If Duct Tape can't fix it, Industrial Strength Velcro tape can.  

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Before a trip a few years ago I bought a roll of this.  It's got two rolls of very sticky tape, with the different velcro surface on the other roll.  it is 2 inches by 15 feet.  So I taped the sticky sides together on about 5 feet.  then I cut it lengthwise so I have 2 1inch wide velcro fasteners at 5 feet long with opposing velcro surfaces .  I have used it for lots of duties on trips, i.e. tying down canoe, fastening anything quickly to a tree, an emergency belt, a rod holder,  in lieu of a wet crazy creek chair to support my back,  tumpline even!!  

I was going through my gear and my original velcro strips are all worn out, or cut short for different duties so I had to buy some more.   I thougt I'd share because this is a very useful tool for me.

Wow nice!  I need this to replace all my velcro!

This industrial strength Velcro is 50% stronger and a waterproof adhesive.

One more use... I'm going to use it to attach an underquilt to my hammock for easy set up and takedown.

Double-sided velcro seemed like a pretty good idea when it was posted last spring, so I tried it during the summer, as an alternative to the 3/4" elastic that I'd normally been using for lashing stuff to my canoe during portaging and / or  tripping. Each seemed to work better for certain things, not so well for others.

This is what I came up with as working best for me:

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1. Spare paddle: Hopefully, this will get lashed on at the start of the trip and not be taken off until the end, so Velcro's quick release is only a minor benefit. Elastic holds the paddle snug against the gunwale, so no annoying paddle-rattle, either on the water or on portages. The spare is not easy to get at quickly if you need it on the water, but on the other hand the elastic ties are quite strong, and if you ever go over and manage to stay with the canoe, you know you'll always have a paddle.

2. Pack (two shown): The packs come out for portaging, so you don't want to fiddle with tying and untying elastic every stop. But if something bad happens and I go over, I don't want to see my packs floating down the river, and I don't want to find out industrial strength velcro is only strong enough when the stuff is clean and new. So I don't use either velcro or elastic. I use carabiners (climbing grade only, not the cheap free ones you get with promotional merchandise). For more packs, I usually tie them to each other rather than to the gunwales.

3. Sponge: Either an elastic loop left attached to the canoe for the trip duration or a velcro strap works fine here.

4. PFD: I have two elastic loops permanently attached to the seat frame, so when I get to a portage, the pfd comes off and is stuffed under the elastic (as shown). Leaving the pfd in place during paddling (ie used as a seat cushion) has been discussed elsewhere in these forums, so I won't comment on that option here.

5. Bailer. If I ever need this, I don't want to be trying to untie too-tight elastic, I want it quickly, so velcro is ideal.

6. Active paddle: This gets lashed in place (as shown) at the start of a portage and comes off again at the end when I'm ready to hit the water. A pair of loops made of double-sided velcro works great.

7. Fishing rod: Shown in nylon sleeve for portaging or non-fishing paddling. Again, easy-on-easy-off velcro loops are ideal. I know some people like hard cases for their rods (discussed elsewhere on these boards), but I've never tried that for tripping, so I can't comment.

What do other people use for lashing stuff to their canoes?

ive got all sorts of velcro all over my canoe. i use golf club tubes in mounting brackets velcroed onto the canoe for rod holding during portages. i have velcro on my pliers, tape measure, flash light, paddles, fish locator, rod holder everything. ill post some pictures at a later date. i work late tonight so i wont be able to do them until at least tomorrow. ive had the same velcro on my canoe for 3 years and its still as grippy as the day i got it.

i use a lot of   (You need to Login or Register  from walmart. under 5.00 for 12.

It thought I would try velcro for the plastic golf club tubes (i've since reconsidered that whole proposition). I used the industrial strength velcro and mine didn't adhere very well. Quite likely I had a film of some sort on my boat or maybe it doesn't do well with carbon fiber. Not sure what happened but mine peeled off on the first trip.

Soooo........A person may consider a mild solvent like paint thinner to clean the surfaces. Just sayin.

i scuffed my aluminum canoe with steel wool and cleaned it with rubbing alchohol. then i used a hair dryer to really heat up the adhesive on the velcro before i stuck it on

yegads!  Velcro fetishists!


edit:
kan industrial strength velcro improve my poor typoing ?

sorry about the delay. super busy lately. i got some pictures up now. here is how i mounted the tubes and have the rods in them. i find it to work extremely well and im never worried about anything falling out during portages.
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this is my current set up. feel free to offer up any suggestions for improvement