Straps Lifespan?

When traveling to Menocino last weekend I had the haunting feeling the whole trip that my straps would break or slip. I am going to get a spare set and maybe another rig to prevent the forward/rearward movement. How long do straps last? You know this company is not going to give you a refund after you loose $900.00 plus in plastic and gear.

Depends on the straps.  I've had some heavy duty NRS straps that have lasted 11 years, that is until we lost it at Mendo this weekend.  Did anyone pick up a 15' NRS strap at the south launch.

Other types of straps just feel weak, and I have even broken them when tightening them down.

Bow and stern straps are a good idea.  I like the kind with hooks and ratchets.  It makes life easy.  I don't worry too much about a little side to side movement.  With cross straps and bow/stern straps I feel pretty confident my yak is not going to fly off.  I don't like to overtighen anything when securing the kayak as it will bow the boat.

-Allen

As long as you have a strap at the bow and stern, and one hugging the middle of the kayak, failure of any one strap will not result in the kayak coming off the car.

Only strap that's broken on me got backed over while still hooked to my bumper, and it was a 99c store strap...

Oh Man they were yours? I was swaking on the radio to people about these two straps just before weigh-in. You know where I parked and they were in the parking slot next to me on the ground; and I put them to the curb as I left. I waited for about 30 minutes for some of you guys to return to the launch but it seems you guys went to the weigh-in directly. Bummer, I feel bad. I was tripping that someone went to the weigh-in from the south side and had pictures in my mind of a kayak flying off on the road or freeway. At least you had spares.

Hah!  I heard you on the radio, but didn't even think twice about it.  My buddy had untied the yak and I assumed he had put the straps in the truck.  But I guess we left them on the ground.  He drove from that spot to where we landed and when it came time to tie the yak up, we couldn't find the straps.  We walked back to where we first parked and didn't see them there either.

We didn't have spares.  But we had enough rope to tie her down.   

-Allen

I left them on the curb; man what a bummer; maybe I should have held onto them but I just don't do that anymore.