Aluminum Tape-Do You Need It Or Not?

There seems to be no meeting of the minds in regards to whether or not you need to add aluminum tape to hexayurt seams that are held together with bifilament tape.

Unfortunately, the primary use for bifilament tape-bundling of heavy objects and sealing of large cartons, does not require that the tape have a long life or that it be able to withstand long term exposure to sunlight. The ultraviolet rays in sunlight cause the adhesive on the tape to dry out and de-laminate from the backing.

Those who have used the aluminum tape to protect the bifilament know that it has no structural integrity and can’t stand up to any lateral force. It is only good to cover a tape (or other) seam that has the strength to hold the yurt panels together.

The two most important factors seem to be cost and time. If you are willing to add aluminum tape to your seaming, the actual additional costs seem to be less than the cost of re-taping the hexayurt with bifil a year or two earlier than if you did not use the aluminum.

You can follow an interesting discussion on this subject on Reddit by clicking here.