I really like the backband on the Aries, but I can’t get it to stay adjusted. The adjustment strap keeps slipping on me–or the strap is stretching.
I even tried taping the strap with electrical tape and that didn’t work.
Anyone have this problem and find a good solution for it?
thanks
Matt
Back band slipping
Not knowing what kind of tightening arrangement you have, I would do one of two things. Try running the webbing back over and through the adjustment buckle. or…
What I did on one is to buy the cam devices like on the webbing that you use to fasten the kayak to the car and used those. They never seem to loosen up. Buying straps with the buckles is sometimes cheaper than buying buckles.
Like these
http://www.nrs.com/product/1440/nrs-1-hd-tie-down-straps
Add tri-glide buckles
Adding the cam lock buckles as Jayb suggests will probably work for a period. My IR backband had cam locks. Eventually, the little grippy nubs on the cam lock corroded so that the cam lock would no longer grip the strap.
I replaced the IR with a Seals backband, which had a plastic or nylon quick-adjust buckle. That particular buckle and strap would almost instantly release. I don’t think I ever went more than 5 minutes without it slipping. I commented on this to Seals, and they replied they had changed the straps, because they found the straps were slipping. Seals sent me a set of the new straps, and I installed them, and they are better. With the new straps, it couls be up to an hour before my back was pressing on the cockpit rim.
I’ve now added tri-glide buckles, in addition to the quick-adjust buckles. The strap still slips, but it takes hours. Sometimes I can go the whole day without having to adjust.
I don’t know what else to do to fix the straps. I suppose I could just stitch the straps together.
I have also concluded that perhaps I put too much pressure on my foot pegs.
It may or not work 100% for you, but adding the tri-glides was a big improvement.
~~Chip
Is that like the Delphin?
If it is slipping it mush be different from the one in the Delphin. The Delphin has the white water outfitting with ratchet mechanism and that would never slip unless it breaks. If you don’t have that, see if you can retrofit. Worked flawlessly on mine, except if the ribbed plastic end slides out of the cam it takes some fiddling to put back in. A little hole with a short rope with a knot at the end would probably fix that but it was not a big issue so I never tried to address it…
My ratcheting back band never slipped
I had one of the back bands with the ratchet and ribbed plastic strap in lieu of webbing straps. The ratcheting gadget got rusty, but it never slipped. I did break a strap once. So the only downside of that set up was that it introduced a need to pack along an extra strap and the tools to switch out the strap.
I forget the brand of the back band.
~~Chip
Double through
Hi Matt,
Does the strap go through the D-rings in one pass or does it double back through? I noticed on the Delphin and the Aries the strap usually doubles through so it not only locks against the D’s but also the material of the strap. Not particularly adjustable on the water but solidly stays put.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
hudsonriverpaddler.org