The rainy season has come early this year in Japan, and with it - typhoons. As a person who relies on my bike as my sole means of transportation, having a good set of rain gear is crucial to arriving anywhere dry. Unfortunately, my cheap-o $1.00 rain pants ripped open on my first ride out. Clearly it was time for me to step up my game.

And what better way to stay dry than with a pair of duct tape pants. And not just your everyday rain-pants, theses puppies are full-on TYPHOON-pants, with a cinched waist, cinched legs, and a front pocket, all 100% duct tape.

Making these pants was a bit of a learning process (my largest duct tape project prior to this was my wallet), and my photos don't do a good job of showing the trial-and-error sequence of events. Anyone trying to make a pair of these will probably hit similar problems and find their own solutions, so this instructable will just give the basics, and I'll leave the particulars to you guys.

Here we go.

(*EDIT* Oh almost forgot! This is my entry to the "Great Outdoors Duct Tape Contest". Please feel free to check out the contest, and don't forget to vote for your favorites!! There's a lot of good stuff over there.)

Step 1: Gather Your Duct Tape

To make these pants I used 5 complete 50 ft rolls of duct tape, half of 3 more rolls, and a bit of a fourth, for a grand total of about 330 feet of tape - or a little over a football field.

I used 4 colors:

Red - interior lining
Yellow - exterior surface
Silver - structural elements
Black - trim

I also used scissors, for clean cuts.

Step 2: Ruin a Terrible Pair of Pants

This 'ible was inspired by the catastrophic failure of my original 'dollar-store' rain pants a few weeks ago. (Pic. 1)

But rather than throw them away, I decided to cut them open and use them as a template for my duct tape design. (Pic. 2)

I drew a chalk outline (actually a duct tape outline) around the pants, and created a design template on the floor of my apartment. (Pic. 3)

Step 3: I Make My Pants One Leg at a Time, Just Like Everybody Else

The next step is to begin putting your tape down over your template. (Pic. 1)

I did this starting with the interior layer. I began laying horizontal strips of the red duct tape from the waist down, proceeding until I reached the end of the first leg. (Obviously this is done with the sticky side up.) I only did one leg at a time, partly because I wanted to practice my technique before starting the second leg, and partly because it was easier to reach parts of the pants with only one leg getting in my way.

I added a few vertical strips in the seat of the pants, which is where I figured the most wear and stress would occur while biking.

The next step is to add your pockets. (Pic. 2) I had originally planned on having two, or even four pockets, but they were so time consuming that I ended up leaving off at just one. I don't have many pictures of this process, but in essence a pocket is just a square of ductape, sealed on 3 sides, with the smooth side in and the sticky side out. Then you stick it to the rest of the pants.

This is also the step wear you can begin planning where your cinch cord loops will be going.

Step 4: Weatherproofing (plus the Second Leg)

Next I added the exterior layer, the layer that will shield you from the elements. This layer doesn't have to be canary yellow, but honestly, why wouldn't it be?

I began layering strips of yellow tape vertically, to add structural support to the horizontal strips in the interior. This is also the step where I finished the cinch loop on the leg, and almost finished the loop at the waist. (Pic. 1)

Then I repeated the previous steps in making the second leg. (Pic. 2) Since the legs have a bit of overlap, I curled the edge of the first leg and stuck it temporarily to itself, to keep them from getting tangled.

Step 5: Roll It on Up

The final step is to roll your pant legs closed, followed by the waist, and seal them up.

For this, flip the pants over so the exterior (yellow) side is facing down, and begin by rolling just one leg closed. Use the excess tape at the edges to stick them together. (Pic. 1)

Repeat this process with the second leg, again sticking everything together (roughly at first) with the excess tape along the edges. (Pic. 2) It will still look rough.

Lastly, finish the pants by covering any excess stickiness and filling any gaps with nice yellow finishing tape. Cover the rim of the pocket, and the holes of your cinch bands with some black trim tape. (Pic. 3)

Now you've got a sweet pair of Typhoon pants, ready to take you through the storm as dry as can be.