100% Authentic Duct Tape Hoodie (110+ Yards of Duct Tape)

I was inspired to make a duct tape jacket of some kind because of hat day at my school. Why hat day, you ask? Well...I didn't have any awesome hats, so I made a hex hat from duct tape. It was a hit with my friends, and a lot of people gave good feedback. I was excited to do something bigger. Something with some more "Wow" factor.

When first worn, this jacket is kind of stiff and pretty much a plastic tube. It keeps in a LOT of heat, and is great for wearing in the cold outside! It is also 100% waterproof, and can be used as a rain jacket. The more you wear it, the more more comfortable it gets. Unlucky for me, it is still hot here in the south, even at 5:00 am when I have to go catch the bus for school. Eventually though, I will be wearing this to school everyday :D

So without any more delay, here is my Duct Tape Hoodie! I hope it has enough "Wow" factor for everyone.

Step 1: Materials

First, you need the right tools.
- Scissors
- Razor
- Sharpie
- Yard/Meter Stick

Now, gather your materials.
- Duct Tape. I used two 55 yard rolls, and part of a 40 yard roll, along with fluorescent green tape for decorating.  I probably spent around $15 for the duct tape. I didn't use proffesional tape... I used the cheapest I could find.
- Masking Tape

Oh! Forgot! You need a large flat surface that you can cut on. I have (clean) concrete floors, so it's no big deal. You may wish to use a large cutting board on a table if you need to (or improvise!).

Step 2: Wait - How Big Should It Be?

Well... I must admit - I stole my measurements from imrobot's Instructable www.instructables.com/id/The-plastic-bag-hoodie-How-to-fuse-plastic-bags-a/#step5 . On step 5 he has the measurements. (Alternatively, I've posted it on this step as well)

Now, be careful! I used the medium measurements for the body, which is 68cm by 61cm. It turns out that it is WAY to wide and the jacket will be more like a tube... it is best to make the size measurement that is closest to you size, then tailor the jacket after you finish.

Step 3: Getting Started - Duct Tape Cloth

First, we must learn how to make duct tape cloth!

Making the tape can be kind of tricky, but mostly when you are covering the first layer. If two sticky parts touch in the wrong place, problems can occur. Be careful when laying down the strips!

There are variations on how to make duct tape cloth, but this method works well for me and lets me get the correct size duct tape sheets I need.

Step 4: Sleeves

We need to make the sleeves. I started with the sleeves because they are the easiest. Make sure you make a plain rectangle the correct width (mine was24cm - 39cm by 55cm. 55cm was a tad short for me. Adjust to your size).

Step 5: Starting the Body

The main body is large - So large, that it did not fit on my cutting board. I used my floor to make the body, and (using masking tape, a yard stick, and a sharpie) made a large measuring angle to get the right sized duct tape cloth.

If you want a zipper or a cut down the middle, make sure to measure and mark off the middle of one of the duct tape sheets.

Step 6: Attaching Things

We begin the end of the hoodie.
The easiest way to go about attaching things it to first attach the two halves, then the sleeves, then the sides of the body.
There could be another way, but I didn't see how I was going to get duct tape strips into the enclosed area of the hoodie.
The hardess part of this step is adding duct tape to the inside seem of the sleeves. It is dark inside a plastic tunnel...

Step 7: Tailoring and Pockets!

Morning.
I wake up at 5:00 am to get ready for school. I decided that since I was ready early, I would tailor the jacket and make it fit better.

Afternoon.
Home from school, time to work on some pockets! Because they are easy! Listen to remixes of the Tetris theme.

Note: After using the jacket, the pockets are less than impractical. They are  designed too tightly, and my hands barely fit, let along any objects. They can be used to store paper things though.

Step 8: The Long Awaited Hood

Making the hood is pretty straight forward. All you need to do is conjoin the two rectangles and attach them to the collar of the hoodie. Trim off the top corner of the hood and round it to make it look nicer.

Step 9: Finishing Up!

The hoodie is technically done. But nothing like some color duct tape to make it look snazzy :D
You can put a bunch of stripes, checkered squares, or pictures and words with colored duct tape. I just did an easy choice and put one color of duct tape on what I consider to be borders of the jacket.
After 5 days of work, I finished! Don't be fooled-it takes a while bit it really isn't hard.
This jacket hold in a LOT of heat. I mean, while taking the pictures for this in my air-conditioned room,  I started sweating. It is pretty comfortable if it is cool outside with less sun.

This jacket is 100% water proof also! So a bonus if it rains while you are outside in the cold :D I tested this with a garden hose, and it repels very efficiently. The biggest issue is that the water drips directly onto your pants. Maybe future developments will fix this.

Enjoy! Please Rate, Comment, Subscribe, and tell me if I messed up with spellings, etc. in my Instructable!

Comments

[broachezach]

I love it. I want to try to make one

[broachezach]

I love it

[J.F]

That is awesome. Now for the pants. :)

[connorr2]

tru

[michael.devan.92]

This is a very nice hoodie and probably one of the absolute best Duct Tape creations I've seen. I think I'm gonna try something like this; a Duct Tape Duster!

[tmcfarlane1]

I'm having and issue with the bottom edge of the body staying strait when I put it on. Just wondering if you had the same issue and how you fixed it. Also did you do anything to keep it closed.

[Kaiven]

Mine naturally overlapped itself on the front, and the end didn't crinkle/wave or anything, but in the end was a pretty rigid and uncomfortable tube.

[CrystalB01]

Nice I'm making this but with fabric instead

[EnderMegan]

This is awesome! Tomorrow is Duct Tape clothing day at my school, and im going to use some of your measurments and ways to make a duct tape t-shirt!

[Bwilson Props]

could you make the ACIII coat with this method?

[boomer2011]

Awesome

[MakeItWithJason]

Fantastic job!

[zoneykid]

"The biggest issue is that the water drips directly onto your pants. Maybe future developments will fix this."

Future developments such as Duct Tape Pants? :D

[Kaiven]

One day man, one day...  :D

[natethegreat88]

A while ago i thought of making a duct tape kilt (even with the plaid pattern), but sadly i just didn't have the time, skill, or duct tape to do it. And awsome instructable by the way. It totally beats a duct tape wallet.

[Kaiven]

I don't use wallets and there are soo many duct tape wallets that I wanted to make something else.  I am glad Jacket beats Wallet.

[repguy2020]

If pants beat jacket, does wallet beat pants?

[Sadi789]

This is great!! Five stars. Wish I could rate it six stars.

How many roles of duct tape did you use to make this? I want to make sure I have enough tape before I begin.

[Kaiven]

I used the largest ones WalMart had because they were the cheapest. Somewhere around two and a half? I went by yardage (110+) because you can divvy that into whatever size rolls you have available. Larger jacket needs more duct tape. Colors and decorations will also require more ductape.

[ZombiiDoll]

Very cool!♥♥♥ I'm making this for my Art class when we have a duct tape project :) About how long did it take yu to make this?