Need a few extra straps to tie down your canoe or kayak on your vehicle's roof rack?
Then you might want to check out the Thule Load Straps. These two 15 foot straps make it easy to securely attach your boat to your rack. Not only that, they are easy to tighten and to release and they have a bumper over the buckles to protect your car and your boat from scratches.
Basics
The Thule Load Straps are really just straps that you use to cinch down your boat on your canoe or kayak rack.
When you purchase them on your own, you get a pack of two straps. Each strap is 15 feet long and is made from a high-strength polypropylene material. Each strap has its own cam-action buckle which makes it easy to pull the strap through and tighten and then release and unthread. There are also rubber "buckle bumpers" that fit over each cam and protect your boat and your car from scratches since the cam is made from steel. The bumpers also let you tie up any loose ends to the strap so they are not flapping around as you drive.
The 15-foot length of the straps gives you plenty of play to securely cinch your boat down on your roof rack. I find that with a kayak, this is more than enough length to double wrap my boat with each strap for extra security. Even with a bigger canoe, there is enough length to get the strap around twice.
Tightening the straps is easy, just pull the strap through the cam and it holds the strap in place. Just keep pulling and it tightens right up. To release, just pop the cam and reverse the process.
Experiences
I got an extra set of the Thule Load Straps because I am generally transporting two kayaks on my Thule Stacker Rack. Having the extra set of straps makes it easy to tighten down both kayaks on the rack. I don't have to try to finagle the straps around both boats.
You can use the Load Straps with basically any rack. When I don't have the stacker on the car, I have used the straps to cinch down other loads and in my truck, I use it to tighten down stuff, so the straps do come in handy for things other than just boats.
I like the simple action of the cam. The harder you pull on the strap, the tighter it holds whatever down. For some though this might be a bit of a problem - since you might not be able to pull the strap down as tightly as you want. In that case a system with a ratchet strap might be more up your alley.
For me though, I like the cam system and I really like having the rubber bumpers to protect my boat and my vehicle from scratches.
Final Thoughts
If you have a canoe or kayak that you want to secure to your roof rack, the Thule Load Straps does a really good job. They are strong, easy to tighten and loosen and at 15 feet, let you double-wrap just about any boat for an extra bit of security.
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