Ratchet Straps vs. Cam Straps: Best Way To Secure Your Kayak To Your Car Or Truck

[@Saltstrong]

To get our best fishing spots and tips, click here to join us in the Insider Club: bit.ly/3kICCVz

[@tessdurbeville9137]

Although I do not fish (yet), I do like to go out in my canoe. However, the essential basics, such as: How a cam strap actually works, are not always easy to figure out for a non-technical person like me. Tough and capable guys tend to just 'know' how these things work, which often means the basics are not explained or mentioned in any instruction manuals. For instance, I might buy a new telephone, but the manual doesn't tell me where the on/off button is, just to name an example. I am therefore very grateful to you for showing me something as simple as How To Pull The Strap Through The Teeth In A Cam Strap, in order to secure the canoe to something like a car or canoe carrier. So: THANK YOU! :-)

[@robibautista3806]

Well I'm a man and it's a learning curve with ratchet straps every time I use them.

[@yakncast7530]

I use ratchet straps. Not a problem if you know what you are doing. Also, I never position the the ratchet where it touches the hull.

[@stevenm6301]

400 mile trip. 2 cam straps with paracord bow and stern. All you need.

[@dukeduke3599]

I’ve been using ratcheting straps for 8+ years and never had an issue or deformation. I make sure the ratcheting part goes INSIDE the vehicle. The cam straps always made my kayak feel loose unless I add the front and rear am straps also which is a lot of extra work.

[@maroney5828]

So you feed the strap kn the car which comes on top of the door and around the cano and the ratchet is inside eh?

[@dukeduke3599]

@@maroney5828 yea

[@maroney5828]

@@dukeduke3599 ok sweet I'm gonna give that a shot, I bought a kit, 2 rackets and 2 buckles I don't have anything to tie from the front of the car and the back, I am thinking of strapping the ratchets the way you suggested and maybe the buckles around the roof rack and ontop of the canoe. Should he secure to drive on a highway

[@dukeduke3599]

@@maroney5828 Yep, the heavier the kayaks, the more protection I use just in case. I’ve had 170lb worth of kayak on my roof and never had an issue. When I’m ratcheting 2 kayak, I will ratchet the 2 together through the plug holes and then 2 ratchets to secure them on the vehicle roof. With having the ratcheting clamp inside the vehicle, you can tighten it more if needed and you can feel if it seems a bit loose or not.

[@maroney5828]

@@dukeduke3599 yea my cano is not to heavy its 16 feet fiber glass and the straps are worth 300 safe work load and 900 break strength.. think I'm secure

[@travelinben1966]

There’s a lot of junk cam straps out there.Spend the money and get good ones so they don’t slip.Thanks for the video.👍🏻

[@aaronalvarado7096]

Great video, thank you! Do you have any thoughts on TorkStraps, the spring loaded cam style straps?

[@shonsnyder9852]

I've been a paddler for years, whitewater to ocean. For the safety of everyone I recommend using tag lines. We use can straps to strap down, then add rope or straps from the bow, and stern of the boat to tie down points.

[@Photogineer]

That is exactly the way I do it as well. My dad would do this technique for the canoe when I was little. Never lost a boat yet.

[@ariofsouthdakota]

Thank you. Im new to towing kayaks. And I was super paranoid. But everyone kept saying just use cam straps. 4 came with my rack setup but I have a 2 kayak rack system im case I want to bring a friend. And I wasnt sure if I should buy ratchet straps.

[@matthewbrowne9955]

I use ratchet straps. They are fine, just don't overtighten. They do the same thing as cam straps, just they're capable of tightening down wayyyyy tighter. So the solution to not ruin your kayak? Don't overtighten! Simple as that. Put the same amount of force that you would with a cam strap and it works just fine and won't damage your kayak. For delicate lightweight materials, definitely go with cam straps to avoid the risk of overtightening. But if you just have a standard plastic kayak, it's fine to use ratchet straps. In either case, you should ALWAYS have bow and stern lines tied down to make sure if anything slips, then you have something to catch the kayak from flying off the roof onto the road or another car, so you can safely pull over and resecure the load.

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@4444mongo]

Hey bro I think you should do a video on how to tie down your kayak, I m bit shy but it is the over under over under method

[@tomterrific2018]

Replace hooks with clips....if strap loosen..hook can fall off..

[@TroutWest]

Could you just place a towel or something between ratchet strap and kayak to soften the contact points?

[@et9002]

We used the padded removable inserts from our camera bag. Made me feel better the metal wasnt resting on the kayak hull.

[@APTennessee]

Always!

