Taping Your Hoop

Okay Hoopers here is whats going down. My first Hoop I bought was plain black, I have since gotten another one which was taped by the company but its subtle (dark blue on black) and not really performance style flashy. So my GF (the duct tape queen) taped the black hoop with a yellow candy cane stripe. Now it looks great but with the little hooping that was done with it the tape is already getting torn up and flaking off. TO THE POINT: What kind of tape should I use??? Because the duct tape is NOT working. AND how do I get the duct tape off without leaving sticky spots behind??

http://www.fancy-tapes.co.uk/store/

This was recomended to me by a hooper.

Thanks!

Fancy tapes is the uk associate of identi-tape in the states, depending on where you live. Neither one is the cheapest you can get, but they're convenient for having a variety of supplies all in one place.

Anything you use will get torn up, depending on what surface you hoop on. Grass, sand, smooth flooring: those are best.

Gaffer's tape is the standard for adhesive-backed cloth tape. Gives you a good grip and comes in a huge range of colors. Its pricey and many folks like that to be the last layer they add.

Vinyl tape is cheap, colorful and great for adding trim colors as well as sealing over edges of metallic tapes that you want to protect.

Metallics add the bling. They don't stretch, so you need to be very careful when applying it.

Glow in the dark tape rocks, but can be super expensive, if you aren't already at a performance level.

Some alternatives are sewing cloth sleeves for your hoop, bicycle wrap tape, and ribbon.

Personally, I use a two-sided adhesive tape and then overlay ribbon, then finish it with one color of vinyl. Its cheaper than gaffer's, though heavier. Quite durable on all but concrete and comes in lots of patterns and designs. Gives my hoops a more custom look than just simply using solid colors.

Don't forget to check out Hooping.org. and Hoop City. They'll be a huge resource for you.

Also, Goo Gone is good for taking all that yucky stuff duct tape leaves behind. you can also scrape it off, but anyone around you would rather you use the Goo Gone ^.~

or plain old eucalyptus oil is really good for it, too. even tea tree oil. if you like the smell of those, that is!

Or if you have a med student friend, there's adhesive remover wipes...

For my tape, we use electric tape. And then contact, as in that sticky stuff you use to cover books. There's lots of holographic and shiny types and we cut it into strips and tape with it, covering both edges with electrical tape...

I think after a year of bashing around, all hoop with get tatty. Our fire one is getting that way and I'll think about re-covering it sometime soon (read; in a year...)