Electrical tape on survival rig???

[pict]

I don't know about electrical tape but black cloth grip tape is often used on pack snaps and buckles and other gear to silence it. It eliminates the metal to metal clink on your gear. You do a shake, rattle, and roll test (jump and wiggle, do the twist etc.) once fully kitted up to see what makes noise, then strap over any metal to metal connections on your kit or packs to make sure they don't open up, shift, or make noise. Mac

 

[Happy Joe]

I haven't used any recently but the old time cloth backed electrical tape (tire tape) was miserable stuff, having very poor adhesive and low strength.
I carry a roll of electrical tape in the Jeep (for electrical items) and re-roll high quality duct tape into film canister sized rolls for backpacking and general use. IMO, sections of bicycle inner tube are much more useful than the old tire tape (but if I see some I may try it again to see if has really improved).
Tip; If you decide to use duct tape to secure something semi permanently to something else (knife sheath to pack strap, for example) take an extra wrap around the items this give you at least 6" of tape than can quickly be pulled off for emergency reuse (temporary bandage etc).

Enjoy!

 

[Echo4v]

All of my experience with electrical tape in the service was for either taping wires ( everyone has to tape comm wire at some point) or taping dog tags. For anyone who knows why we had dog tags in our boots you also know why it was better to tape them than to paint them but for those who don't... we didn't want the shiny tag ( and they got shiny from rubbing against the boot) to reflect light and paint or marker would rub off so the tape worked best and it was black so it didn't stick out like duct tape. I guess anyone can guess why electrical tape was used on comm wire or explosive wire.

P.S. It's called duct tape because it was designed for use with air ducts ( not ducks) and I was told the military calls it 100 MPH tape because that's the speed at which it will be torn off a truck canvas.

David

 

[angle iron]

The Gorilla tape is available in smaller rolls now, approx .5" wide and about the same size roll as electrical tape.

 

[CWL]

I use electrical tape as a wrap around my survival tin for waterproofing. I keep duct tape inside the kit wrapped around a golf pencil for utility/bandage use.

Dunno what SOCOM carries it for, I'm not them and I wonder why people have to emulate them in their gear. Prepare for your location, not Afghanistan.

 

[uncouth]

i read an article once somewhere about a guy that wrapped both a few feet of duct tape and a few feet of electrical tape around the sheath of his knife as part of his survival kit, i thought it made sense, that way you don't have to pick which tape you want. I did wrap the sheath i made for my folder with electrical tape, i was glad i did when my pipe stem broke, all i had to do was take the sheath off, unwrap a bit of tape, and then fix the pipe, easy peasy.

 

[ROCK6]

I don't really carry tape so I don't know what I'm missing. I can use bandaides in a pinch for a quick patch I guess. I mostly tie things together rather than tape them. I hate the look of big masses of tape on everything and the sticky ball formed when you try to untape it.

That's just SICK! You need your WSS (and Man) Card revoked! I EDC about 8-10 feet of 550-cord in my uniform cargo pockets along with a flat role of duct tape of about 6 feet in my back pocket (opposite of my wallet). I use duct tape almost daily...it's too bad our brothers to the North haven't discovered duct tape yet (is there a Canadian ban on duct tape or special licensing requirement?)...maybe I'll send ya some kgd

ROCK6

 

[Calebklyne]

i carry hockey tape cause im canadian

haha well i also use it cause it happens to be the most useful tape ive ever owned

 

[Skimo]

This thread reminds me I need to pick up some speed tape.

Working on electronics electrical tape is nice to have in case you forget to bring heat shrink or just don't have the right gauge. It's also a bit stretchy which is very very useful because it can act a bit like a sticky rubber band. Speed tape is even stretchier and much stronger, but it's bulkier.

 

[AeroNautiCal]

I always carry a 15mm x 17.5 metre roll of Tiki Tape pvc electrical tape and a 50mm x 4.5 metre roll of duct tape in my EDC kit which lives in an outer pocket of my daysack.

Like with duct tape, its uses are limited by imagination only, and when asked what my kit will do, I reply that it'll do everything but stick air to water!

 

[kgd]

That's just SICK! You need your WSS (and Man) Card revoked! I EDC about 8-10 feet of 550-cord in my uniform cargo pockets along with a flat role of duct tape of about 6 feet in my back pocket (opposite of my wallet). I use duct tape almost daily...it's too bad our brothers to the North haven't discovered duct tape yet (is there a Canadian ban on duct tape or special licensing requirement?)...maybe I'll send ya some kgd

ROCK6

I think we have to register our tape like we do our firearms and then take the Recreational Boat Drivers and Tape Use on-line exam to be card carrying tape users here

 

[Berdar]

I don't know what pics you've seen, but I have some on mine for Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) work. Elec tape is also good for any elec connections, vehicle wiring, improvised wiring, etc. Pretty much what you'd think. The width is handier for maneuvering around smaller spaces where duct tape is to wide. Plus, it's black, so it's hi-speed cool as well as useful.
FWIW, I was in Fairbanks, AK, last week when it was -40 deg F. It wouldn't stick to anything at that temp.

Ditto, A good EOD guy would never be caught without a knife, crimpers and electrical tape.

That being said, you'll often find Green Beanies, Rangers, Engineers and other guys who do demo work with Electrical Tape on their rigs.

 

[LUW]

At least with the regular plastic black tape that I've seen, with time, makes a big mess, because the glue melts. I would only consider using it in an emergency and not something permanent.