We love our hacks, don’t we? Absolutely. If there is a way to hack a useful object to make it even more so, you can bet somebody will do it. Guess what? The humble cam strap is pretty versatile and hackable itself. You can do a lot of creative things with cam straps if you just take the time to think about it. Use your imagination.
More About the Cam Strap
If all this talk of cam straps has you confused, think about a strap made of nylon webbing material – perhaps 2 feet long. Actually, cam straps can be as long as 20 feet in some cases. Their primary characteristic is the cam buckle that holds everything in place.
A cam buckle does the same job as a ratchet for light duty needs. You thread the strap through the buckle and pull it tight. A spring-loaded plate with teeth digs into the webbing material and holds it securely. Cam straps are easy to use, strong, and extremely versatile. I prefer Rollercam cam straps myself.
Tons of Applications
I guess the thing I love most about cam straps is that they have tons of useful applications that go way beyond just securing cargo in the back of a pickup truck. That is why I say they are hackable. For instance, I have a bag I use to carry musical gear. Once I was packing up after a show when the zipper broke. This is a flexible bag, so a broken zipper would not do. No worries. I wrapped two straps around the bag and cinched them tight. All was well for the trip home.
I have a friend who went skiing and took a nasty spill. The top two buckles on his ski boot broke. However, he wasn’t about to let that ruin the day. We grabbed a couple of cam straps out of my car and wrapped them around the boot. He finished out the day and that was that.
I have used cam straps as laundry lines while camping. I have used them to keep a damaged car door shut long enough for me to get to the mechanic. I have used cam straps to transport mattresses, Christmas trees, and other items on the top of my car.
Mix, Match, And Modify
I also love the fact that I can mix, match, and modify my straps to whatever need I have at the moment. One time I needed a pretty long strap and only had a couple of 3-footers to work with. I daisy-chained them together. Problem solved.
There was another time when I needed a very short strap but all I had was a 20-footer. Instead of running out and buying a new pack of cam straps, I simply cut the amount I needed off the longer strap. I used one of those cheap flame lighters you can buy at the dollar store to melt the two cut ends so that they did not unravel. Then I grabbed a spare buckle and attached it to the shorter strap.
I suppose rope is just as versatile and hackable as cam straps. Bungee cords and chains, not so much. I would still prefer to use camp straps over rope because I feel like they are stronger and hold things more secure. But that’s just me.
If you have never tried using cam straps before, I would highly recommend them. You can do so much with them that it is hard for me to put it into words. Give them a try. You might be pleasantly surprised by how well they wor