Travel expert Samantha Brown explains why she never leaves home without duct tape. I must admit, it has never been one of my carry-on items, but it will be going forward…
Always Travel With Duct Tape…
Brown makes some excellent points about why it is smart to carry duct tape with you when you travel.
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- It can temporarily fix just about anything that breaks
- Provides protection for children and pets from sharp corners and dangerous objects
- Patches damaged vehicles
- Can shield out light from tears in blinds or drapes
- Covers electrical outlets to keep children away
Another important feature is that you can use duct tape to elevate drapes or dangling cords which may be tripping hazards on the ground. I’ll never forget one time I was at a La Quinta Inn with my grandmother, then 104 years old, and she tripped on a bedspread and fell over. Thank goodness she landed on top of the comforter, which had fallen to the ground, or she would have broken her hip.
I’m a little OCD about scratches, dents, and paint chips so I’m more likely to travel with blue painters tape instead, but I know it is not as versatile as duct tape. We’ll see. Sadly, I’m no MacGyver, but it sounds like duct tape is a wise thing to travel with.
Don’t forget, duct tape is even used to fix airplanes.
> Read More: Duct Tape On The Wing Of A 787?
And of course it’s always handy to have if you have a durnk and boisterous seatmate on your flight…
Do you travel with duct tape? What do you use it for? Has the TSA ever asked about it?
BTW the etymology of duck vs duct tape is unexpected…
‘duck’ tape was in use as a name in the late 1800s based on the material including duck style cloth (no actual duck in it).
‘duct’ came later in the 1950s when it became used for air duct wrapping
but in the 70s an entrepreneur trademarked ‘duck tape’ as it had fallen out of favor in usage vs ‘duct’ – and ended up growing to 40% of the market with his ‘duck’ name that sounded like the kleenex of tape
I’ve carried it in my travel backpack for years. Hardly ever use it, but when you need it…..
Can also be used as emergency butterfly strips for cuts
Yup! I’m spastic too!
Always carry it. In the car, fixed a radiator hose to find a garage. Amtrak, room doors & about everything else that’s loose! That tip came from an attendant Luggage malfunction? Got it. Pet hair on coats? I’m all over it.
Since this is live and let’s fly I forgot to mention two in flight uses. A short hop aeromexico flight the cocktail napkins were sucked into the emergency exit door seals. FA used my tape to seal it up. (Not a lot of confidence there phew). On a iad laguardia shuttle my tape was used by FA to tape the cockpit door closed so he didn’t have to use his foot to hold it shut. And this was post 911!
I have a mini roll that I keep in my travel carry-on along with other safety items. Haven’t needed it yet But someday I will. Unfortunately we can no longer bring Swiss Army knives on planes, as those were always useful on the ground
Perfect if you run into a seat mate on a United flight who claims to be from New York and won’t stop trying to tell you how important he is.
Purely hypothetical and not intended to be a comment on any living or dead individual.
Ha! Hilarious! Nice wit.
No resemblance to anyone living or dead?
I never travel without zip ties and electrical tape in my carry-on luggage. Great uses for both!
Very true. I do at least have some kind of tape with me; such as plastic tape I get from the hospital I work at. Just be aware that if you restrain someone against their will with tape or something else without some just cause for safety to others and to themselves, you can be sued.
And you pay the hospital for that tape yes?
I hope it’s not the reason my hospital bills are so outrageous…..
One of my favorite sayings:
If it moves and shouldn’t…Duct Tape.
If it doesn’t move and should…WD-40.
No need to thank me. Submitted as a public service.
Just simple enough for maga people (and I use that term loosely) to remember (plane, radio, clock, tv)…..
I used to carry a mini roll of it, but basically never used it. Also, if traveling domestically it’s cheap and available at so many places that you can buy some if you’re really in need.
I can’t think of a time in the last 10 years where I really would have been much better off with it, and I have been traveling with young children during that time. Dangling cords can usually be bundled and loosely knotted on themselves to keep them up high.
I use it occasionally at home but not all that much because it has a tendency to permanently mark things if left on for even a few days.
Carry regular sized roll when travelling? No thanks, too heavy and bulky for me– I’m a less than 15lb pack, carry on only type of traveller.
In seriousness I travel with athletic tape (Goat Tape is my preferred brand.
First aid, emergency fixes, etc. Small enough to be in any bag, can easily rip without scissors if you don’t have anything sharp, and sticks well, but easier to remove if needed than duct tape.
Just rub dirt on the injury…..
I’ve carried duct tape wrapped around a golf pencil for years in my roller bag. I’ve fixed many a tear in backpack and said roller with it.
There’s another type called Gorilla Tape apes closely related to ducks and ducts!
Maybe I’m about to sound stupid here, but if you only take carry on (as I usually do 90% of the time) how do you propose to cut it when you can’t take sharp items in carry on. Hope someone has a spare pair of scissors at hand?
It’s designed to tear easily by hand.
Was once on a US airline flight from ORD to Peoria. It was one of those horrible Shorts planes and, after boarding, we were delayed by a mechanical issue. After a while everyone on the right (front) side of the plane burst out in laughter. The galley door wouldn’t shut propetly and maintenance duct/duck taped it shut and away we flew to Peoria.
If Samantha Brown will fly with me I’m happy to carry her duct tape.
This is a travel blog not a dating service!
Try gaffers tape. Sticky but can be easily removed.
Duct tape should be used to confine irritating soccer mom types like this lunatic to their homes so the rest of us don’t have to deal with her while we travel.
I would carry it with me but the one time I did, airport security said I can’t and took it.
Several years ago I had to fix a leak in my car’s rear tire which had gone flat after I came out of the shopping mall. I drove to a nearby gas station and filled tire with air, then zipped over to the nearest JoAnn Fabrics to see what I could use to repair the tire for my 1 and a half hour drive home. I purchased a roll of bright orange duct tape and a tube of rubber cement glue. I filled the hissing dime sized hole with gobs of glue and then duct taped as best I could. Made it home with no problems. When my husband took tire in to get it repaired at a tire shop, they had a difficult time trying to get the duct tape and cement out to patch it properly. Needless to say they were quite impressed with my work! We also signed up for AAA afterwards!
Better use of duct tape on a plane? Tye up the children!