What’s the best way to carry tape?

QI’ve heard lots about the benefits of duct tape on the hill, but a big roll of it would take up a lot of space in my pack. Is there an alternative?

Trai● says There is almost literally no end to the beneficial uses of duct tape for hillwalkers and backpackers. It’s absolutely magical stuff, and it can be used for makeshift bandages, impromptu tourniquets, patching ripped gear, mending tents, covering wounds, stifling blisters, improvised roping, sealing cracked water bottles, splinting broken trekking poles… the list could go on and on. But it’s also a fact that a thick roll of this strong, sticky, waterproof adhesive tape can occupy a fair wedge of precious room in your rucksack.

To get around this predicament, wrap a length of tape around your water bottle – an item you are always likely to have packed and quickly accessible – for a convenient storage solution. Other items you could wrap tape around, though not as effective, include walking poles, a pencil or an old bank card. Unless you are going on a long-distance multi-day trek, it is unlikely you would ever need a whole roll of duct tape for your mountain jaunts, so this handy hack means you only have to take as much as you need.

This ingenuity saves on weight and space; and if it makes you that bit more inclined to take some duct tape on the hill it could rescue a potentially miserable situation, or even save your, or someone else’s, life.