Repackaging leukotape?

[lisa r]

I’ve been carrying a little mini-roll of leukotape (bought at Litesmith then added a bit extra to the roll) that I needed to use for the first time recently. The tape was so sticky it was extremely difficult to unroll from the tiny squishy roll. Is there a better way? I’d like to carry enough to deal with blisters, plus some extra that could be used for first aid or gear repair purposes…The good news is the tape was so effective it  only took one layer on each heel and it lasted, with on and off wet feet, 4 days and was still difficult to remove.

[Monty Montana]

Whenever I receive a package in the mail there’s often a prepaid, adhesive return slip included; the backing of this return slip is a very shiny paper that nothing can adhere to permanently.  I always save these for strips of leukotape – 6″ to 8 ” in length – they easily peel right off when I need some and pack flat in my first aid kit with gauze pads and bandaids.

[Todd T]

Buy some sticky labels of some sort. Peel off the labels from a sheet and throw them away. Stick as much leukotape as you want for a trip onto the now empty backing paper. Works great.

Edit:  Monty beat me to the punch, but it’s the exact same idea.

[Josh]

I usually rewrap 18” around a 1×2” piece of cardboard as part of my med kit. I haven’t had any issues with stickability and the space savings are great.

[Bonzo]

If you’re carrying a K-tape, just buy pre-cut strips with a paper backer and carry only as much as you need.  I haven’t seen the P-tape with a paper backer, but I also don’t use the stuff: I’ve used the K-tape on everything between hot spots and strained tendons and it’s worked great, so the strapping tape has been unnecessary for me.

Four days on the skin is a long time for me: I get a slight rash after three.

[Brad W]

Put it on wax paper or just wrap it around items. I have a tube of electrolytes I keep 1.5′ or so wrapped around.

[Jerry Adams]

I’ve used silicone coated paper – parchment paper for cooking

Other stuff I’ve used sticks to the leukotape too much

 

[Mina Loomis]

I put some on a sheet of backing from labels for a trip once.  Then I didn’t need to use it and it sat in the first aid kit box for about a year.  I went to get it for a different trip and found that, while it peeled off the backing just fine, the Leukotape itself was *no longer sticky* at all!  From the stickiest tape to nothing. So if you do that, use while fresh I guess.

[Matthew / BPL]

The backing paper from signmakers vinyl is extremely convenient in this application. You can make a nice, long strip with it and trim as needed. I carry about 18 or 24” usually. I think the tape has more utility when it’s in one piece rather than precut strips.

[Jeff]

Someone on the internet (can’t find the source at the moment, maybe a reddit thread?) said that leukotape loses its stickiness when its repackaged like this. That is, it’ll never be as sticky as it is from the roll. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but the anecdotes I’ve read and my own experience seem to support that claim.

My idea for my next trip is to take a roll and cut it in half across the diameter, yielding two semicircles of tape. From there, you ought to be able to peel off a chunk of several layers, slap it on a laminated sheet, and stick it in the first aid kit.

[Bonzo]

I think the tape has more utility when it’s in one piece rather than precut strips.

Possibly so, but I find myself cutting strips down on a consistent basis.  I’ve not yet needed a longer one than the pre-cut strips offer.  Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

[Mike M]

stamp or mailing label backing- I’ve tried it just about every other way and eventually it becomes a gummy/sticky mess

my normal first aid kit contains two stamp backers with ~11″ of Leukotape on each (using both sides); I just cut to size what I need

[Todd T]

My idea for my next trip is to take a roll and cut it in half across the diameter, yielding two semicircles of tape.

Or cut just one side of the roll, so you end up with one broken circle of longer strips?  I’ll be interested to hear how it works either way.

[Jeff]

Or cut just one side of the roll, so you end up with one broken circle of longer strips?  I’ll be interested to hear how it works either way.

Ack. This was not successful. The cut edges are all gummy. While I can separate a chunk of layers, I cannot effectively separate a single layer from the chunk. The end product is not helpful, and is in fact worse than the original.

I used a small hacksaw. Perhaps a bigger blade may make a cleaner cut?

[Author]

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