What is the permaculture equivalent of Duct Tape?

Just a random thought.  Not a specific case or example.

but what would be the more permaculture replacement for duct tape?  

It's so useful for so many different things.  

My permaculture duct tape has been twine.

Coir, butcher, yarn, any sort of cordage really. I've found many applications where having it wear and break down is preferred.

Earn money from permaculture project. Go to store, buy duct tape. It can fix any thing.

I got duck tape today from a not Permie job.

I find that duct tape eventually turns to micro-plastic when exposed to the elements.

This isn't exactly the permaculture equivalent, but for outdoor applications, I find hockey tape does a better job, lasts longer, and doesn't turn to dust.

Replacing it more permie-like, I'll have to think on... there are certain tree saps that are pretty sticky, and linen strips are supposed to weather well - I think it can be done, but I'd look to the ancients to get some particulars!

If you're trying to stick things together, maybe some sort of pine pitch mixture?
Wrapping around something --> twine or cordage
Holding down a loose edge on a tarpaulin, maybe a combination of pine pitch and canvas as a sticky tape to hold the seam down?

Think about how things were done before the invention of duct tape.

Screws and a material to use the screw in?

When I was young, I thought the whole of Wales was held together with baler twine.

Of course, the tractors were smaller then, and the bales were small and square, and the twine was natural sisal.

I would plait it up to make halters and lunge lines. I would always have some in my pocket to replace gate ties that had to be cut or simply fell apart when I had to open gates whilst out riding. Bonnet won't stay shut? Baler twine will fix that. Gate fell apart? Bit of baler twine will soon have it back together.  Forgot your knife when you have to open a bale of hay? Saw it through with a bit of baler twine. Sheep in trouble and you managed to catch her but need to keep her where she is while you summon help? Tie three feet with baler twine.  Hands freeze to the bucket handles in winter? Wrap the handle with baler twine. Chair seat worn through? Weave another one out of baler twine. Straps on the horse's rug got torn off again? Yup, you guessed it... Sheep fencing need fixing? Got something too big shoved in the back of the van and the back door won't shut? Trousers keep falling down? Sole of your boot coming off and you keep falling over the flappy bit as you attempt to walk home? Need a collar on the goat so you can encourage her a bit more forcefully to get out of your vegetable garden? Young apple tree attempting to grow in the wrong direction so you need to tie it to a post? Need to hang that chicken up for a while until you're ready to process it?



This one shows a darker side, which again relates to the realities of small farms in the '70s and pulls at the heart strings a bit. Maybe a trigger warning is in order if you choose to watch to the end...

Resilient designs that rarely need repair.  I use very little duct tape.  I can only think of one place where I used it to cover some sharp edges.  There is also a very small amount of electrical tape. It seems to hold up fairly well.

Gumption.

Anne Miller wrote:Think about how things were done before the invention of duct tape.

Screws and a material to use the screw in?

But going that far back, screws were those blasted slotted ones that were much harder to use than more modern ones that keep the screwdriver from slipping out. Personally, having spent much of the 70s using long-superseded equipment, I have no desire to reject the advances that give me more time and ability to get stuff done. I'm almost 79, so task time is ever more important to me, and redoing repairs is a nuisance. Duct tape is useful for quick, temporary repairs that don't have to withstand much pressure or tension; more modern tapes, adhesives, and fasteners offer more durability. Ingenuity in fashioning a repair can help too. That's PED (Permaculture Experience according to David).

David, that is thought provoking ...

The thing about my suggestion is that those screws are probably no longer available so the newer ones would have to be used.

The OP maybe is just trying to get us to put on our thinking caps and come up with permies solutions ...

Funny thing according to Wikipedia my suggestion was real close:

The first material called "duck tape" was long strips of plain non-adhesive cotton duck cloth used in making shoes stronger, for decoration on clothing, and for wrapping steel cables or electrical conductors to protect them from corrosion or wear

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape

This quote is from an article at Johnson and Johnson is how it all got started:

Stoudt had an “aha” moment: Why not create a waterproof cloth tape to seal the boxes instead? She suggested it to her supervisors but didn’t find the support she was looking for. So Stoudt did what anyone would do: On February 10, 1943, she wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlining the problem and her solution, complete with diagrams!

https://www.jnj.com/our-heritage/vesta-stoudt-the-woman-who-invented-duct-tape

Dear hubby couldn`t function if he didn't have duct tape.  I really never use it.

Anne Miller wrote:...

The first material called "duck tape" was long strips of plain non-adhesive cotton duck cloth used in making shoes stronger, for decoration on clothing, and for wrapping steel cables or electrical conductors to protect them from corrosion or wear

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape
...

It's quite interesting that it was originally duck tape, named for the fabric used. I know that later it was used for sealing furnace air ducts, but it's actually a poor choice for that, being prone to drying out and losing adhesion over time. Aluminum tape with modern adhesive or silicone caulk are the far better duct sealants now.

I don't use duct tape very much myself, due to its impermanence and gumminess, but it's still "the handyman's secret weapon", according to The Red Green Show.

From a strength standpoint, I think the "Stronghold Haywire Klamper" is pretty neat.  The tool uses leverage to neatly and tightly bind 14 - 20 gauge wire around objects for a secure fix.  

https://haywireklamper.com/

https://haywireklamper.com/photo-gallery.html

George Yacus wrote:From a strength standpoint, I think the "Stronghold Haywire Klamper" is pretty neat.  ...

Wire is definitely a stronger way to hold solid objects together than tape of any kind. But duct tape can fasten films (such as poly) or cover gaps.