Duct
tape is an indespensible item on a canoe trip, but it
comes in a variety of qualities, so its important to make
sure that you purchase good quality material. The
adhesive in duct tape doesn't work well when cold, so its
a good idea to heat it up a bit if you need to use it on
cold days. Simply holding a match or lighter underneath
for a few seconds is all that it should take. Make sure
the surface you'll be applying it to is clean, warm and
dry.
Its
a good idea to have more than one source of duct tape on
a trip and you can acccomplish that by rolling some
strips around a variety of things. It could be added to
the shaft of the spare paddle, wrap some around film
canisters if you use them for holding spices or pills,
wrap some around the spare lighter, etc. If you've got it
in enough places, odds are you'll have some regardless of
the emergency that might crop up.
You
can save a little space and make packing easier for the
main roll of tape by removing the center cardboard roll.
Wedge a screwdriver or dull knife between the tape and
cardboard to remove it. Peel back the inside tape until
you get the sticky adhesive and squish it
together.
In
a pinch, duct tape can be used quite effectively in
emergency first aid. It can be used in bandaging, but it
can also do wonders with blisters if mole skin etc. is
unavailable. Cover the blister with something soft like
tissue or toilet paper, then apply enough duct tape to
cover that and adhere to the unaffected skin beyond the
blister. The duct tape is very smooth and produces very
little friction. Body perspiration can't get through
this, so the blister fix needs to be changed often and
should not be left on for long periods of time.
