Great for many things besides surfboards
Written: Feb 19 '04
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Pros: Excellent for a wide variety of long skinny loads.
Cons: None for me
The Bottom Line: They have been the most used part of my Yakima rack for over eight years.
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| datkinso's Full Review: Yakima Strap Thang |
I have had two pair of Strap Thangs on my rack for about 8 years now. I don't surf so I can't speak to their usefulness with surfboards but I have a tremendous amount of experience with oak and maple boards. And copper pipe, pvc pipe, shelves, dimensional lumber, fence posts, downspouts and nearly everything else long and skinny that you might buy at a lumber yard, home center or nursery. They are not designed to carry huge loads but if you are picking up a pair of 2x6s they work great. Ladders are easily carried using four straps. They are very quick to use and I can have things firmly strapped to the rack and be ready to roll in about two minutes.
There are a couple of things to remember when using them:
1) Anything with a really sharp edge would be a bad idea. The straps are very tough. I have been carrying rough hardwood boards for years with no problem, but I would think twice about using them with sharp edged metal objects.
2) Don't store the straps under tension. All elastic materials will eventually stretch out.
3) Don't store the straps on the roof of your car, many years of UV rays is not good for them either.
I keep mine in the door pocket and they are still going strong after 8 years.
I use the Strap Thangs constantly and I have never had any problem with loosing a load. Like with most things a little common sense goes a long way. Make sure the straps are pulled tight and if you are carrying a bundle of boards make sure that they are not able to restack themselves as you are going down the road. They are elastic straps so there will be pressure on the load from the sides as well as above.
I fasten them by threading the straps around the load like you would a rope, stretching it tightly as I go.
The crossbars on my rack extend out about 8 inches from the mounts so the rubber band method of using the straps does not work very well. The rubber band method is where both ends of the cord are attached to the holder and you stretch the loop of the cord over you load and hook it over the end of the crossbar. This can be problematic unless your load is at the very end of the bars and you have carefully adjusted the length of the straps. The materials I carry vary widely in size so I just thread the strap around the load like an elastic rope and I have never had a problem with a loose or shifting load.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40?
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Epinions.com ID:
datkinso
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Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 0 members
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