This is an ode to butyl tape, an RVer’s third hand in times of need.

Butyl tape is the secret sauce of RV construction. It’s a sticky, gooey, tacky tape that you’ll find behind entry door frames, exterior aluminum trim, ceiling fan flanges, awning mounts, and dozens of other components. It’s omnipresent. It waterproofs your RV’s exterior penetrations. And just as a sheriff of the Wild West carried a gun in his holster, so an RV DIYer should carry a roll of trusty butyl tape in their bugout bag. 

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of confusion around butyl tape. What is it, exactly? And what’s the difference between butyl rubber tape, putty tape, and even more confusingly, butyl putty tape?