[@christophertonns1936]

* Caution * Many cam, or cam-buckle, straps slip when wet ! I loaded kayak on roof rack night before trip. It rained overnight. Good thing I checked straps before heading out the next morning. The straps appeared to be tight and secure but a (not too vigorous) few tugs and they slipped loose! I had to switch over to the "evil" ratchet straps.

[@fishingislife9554]

I tried to use cam straps, but it just wasn’t enough, my kayak kept sliding off, had to get ratchet straps and they work much better

[@stevestory8483]

What cam straps do you recommend

[@bradwadefishtx]

I highly recommend the NRS 1" heavy-duty duty buckle bumper straps.

[@TheFishingMommy]

NRS!

[@vicpetrishak1077]

Definitely quality 1” racket straps with 1000 pound working load limits . Racket webb straps with wire hooks and ( D ) rings work well , Do not buy straps from Garbage Freight .

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for sharing!

[@egypthobby]

If anyone has any concerns with the straps getting loose or if you need to travel a distance. It might be good to using a stern line

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for the tip!

[@jakenea7143]

I use ratchet straps. I just don’t tighten the crap out of them. I also use rubber straps and connect them to my truck and to kayak just for extra security

[@Saltstrong]

Sounds like a good set up!

[@NateUpNorth]

Is noise while driving with straps on top of your car a normal thing or do I need to tighten them even more

[@NateUpNorth]

Need help ASAP

[@Zvalgryn]

From what I've seen you need to have a half twist in the strap

[@adamw8941]

While driving, any flat straps could vibrate from the air moving across them if the straps are not twisted. If you twist flat straps a couple of times, you disrupt the airflow and the vibration should stop.

[@TheFishingMommy]

No!! You DO NOT need ratchet straps on long road trips either!! I just drove 1,000+ miles each way with my 90+ pound Hobie kayak on side rails above a tonneau cover, using 2 cam straps and some paracord as bow and stern lines. (See how I did this with my kayak on top of my tonneau cover on my channel). Ratchet straps would have definitely damaged the kayak.

[@FishermanATX]

Same here. I never used ratchet straps and I have been driving 4 + hours to the beach in Texas for 16 + years and never had an issue using two cam straps. Even in windy days 🙂

[@TheFishingMommy]

@@FishermanATX yeah I’m really perplexed at this advice, to be honest! It’s the first time ever that I’ve been like “oh hell no” about any salt strong content, lol

[@SupremeLeaderZazu]

Can you link the video please? I cant find it. I am about to buy a cheap yak (first one) and im trying to figure out how to tie it down. I live in Denver so if im going kayaking I will have to drive 2-8 hours depending on when/where I want to go.

[@josephgarcia486]

Drive 500 miles with my whitewater kayak strapped to the top of my jeep with cams. No issues ever

[@Saltstrong]

Do what works for you!

[@chipdoctorkent]

If you can go 100 miles you can go 500 miles I love cam straps and use them on long trips all the time

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Meatpopsicle2050]

The cams you have are of low quality. I use cams made by New River that are far stronger. Cam straps are far superior to ratchets. I HATE dealing with hooks on ratchets.

[@JA-gx4hb]

Both cam straps and ratchet straps are available with and without hooks.

[@Meatpopsicle2050]

@@JA-gx4hb thanks Technical Ted. Makes sense with the context of this video, but ok.

[@noshit61]

You just have to be a little smarter than a ratchet strap.

[@adamw8941]

Ratchet straps shouldn't be used at all because it's easy to over tighten and damage your kayak as told to me by multiple kayak manufacturers. Cam straps are the way to go, together with using bow and stern safety lines.

[@makaylaparrish7929]

But some people don’t want to do bow and stern safety lines.

[@adamw8941]

@@makaylaparrish7929 "Want" shouldn't be a final deciding factor in this case. When it comes to properly securing a load to a vehicle, in this case a kayak, safety lines are a recognized standard. If you were in a car accident that was initially not your fault, you could still be subject to significant liability for not properly securing a load. A large object coming loose from a vehicle can cause other accidents, property damage, and even fatalities. That's why I spend an extra two minutes securing my bow and stern.

[@JA-gx4hb]

Don't over tighten them.

[@saudade2745]

Basically, use ratchet straps unless you're an idiot in which case collecting your broken kayak from the gutter will make for a fun day out

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for the tip!

[@saudade2745]

@@Saltstrong you're welcome, I'll go balls deep next time

[@user-nq9gz4xf7f]

Didnt show how to use them

[@poiballs425]

cam straps will start to loosen after you've had them a few years otherwise they work fine