Duct Tape Dummy Tutorial

Things you’ll need:

Painter’s suit with a zipper

  • Light, comfortable clothes (shorts and a t-shirt are perfect)

    • Be sure to wear socks!

  • 3-5 rolls of duct tape (no masking, shipping, or gorilla tape)

  • Black permanent marker (Sharpies work great)

  • 2 plastic bags

  • Round-nose scissors, or bandage shears

  • Someone (or multiple people) to help!

Step One

Put on your painter’s suit and spread your legs out slightly farther than shoulder-width apart. Your arms can remain at your sides up until you start taping them, at which point you will need to hold them in a ‘T’ pose

Step Two

Using 6-12 inch strips of tape, begin by taping the groin area, starting with one strip going over the crotch, starting at your stomach and ending just above your butt. Make sure it lays flush with the skin, not sitting uncomfortably high.

Step Three

Begin taping down the legs, making sure not to leave any gaps while crossing the strips of tape over one another in an ‘x’ pattern. There should be a minimum of 2 layers of tape over your entire body.

Step Four

Just before reaching the ankle, wrap both feet in plastic bags or paper towels and tape over the entire foot. The tape should be form fitting but not tight enough to cut off circulation!

Step Five

Tape up the torso, leaving the zipper uncovered. This will help you get out of the DTD much easier!

Step Six

Once everything is taped up to the armpits, time to raise your arms! Hold on to brooms or high-backed chairs for support. Be sure to tape down your arm and completely over your wrists in the same ‘X’ pattern as before. If the painter’s suit doesn’t fully cover your wrists, use paper towels to wrap the skin and then tape.

Step Seven

Time to get out the sharpies! Draw a line on the top of each arm, going from your wrist up to the collar. Draw a line on your outer leg, going from your ankle straight up to your torso. Draw X’s along each line so you know which parts match up to one another when retaping.

Step Eight

CAREFULLY cut along each line, and open the zipper. If you are unable to slip out, extend the lines on the outside of your legs to create more wiggle room.

Step Nine

Retape according to the ‘X’ marks you made earlier, and you’re done! Congrats on your hard-earned Duct Tape Dummy!