Gaffer tape could replace duct tape in your repair kit

By Bob Difley

Depending on where you were raised or worked, you may think that “gaffer tape” is a type of tape used to tape up old men — or the boss.

But the Gaffer Tape that I was asked to evaluate refers to the tape used by the “gaffer” on movie or TV production sets.

The gaffer is the chief electrician, and the tape is used primarily for taping down all the various electrical cords, and any other cords or lines on the set to prevent tripping or accidentally pulling the cord out of its socket.

But its uses go beyond that, as it can be used to secure in place just about anything that needs securing, hanging, holding open, holding closed — well, you get the idea. But you may be thinking, “Oh, you mean duct tape.” Yes and no. It looks similar to a roll of duct tape, but the main difference is that, when you are finished with it, it is easier to remove and does not leave a residue (unsightly and tedious to clean up and possibly damaging painted or finished surfaces) on whatever it was stuck to.

IT DIDN’T TAKE ME LONG to find a good use for it. The window over my bed developed a leak during the last rainstorm (worst place for a leak) and I couldn’t get the window people out to fix it for several days. So I taped around the place where it was leaking into the bedroom. Gaffer Tape comes in multiple colors and the white roll matched the color of the inside of my window perfectly. You could hardly detect the tape was there.

Then I went outside and taped the window where the rain was blowing in. That night we had another violent storm, the driving rain blasting against the window like a fire hose. The next morning there was not a drop of water on the sill inside.

Since no rain was predicted for a few days, and since I wanted to test the claim of no residue, I peeled the tape off as clean as a whistle (I wonder where that saying came from). Using your imagination, I’ll bet you could think of multiple uses around the RV and at home, such as securing extension cords, temporary fixes for leaks on rubber roofs and around vents, using as two-sided tape for fixing posters or photos to walls or on your fridge (mine is covered with family photos), and many other uses.

Learn more on the Gaffer Power website.

You can find Bob Difley’s RVing ebooks on Amazon Kindle.
Follow Bob at BoondockBobblog.

Editor: Here’s a link to Gaffer Power tape on Amazon, where it’s their “#1 Best Seller” and has received 4.8 out of 5 stars with more than 2,600 customer reviews.

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