neil Strauss, Emergency, I’ve spent some time wondering about my own level of preparedness, just in case TSHTF (The S**t Hits The Fan). Even though I’m not going through the extreme measures Neil Strauss went through, there are a couple of small and pracical things everybody can do to have a slightly better level of preparedness. Today, I’ll be talking about something as simple and basic as portable duct tape.
First things first. Together with the Swiss Army Knife, Duct tape is probably the number one piece of gear that we remember from watching the number one survivalist, MacGyver. The name “duct tape” comes from its use on heating and air conditioning ducts, a purpose for which it, ironically, has been deemed ineffective. It’s also been called “gaffer tape”, “hurricane tape”, and, quite simply, “the ultimate material”. It’s such an universal tool that sayings like the following have surfaced about it: “Two rules get you through life: If it’s stuck and it’s not supposed to be, WD-40 it. If it’s not stuck and it’s supposed to be, duct tape it“.
It comes in a large doughnut-shaped roll which makes it quite unportable, and the best way to carry it around is to stick it in a bag or – depending on your own sizes and proportions – put your arm through the hole in the middle. Either way makes it quite inaccessible and difficult to reach when you need it quickly.
That’s why I invented, together with a Greek friend of mine back in grade school, something that we called “the back pocket duct tape carrier”. It is, quite simply, a flattened roll of duct tape that allows you to carry it in your back pocket, shirt pocket or any other form of slim carrying device. It can even slot into your wallet quite comfortably.
The only ingredients you’ll really need are:
- Your roll of duct tape
- A business card, playing card or other “hard” paper of similar proportions.
First things first, begin by attaching one end of the duct tape to the playing card and rolling it lengthwise. Naturally, you could roll it over the short side of the card, but this would lead to a smaller and clumsier roll. In this example, I’m using one of the collectible playing cards that came in my Collector’s Edition of the latest World of Warcraft expansion pack. Not like I’ll be using it any time soon.
Make sure that the roll of duct tape follows the edge carefully. This is important as the slightest degree of inaccuracy here will make the remaining laps uneven and crooked. It’s an aesthetic call whether you want to start at the edge or in the middle. I usually start a quarter of the way up the card.
Keep rolling until you’ve got a roll as thick as you want it. I suggest rolling it slightly thinner than a finger’s width to keep it flexible while still carrying large amounts of duct tape with you. Still, this is purely a matter of preference and you’re best off experimenting with your own solutions here. Depending on how you want to carry the roll, different widths will be appropriate.
Once that’s done, you’ve got something that looks something like this. I decided on a simple thin roll, just under half an inch (about 1 centimeter), so that it fits in my back pant pocket without creating a bulge or feeling in the way.
As you’ve no doubt noticed by now, you’ve still got a piece of paper sticking out of your roll. I prefer cutting it off with a knife, as scissors will leave a hard edge. I cut mine off with a knife and then used the file on my Swiss Army Knife to file down the edges.
Even though carrying around a miniature roll of duct tape won’t help you too much WTSHTF, it’s small things like this that make us more likely to tackle the smaller emergencies in life. After all, duct tape has even saved astronauts by allowing them to perform emergency repairs on leaking air units.
I’ll be returning to more survivalist-oriented posts in the future, but don’t expect this to turn into a “Six ways to kill a man with your bare hands in case he’s trying to steal your water”-weblog. After all, this weblog is dedicated to the ultimate attainment – the pursuit of happiness – not survivalism.
