Hack: Repurposing an old CD soft case to store ratcheting tiedown straps

It is a sad fact that we bury far too much in landfills.  I fund it rather satisfying to find ways to repurpose unused items to make them useful once again and keep them out of the landfill.

Zippered soft CD Case

In my youth, I had a pretty good CD collection.  I manage to also collect quite a few soft travel cases for CDs which I used in my vehicles.  CDs seem somewhat quaint today as most everyone has switched to playing music from mobile phones and satellite radio instead of using physical CDs.  As such, we have no use for our old, zippered CD soft cases.

 

What does one do with all those unused soft CD cases?  Let's repurpose them!

Ratcheting tie-down straps used in the garage and pickup truck are prone to becoming a tangled mass of clutter almost immediately after they are freed from their original packaging.  While cleaning out the attic, I realized that our old unused CD soft cases where the perfect size for storing unruly tie-down straps.  All I needed to do was use a box cutter to cut the stitches that attached the CD pages to the case interior and, presto! - the perfect storage case for tie-down straps.

Repurposed soft CD case for storing ratcheting tie-down straps.

Hope this 1-minute hack has inspired you to repurpose your own CD soft cases.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Backpacking Hack: Packing Duct Tape

I recently returned from a wonderful backpacking trek in the John Muir Wilderness located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.  The John Muir Wilderness is rugged and exceedingly beautiful.  It is also challenging backpacking country with high altitude and difficult terrain.  The trek tested our group's skills, readiness, and fitness.  Fortunately, we were well prepared and able to handle every test mother nature presented us.

John Muir Wilderness Marker

One item in my pack proved its usefulness over and over again - duct tape.  Duct tape is not just for air ducts or home repairs.  Here are just a few uses of duct tape while backpacking:

• Repair a pair of shoes by re-affixing a delaminated tread with duct tape
• Repair a tear in a tent stuff-sack with duct tape
• Patch a puncture in a water bag with duct tape
• Secure a moleskin pad with duct tape to prevent it from rubbing off while walking
• Cover a hip abrasion caused by a backpack with duct tape to prevent further injury
• Wrap a sprained ankle with duct tape to support the join and prevent further injury
• Whip an end of rope to prevent fraying
• Patch a torn tent bag

If you aren't carrying duct tape in your pack then you will inevitably find yourself wishing you had.  Fortunately, you don't have to bring a bulky and heavy roll of duct tape to benefit from this miracle material.  Several feet of tape will do.

A helpful method of packing duct tape is to roll several feet onto a plastic medicine bottle.  The width of the duct tape fits perfectly on the bottle and adds very little weight or volume to a pack.  This hack also provides you with a waterproof container for medicine or small items.  Later, when a length of duct tape is needed, simply peel off the desired amount from the medicine bottle.

You don't need to pack the whole roll

I hope this article has inspired you to add duct tape to your backpacking kit and try rolling it onto a plastic medicine bottle for convenient packing.

Several feet of duct tape rolled onto a plastic medicine bottle

Happy trails and 73, NJ2X

Related Articles:

• How to setup backpacking tarp shelters (A-Frame, Lean-To, and C-Fly)
• Amateur Radio Backpacking Checklist
• Backpacking Amateur Radio Power: Requirements
• Backpacking Amateur Radio Power: Alternatives
• Project: Hacking the Nomad 7 Solar Panel for Amateur Radio Use
• Project: Fabricating a Anderson PowerPole to 3.4mm dc connector for the Kenwood TH-F6A
• Project: Regulating the 12v Output of the Nomad 7 Solar Panel
• Field Test: Nomad 7 Solar Panel Performance

© Michael W. Maher and NJ2X.COM, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Michael W. Maher and NJ2X.COM with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.