Monday, July 16, 2018

Wrapties are here!

https://youtu.be/QkOKb0jI1Rg

A while back (like months ago I think) I got an unsolicited email from Australia from Mark Blackburn wondering if I would consider doing a review of some newfangled tie down straps.

At the time I was up to my neck studying for those pesky Bar exams. I warned Mark that I would not be able to devote any time to his request until mid-June at the earliest.

Some weeks later I received a package with two 180cm Wrapties. They sat idly in the envelope until I was done with the last exam, and then for another two or three weeks while I dealt with a backlog of stuff that was similarly on hold while I devoted 100% of my time and energy to those demanding exams.

When I was finally able to tackle video production once more, the first project had to be those Wrapties, I owed Mark a review and I had to deliver.

I have to confess that the Wrapties took a little getting used to. As with most things, you need to get your hands into the equation and handle them, apply them to a task.

In that spirit, we had some unprecedented winds a few weeks ago, and our home sits in a kind of wind tunnel. Instead of taking the planter that sits on a table on our balcony into the house, I grabbed a Wraptie and in a wink I lashed the table to the balcony railing. The winds came, they felled trees, they blasted our courtyard, the trees swayed and tossed to and fro, but... our lightweight folding tables stayed put, never budged. I was impressed.

In this episode of the vlog I share two other uses for Wrapties. In an upcoming episode, I will provide an account of their performance on last weekend's 250 kilometer expressway ride to Kingston Ontario where I participated in the Isle de Wolfe scooter rally. The Wrapties performed flawlessly.

Among the benefits: there are never any loose ends to flap in the breeze, and the design made it a snap to stow my riding jacket that I ditched for a little Friday night rally challenge on an isolated dead-end country road. It was hot and humid, and riding in my T-shirt was a welcome relief from a long hot day in the saddle. All I needed to do to secure the jacket on top of my dry bag was to release the extra length of Wraptie that would otherwise have been a loose end, stretch the Wrapties over the jacket and let the velcro do its job. Easy peasy. I think that little unexpected trick is what really and truly sold me on the Wrapties.

Check out the video I linked above, I think you'll be impressed too.

I you want some Wrapties of your very own, check out their website: www.wraptie.net.

The music for this episode of Life on two wheels is Safety Net by Riot, made available courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library.

4 comments:

RichardM said...

Hmmm, interesting. I usually don’t rely on Velcro as the primary method for securing gear. Keeping the straps from flying around is usually all I’d ask of it. Need a follow up review after using them for an extended trip.

ToadMama said...

"Everything I know about tying stuff up..." LOL. I love your collapsible crate/dolly schlepping solution. The wrapties do seem like an interesting solution, but I rarely have a need to tie stuff down.

On another note... was the video shot on your condo property, in a common space? I totally had pictured you living in a modern, high-rise sort of place.

David Masse said...

I tend to agree as far as Velcro is concerned, but it's surprisingly tough stuff. Each Velcro patch acts like an exponential grip factor, and there is a lot of Velcro at work on the Wrapties. Even when a single strip is engaged, the tie down holds. When securing a dry back on on the bike, there are easily ten or more velcro strips doing the job on a single tie. With two ties in play, I think that the velcro is not longer the weak link, it's the fabric itself, much as it would be with a ROK strap if you abstract the buckle.

Anyway, long story short, my dry bag stayed put during my recent 500km return trip to the Isle de Wolfe rally.

David Masse said...

Thanks Kathy,

The video was shot in a secluded walkway at the back of the complex. We are in a condo complex with a highrise (~25 stories) and stacked townhouses. We are in a three story townhouse shielded from the main drag by the condo tower.

I like to shoot my video selfies outside because the audio lacks the annoying echo that always shows up when I record indoors.

The copyright in all text and photographs, except as noted, belongs to David Masse.