I’ve found a tape that’s better (or at least more useful) than duct tape. This is a fantastic tape that is mostly known to people working inside the entertainment industry. If you have never worked on a film crew, you may have never heard of this tape. Loved by Hollywood lighting technicians, this tape happens to be incredibly useful around an RV or any home.
The secret tape is called… (wait for it)… gaffer’s tape. It is named for the gaffer, or chief lighting technician on a film crew. When cables are taped down on a stage or other film set, either for safety or to keep them out of view of the audience or camera, they are said to be “gaffered.”
Here’s a roll of my own gaffer’s tape. We always keep it handy. (Click the pic for more info.)
I discovered gaffer’s tape in film school. We use it frequently in our RV for all sorts of projects. What makes gaffer’s tape so great?
Let me put it this way: if duct tape and masking tape had a baby, it might be called gaffer’s tape.
This tape combines the easy-to-tear characteristic of masking tape with the strength, adhesiveness, and durability of duct tape. You get the best of both worlds with gaffer’s tape. It holds firmly, yet removes with ease.
Gaffer’s tape was designed to temporarily secure items on a film set (like power cords, lighting equipment, and so forth). It’s a cotton based tape, so it has a cloth texture to the finish.
Gaffer’s tape is easy to tear from a roll (no scissors needed), yet once in place it is strong and secure.
But the real magic of gaffer’s tape comes when it’s time to remove the tape. It peels away leaving no adhesive residue behind. This is what really distinguishes gaffer’s tape from duct tape – the adhesive is strong yet leaves no trace. So you can put gaffer’s tape on just about anything without concern.
Gaffer’s tape is available in many colors, but I prefer white & black. (Click the pic for more info.)
Gaffer’s tape is available in many colors. I have black, red, yellow, and white. I find black and white the most useful. White is especially handy because you can write on it with a Sharpie pen. Black is good at blending in with black objects. The brightly colored tapes have their own uses.
It’s probably not fair to say that gaffer’s tape is “better” than duct tape, but I certainly find to be it more useful. There’s an old saying that “duct tape and WD-40 solves all problems.”