We’ve been enjoying the (melted) snow this summer by taking our paddleboards out on the nearby pond. I have some big ratchet straps to store them up in the garage but they’re a bit much for simply throwing a board on the car roof and driving down the road…
Recently Klik Belts offered to let us try an eight-foot KlikBelt Utility Strap for an unbiased review and I must say: I’m pretty happy with it.
The Strap
The strap is made of nylon and it feels really nice out of the packaging. It doesn’t have any rough edges like some other straps, everything feels smooth (even on the ends where they cut the material) and very sturdy. Plus it comes in a variety of colors. I kept it simple and got a black one.
This strap is firm and very heavy duty. People tow cars with it! I was afraid it may be too firm and stiff but in my first few uses it was easy to pull the strap out of the loop, adjust the length then slide it back into the buckle.
The Buckle
The COBRA buckle is super slick and the “click” is satisfying. Even when buckled and under lots of force (pulling or holding or being tugged in opposite directions) you can’t accidentally unbuckle it by bumping it or pressing on just one side. You have to pinch both sides before it releases. No ratcheting, no extra clicking, no knots, just a simple buckle.
On top of that: while under load the buckle can handle 18 kilonewtons which is a lot of force. I’ll spare you the physics but put it this way: we could theoretically be driving 100 miles per hour with hundreds of pounds of paddleboards strapped down and suddenly hit the breaks and the buckle would stay right where it is and not give way. All while still being super easy to pinch and release.
Roof Cargo Strap
The combination of the long, heavy-duty strap, and ease of unbuckling made it real easy for me to lay the strap down on the roof, throw the board on top of it, wrap the strap around the roof rails and through the board itself and then buckle it up. I can’t cinch it real tight like with some rope or a ratchet strap, though. The strap has to be pulled out of one side of the buckle loop (by design) to hold it in place at that length so I had to do a few inch-at-a-time adjustments to make sure it was as tight as possible when buckling it.
That all said, having it woven through the board’s holes securely and against the cross bars on the roof means it won’t slide much and works really easily for my quick trips down the road. For longer drives I’d probably add another tie down to really make sure it won’t shift in any direction.
If and when we take two boards out this is the perfect strap to lash both together to each other. Then they’re one combined unit and not sliding around. From there I could lash the whole unit down easily.
Other Uses
This is a good overall strap. I keep it in the trunk of the car just in case. And I want to always have it when camping to: tie up our hammocks to a tree, strap down our big rubber tub to hoist it up into a tree, wrap it around firewood as a nice bundle, tie it around a bench to hook dog leashes or leads to.
Final Thoughts
The strap and buckle are both really nice and very high quality. I would even wear this strap as a belt (they do make those). For tieing down gear, hanging or lashing stuff together this a really solid utility strap. Since the strap has to go through buckle loops it’d a bit hard to adjust lengths (whereas something like a ratchet strap can easily adjust). That said, I plan to keep using this for carrying gear on the roof and while camping.
Would I buy another one? Yeah I think I would. The utility strap retails for $27 which feels reasonable but I would need to think about what I need it for. For carrying or holding down (or up) stuff that matters, I would definitely trust Klik Belts.
As always, our reviews are provided as freely as the products and services provided to us.