Review on 🏄 Thule 531 Express Surf Strap - Set of Two by William Rothstein

I saw these (or very similar ones) on a friend's car and thought it would be a perfect alternative to the big weight belts we carry with tedious placement Simply tie the kayak to the roof rack. For context: I live in Hawaii and most weekends I have to take a kayak, surfboard or a mix to the beach, a hard life I know. The design is simple, which is good. like, something like. One end is sewn into a loop, through this loop you pull the short part of the main strap and hook it to one end of the frame. The other end is a rubber coated hook with loops sewn onto the strap in different positions so it can be adjusted to suit your rack and the size of your load. Wrap this end around the frame and put your hook through one of the loops. The center of the strap is actually two pieces sewn onto a strong, weatherproof elastic. The length of the strap goes through a typical "backpack" style adjustable buckle to tighten the strap to your load. It is in this part, the adjustable end of the strap, the buckle and the elastic part, that the problem lies. PROBLEMS, of which there are THREE: ONE - The elastic material is only elastic, so you will need to fully tighten the band, but like most other fabrics, it will stretch a bit under stress after a while. So the belt is loosened. TWO - The buckles that the adjustable straps pass through should hold the strap tight to keep gear secure in high winds. They aren't and the straps slip off. Even if the buckles had better grip/teeth, there would probably still be some slippage resulting in a tight position, which would secure the end to the tensioned strap after it came out of the buckle and returned to its original position. You don't have them, so after 15-20 minutes in 40+ mph or wind your load will start to shake and slide, forcing you to stop and retighten. This happens at least twice in an hour's drive. So please the designers at THULE, one of the greatest sports carriers of all time, make these changes; a stiffer, grippier buckle, forget the elastic, just make the adjustable end a bit longer and most things will fit, and sew velcro over the last 12 inches of the strap and the velcro end to secure the free end of the strap from slipping off. Presto, done. For even more security, also add a LOCKING buckle, like a real locking buckle with a key and real teeth, so you can go out to eat without worrying about your board being stolen.