Whilst looking around my local stores for suitable FLASH DRIVE MOD hosts I had the idea for using a chewing gum packet. It’s not hard to see that the size and shape is ideal for a flash drive. I considered using silicon resin but since I had none to hand this mod was even more simple. I have had the drive in daily use for 6 months now and it has been admired by many. It also offers a new level of security to your flash drive since it is so well disguised.

I feel its important to make sure your donor flash gum carcass is in good order and fresh from the shelves of your local store. Choose the design that suits you best.

Measure the length of your drive and cut your gum packet accordingly. Be sure to use a sharp knife and make sure there is sufficient remainder to make a little lid flap if you want one.

Empty our contents via a tipping motion. You need your gum packet in good order for the insertion. At this time you might have the desire to eat some gum. Do so if you wish since this will not effect the outcome of your drive.

Here you can see the gum carcass and the drive lined up to check for any potential insertion problems. All looks to be in order. However You should note at this point that the look and feel of your gum drive will depend on which way you insert it. My advice would be to have the design on the gum drive facing up when inserted into the USB host machine.

Next you need to find your self a rubber band that is about the same length as the drive, perhaps a little longer. You might find one of these on your door step in the morning.

The rubber band is usefull for 2 things, firstly it creates a perfect look and feel for the gum packet. Once complete this drive will genuinely feel like it contains gum. Secondly it offers resistance preventing the drive coming free from its gum carcass, meaning we don’t need silicon or glue to fix it. You will find that you can be quite casual with the way you wrap the band round your drive, however try to use some logic and make 5 gum shapes in total. Also make sure the first is at the foot of the drive.

You are only going to get one shot at this insertion so make sure that the band is wrapped in the right places. It should enter the carcass without too much resistance (expect some). Also note that as you insert, the rubber band wraps might ride up the drive. This is good since they will increase resistance and make it more secure, however if you did not wrap from base up you will find you have a dead/empty/no gum area at the base since its ridden up the drive.

Once you have your drive inserted you will probably want to hightlight the form of the gums inside, this will again help to secure the drive. You will find that the drive will never come out accidentally. Equally you will find that the Gum Drive looks just like a pack of gums and will wear very well, with daily use only enhancing its desirability. A further development on this USB GUM DRIVE would be to house the cap from the PEN drive in the flap of foil, using glue or resin, but I think this might cause too much wear and tear. Some users might like to simply do away with the flap, although on my 6 month old drive I still use it.