If you are out in the elements, nothing makes you more uncomfortable than dampness. Exposure to rain and moisture quickly makes you uncomfortable, cold and even ill. If you get a rip in your tent roof, a tear in the floor or a rip in your sleeping bag, repair it with duct tape. A cross hatch patch made from several pieces of duct tape helps prevent leaks and add strength to the repair.
If you are injured while away from civilization, and do not have proper first aid supplies with you, duct tape can act as a bandage. If you have sprained a joint, use duct tape to wrap it and to create a brace. This allows you to remain functional while you seek help. If you cut yourself, use duct tape to fashion a bandage to help bind the wound. The tape can help hold something to the wound, such a bandage made from a piece of shirt. In an extreme emergency, duct tape can even form the entire bandage.
When in a true survival situation you often do not have the tools you need to build anything. Duct tape replaces many of the tools you would normally use to complete a task. For instance, duct tape fastens together pieces of a shelter that might otherwise blow apart. For hunting or fishing, combine a sharp stone or metal point to a strong wooden shaft with duct tape, to make a spear.
In a vehicle, patch leaky hoses or line and affix hoses where clamps have broken with duct tape. If you are in a natural disaster at your home, use duct tape to hold tarps or plastic up to seal up your windows until its time for more permanent repairs. Temporary repair plumbing and gas lines using duct tape to prevent leaks, after a natural disaster.
