The humble ratchet strap
Don't use a bungee cord when you could use a ratchet strap
Everyone,
I know this is a little off topic for me, but after watching one more car on the highway with bungee cords holding down a floppy bag on the roof, I’ve decided to post about this simple but effective strapping method.
As many of you just discovered, I’m a pro-sound engineer with 50 years experience in live sound production. And for 10 years I taught production techniques as an adjunct professor at Shenandoah University. An important lesson on live production was all about ratchet straps and loading trucks.
So while I taught students how to use mixing consoles that cost as much as a house, and microphones that cost as much as a car payment (or even an entire car), it was the simple ratchet strap that confused many students. And a live music production needs to move many tons of gear in big trucks without everything rolling around and getting damaged. So I taught classes on strapping and securing road cases with ratchet straps in trucks and trailers.
Why you need to know this
If you go camping (and I know you do), it’s important that you properly secure your camping gear and toys properly. Don’t rely on ropes or bungee cords, you need ratchet straps. And I found this great wikiHow pictorial on how to properly thread, tighten and release the humble ratchet strap.
Download and read the pdf below. And yes, you can print it out for reference if you like.
Let’s play safe out there… Mike
Since you started discussing sound and acoustics, I thought for sure you'd mention one of the biggest tips: How do I stop a ratchet strap from vibrating in the wind, which can be incredibly loud?
Simply add a few twists to the strap. About a half twist per foot should do it.
I used the ratchet strap for years the way your PDF describes until I had a 'personal revelation'. If you proceed as directed in the PDF and have left too much slack in the straps you can end up with a too much strap wrapped on the ratchet and it will jam. Darol’s tip with the clips is a perfect compliment to this tact. Set up the ratchet straps as described, then pull the free end of the strap through the ratchet until it is snug, then use the ratchet handle. Way less ratcheting and unless you've got a very soft load, no binding of the excess strap in the ratchet. This is so obvious that only a clutz like myself would have struggled with the ratchet straps for so long without figuring it out, but, for first time users it's worth the suggestion.