Thursday, April 15, 2004
Yakima Strap Thang Review:
Received an email from Wetsand saying they are now a Yakima dealer which is good news for Yakima fans. I checked out the "Strap Thang" which I bought some months ago. Wetsand is offering it for $56 (can be had for $45 searching with froogle).
When I was debating what to get for my next tie down system for my surf rack (having the last two last about a year each) I first thought of the Yakima Strap Thang because it looked quick and easy to use, perfect for those lunchtime sessions when you gotta hurry to get back to work. I read some very bad reviews on the product here. However I found a shop in NJ that was dumping them for $32 (now I know why) so I pulled the trigger.
The Strap Thang worked great at first. It was easy to install and I could load and unload boards in a flash. Driving at 75mph on the freeway with two longboards was fine, the boards didn't lift off the roof and there were no strange noises. However the breaking point for me came this past weekend heading up to Pismo with the longboard on top. I'm cruising along at 75mph and I do the quick 'look thru the windshield and see how the cargo is doing' check that I subconsciously do about every 2 minutes. What do I see but the front of my board about 2 feet off the roof of my car. I've seen cars like that, and I make every effort to get out of their way usually. So I stopped and cranked those guys down as hard as I could but down the road I had the same problem. Luckily I had one webbing strap that I managed to put on the front rack without problem.
So my bottom line is these things start to break down and become stretchy after time. These have been on top of my roof for a few months. I'm sure if you but them inside your car when you aren't using them they would last longer, but that takes away the quick and easy from the equation. My 3rd strapping system in 3 years, each having not lasted more then a year.
Update: Chance writes in:
"Sorry Pope have to disagree with you on the Yakima straps. Leave mine on the roof, been up there for two years, no problems. I suspect you didn't start off tight enough. I put a Volan 9' Single Fin and a Yater HP up top double stacked with whatever my kid bring along too. Never had an issue."
link to this
Santa Barbara Surfing. Created by Tim Maddux. Continued by Pope.
