An Ode to Duct Tape

Just wanted to share a minor incovenience that occurred to me last sunday.

My girlfriend and I took a short hike to a local festival in a nearby village, which is in midmountain position directly above our home. It's just about a 1 hour, upward walk on easy trail. Nothing could go wrong on such outing, right?

Well, upon arrival, we were just starting to enjoy the festival, walking along the narrow cobblestone streets, when my right boot (a hitherto trusty Magnum Response, no affiliation etc.) failed suddenly and spectacularly: almost the entire rubber sole detached itself from the upper leather part. I nearly tripped, and my girlfriend was about to phone his brother to come pick us with his car, as obviously I couldn't make the return walk in that condition, when I stopped her.

Years of lurking here en the ETS forums taught me to always keep a roll of duct tape in my backpack. A few rolls around the boot kept it together long enough for us to reach home.

I feel sorry for my boots, but they're over 10 years old. I guess sheer age caused the glue keeping the sole and the leather together to fail.

I'm trying to reglue them as I write (the left boot too was about to fail, I noticed afterwards), using Bostik Super Clear glue and applying pressure with clamps for 24 hours. I hope I can fix them, but I don't know if I could manage to trust them again, even for short hike...

you definitely need new boots.
duct tape can give a temporary fix for footwear. but it doesnt last long.

In the old days, the Indians and the pioneers were experts at making new shoes on the go. The Indians actually carried spare pieces of leather (skin) for moccasins, and deer sinew to tie them together. That was how important it was to make new footwear quickly.

You did well to remember the duct tape.

Yeah, duct tape is handy for many things!

The Universal Field Repair Kit: WD-40 to make it move, DUCT Tape to make it stop! Add a Leatherman to grab stuff, and you can fix almost anything.

Duct tape has a bright side and a dark side - it holds the universe together = The Force!

I have had two hiking boots, on the same person, separate on their first hike. Duct tape on the first one, paracord on the second one.

I also duct taped my future wife's dance shoe back together on our first date.

Duct tape, key chain tool, pocket sewing kit, and a flashlight will cover most urban issues.
If anybody knows of travel size packages of WD-40....

WD-40 10075 No-Mess Pen, 0.26 oz.

https://www.amazon.com/WD-40-10075-No-Me...p;keywords=wd40

A little roll of duct tape can save the day. I use it all the time for stuff that needs to stay stuck. Used it once to repair a blown-out pack strap, and another time, it stood-in for stitches on my finger when my concentration lapsed for a moment when trying to cut a marshmallow stick. Oh, and that other time when my knife slipped while carving a spoon.

Welcome to ETS, albusgrammaticus!

Duct Tape:

Duct tape is of course magnificent. But not all duct tape is created equal.

There is utility-grade-duct-tape, cheap by the roll, for short term fixes.

There is actual contractor grade duct tape, used for ... wait for it ... sealing air ducts. One assumes this is intended to be permanent.

Then there is gaffer tape, which is magnificent stuff, sticks to everything and itself, and designed to be removable without leaving a residue or removing paint. Used widely by musicians, roadies, film crews. Far superior to utility duct tape (and priced to match). I love this stuff, and shamelessly pester folks in the business for roll ends.

And, finally, there is Gorilla tape. It works. It is basically permanent. I carry a small roll (or half a roll) of the 1-inch variety in many kits. I fixed the rubbed-off lining in the heels of old hiking boots with this. Years and miles later, it is right where I put it. Wow.

Lubrication:

When WD-40 is not handy (e.g., when travelling), a tiny drop of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) from the dipstick of any vehicle is a remarkably effective penetrating solvent and lubricant. I'm scared to know what they put in that stuff, but it really works. Antique car enthusiasts put a squirt in the cylinders of ancient, seized engines that have been sitting for half a century and it seeps through the crud and corrosion like magic.

They do make a WD40 "pen" if a spray bottle is too big. In most cases, i prefer a more specialist penetration oil or lube, depending on the application.

Thank you very much, bacpacjac!

I know of someone who mended a railway locomotive with duct tape ! An air pipe had split and the this prevented the brakes from being released.
Duct tape alone would not have reliably contained the pressure, but duct tape and cable ties did the job.

My emergency kits each have a small bottle of Break-Free CLP, which is more flexible than WD-40 in what it can do, and conveniently for me is very useful for firearms specifically.

Duct tape is so amazing and so capable that I never go anywhere without it.

Boots soles use a heat sensitive glue. A heat gun will take the soles off so new ones can be attached.

A hot car or a hot campfire will break that bond too.

Seen it several times after a snowy wet backpack. Boots dried by the fire, then next day they start flopping while hiking.

A speedy stitcher or some bailing wire braces will get you back home then.

Clearwater that's a great bit of advice about boot soles.
I had no idea that some boots were not stitched together so I'll check that out before I buy the next pair.

In the old days (two or three decades ago) soles were mostly sewn on. In recent years they're usually glued. It's cheaper (of course) but results in a book or shoe that's more or less disposable.

Yesterday I made a short test walk (about 2 miles) with the newly reglued boots. It was strictly a DIY job, so I wasn't entirely sure about the results.

Well, they seem to hold so far, but I'm not trusting them anymore for a prolonged hike. I guess they also lost their impermeability.

I shall buy a new pair, which is a nuisance, not only for budgetary reasons, but also because I have large soles and I find most boots to tight for me to be comfortable, especially in the toe region.

Generally, I find military and law enforcement style boots more comfortable than "civilan" hiking boots, probably because they have reinforced toe caps, allowing for more toe space.

I'll probably end up buying the exact same model as the old ones...