Cam straps...

Why for tying up Granny of course! :o “Twine” was making a joke, but in truth we probably have all proved we could tie a granny knot.

@Guideboatguy said:

@string said:
I can tie a bowline, half hitch, square and a granny knot.

What do you use the granny knot for?

For an untieable mess.

When mine are rolled up blast them with 303

It’s not so much wear or UV degradation on the strap (easy to inspect), as it is corrosion/fatigue on the small spring (largely concealed and hard to inspect) that keeps tension on the cam buckle holding the strap in it’s tightened position. If (when!) that spring fails, the buckle releases it’s grip on the strap and is no longer held tight…rendering the strap useless. Over time and repeated exposure to road grime/salt air/trapped moisture etc, corrosion of the spring will eventually lead to failure. It can happen to all cam buckles regardless of quality, manufacture, strap thickness etc. Your strap is only as strong as the grip provided by that tiny spring. Regular inspection and periodic replacement is prudent. The more frequently you use the strap and the more adverse the conditions it is exposed to, the more frequently they should be replaced. Cheap insurance…and ALWAYS provide additional bow and stern tie downs.

I almost always with the exception of a few very short drives do an opposing bow and stern V type tie down. Once coming back from the Nantahala River up over the windy mountain roads to Wayah Bald, down to Clayton, GA, and back almost to Columbia, SC I forgot to even put on the cam Straps, but had front and back tied down like that. The heavy canoe never even budge. It wasn’t until the next day taking the canoe off the car that I noticed I had forgotten the cam straps. Always good to take a belt and suspenders approach when it really matters.

You can just make out the lines of rope in opposition at bow and stern.


The upside down V at the back of the car.

The upside down V at the front of the car.

@cdesme said:
It’s not so much wear or UV degradation on the strap (easy to inspect), as it is corrosion/fatigue on the small spring (largely concealed and hard to inspect) that keeps tension on the cam buckle holding the strap in it’s tightened position. If (when!) that spring fails, the buckle releases it’s grip on the strap and is no longer held tight…rendering the strap useless. Over time and repeated exposure to road grime/salt air/trapped moisture etc, corrosion of the spring will eventually lead to failure. It can happen to all cam buckles regardless of quality, manufacture, strap thickness etc. Your strap is only as strong as the grip provided by that tiny spring. Regular inspection and periodic replacement is prudent. The more frequently you use the strap and the more adverse the conditions it is exposed to, the more frequently they should be replaced. Cheap insurance…and ALWAYS provide additional bow and stern tie downs.

I agree with what you say - especially your last sentence! - but I think that’s why most people using cam straps add a couple of (opposing) half hitches with the loose end of the cam strap. I tie mine to the kayak carriers and vehicle cross bars.

I have never had a cam buckle spring fail. But I know someone who did. That occurred on the strap holding his long canoe (Wenonah Voyager) to the front rack and he had no tie down at the bow of the boat. He was traveling at highway speed and when the strap failed, wind quickly raised the bow of the boat up off the front rack bar and the front of the canoe progressively became a sail. The boat was still secured to the rear rack bar but both aluminum gunwales tore in half at that point and the hull tore on both sides right down to the chines.

Although I have never had a cam buckle fail, I have had to retire a bunch of web straps due to wear and fraying of the webbing fabric. But I also tie off the excess length of cam straps in case of cam buckle failure and also use a bow tie down on anything other than very short canoes and kayaks, and sometimes even on those.

cam buckle failure can happen…you can lessen the effect by keeping the tails long and tying them off.

@pblanc said:
I have never had a cam buckle spring fail. But I know someone who did. That occurred on the strap holding his long canoe (Wenonah Voyager) to the front rack and he had no tie down at the bow of the boat. He was traveling at highway speed and when the strap failed, wind quickly raised the bow of the boat up off the front rack bar and the front of the canoe progressively became a sail. The boat was still secured to the rear rack bar but both aluminum gunwales tore in half at that point and the hull tore on both sides right down to the chines.

Although I have never had a cam buckle fail, I have had to retire a bunch of web straps due to wear and fraying of the webbing fabric. But I also tie off the excess length of cam straps in case of cam buckle failure and also use a bow tie down on anything other than very short canoes and kayaks, and sometimes even on those.

I had one fail, but I keep the strap ends tied to the rack.

@cdesme said:
It’s not so much wear or UV degradation on the strap (easy to inspect), as it is corrosion/fatigue on the small spring (largely concealed and hard to inspect) that keeps tension on the cam buckle holding the strap in it’s tightened position. If (when!) that spring fails, the buckle releases it’s grip on the strap and is no longer held tight…rendering the strap useless. Over time and repeated exposure to road grime/salt air/trapped moisture etc, corrosion of the spring will eventually lead to failure. It can happen to all cam buckles regardless of quality, manufacture, strap thickness etc. Your strap is only as strong as the grip provided by that tiny spring. Regular inspection and periodic replacement is prudent. The more frequently you use the strap and the more adverse the conditions it is exposed to, the more frequently they should be replaced. Cheap insurance…and ALWAYS provide additional bow and stern tie downs.

Rinse and line buckles. You can buy buckles for 3 bucks each 1". Even one corroded you can soak and make work again.

I liked the Yakima “soft” straps, but they are spendy and wear quickly. Frayed out at the cam clamp point. I have some REI Riversides, they faded fast but still strong even though they look kind of rotten.

I have Thule straps that came with a rack accessory in 2003 and I have used them every year since – still in good shape after 15 years. I do periodically soak them in mild soapy water and run them through a laundry cycle to agitate and rinse them to remove abrasive particles and crud (no detergent so it doesn;t corrode the buckles). They are made of dacron, not nylon, so they are not as vulnerable to UV as nylon would be.

I’ve got somewhat newer Thules too and a pair of NRS straps as well as a heavy reddish colored set from L. L. Bean. But the Thules, with their nice rubber bumpers and their excellent buckle design and thick weave , are always the first ones I grab when loading.

Can’t beat Thule straps for a long term investment, I say.