Alien Encounter

Need to hang items inside — or outside — your RV? Alien Tape may be just what you’re looking for.

The “hurry up and wait” lifestyle common at times to RVing can play havoc with your sleeping pattern. At least, that’s where I found myself one night after a late check-in at a campground and the requisite setup. Yup, the clock may have signaled for a slow-down, but my mind was having none of it. So while my wife, Lynne, headed off to dreamland, I sat up with the boob tube for company — and, as luck would have it, caught the end of an informercial for Alien Tape.

What attracted my attention was the product’s claim to hold items without screws or glue. Watching a heavy item “stick” to the wall in seconds also piqued my interest, so I took a chance and bought the stuff online. And, well, I was pleasantly surprised once I received it and put tape to practical use.

In true infomercial form, the package comes with way more tape than logically needed for RVers, but what the heck — I figured if this tape works, I’ll find lots of things to hang and secure. After all, it’s supposed to hold items up to 17.5 pounds using “nano-grip” technology (remember the “nano tape” marketed years ago?) While I haven’t tried to hang a brick on my picture window, this tape does have good holding power for lighter items. For example, it works well holding plastic utility cups to a medicine cabinet wall, or décor items to an interior wall.

The key, as I discovered, is making sure the surfaces are clean (use alcohol), smooth and flat. I wouldn’t consider using the tape to hold heavier items to walls, like bricks and barbell weights (as seen on TV), but for items like hooks for towels or shower-stall items, it’s perfect — and you can say “goodbye” to suction cups. It works even better if the item is stuck to a wall while being supported by a shelf, like the one in the aforementioned medicine cabinet.

I would refrain from trying to hold things on a porous wall, wallboard or painted surfaces, but such surfaces are typically not found in an RV. I hung a sample item on the window adjacent to the dining table to test the Alien Tape and after a number of days it still required quite a bit of effort to remove it, which illustrated the product’s holding power. A décor item near the entry door is still in place after six months—even enduring the jostling from opening and closing the door.

You get three 10-foot rolls for 20 bucks (plus $6.95 shipping) and it can be ordered online (tryalientape.com). And, while I’ve yet to try it, the product’s creators even claim it’s reusable (it can apparently be rinsed off). That would make it a good choice for mounting things outdoors, as well.