Titan Straps. Wizards Only.

Keep it tight.

It’s 100 degrees. You’re dripping in sweat. You’ve just spent half an hour breathing your own stank breath through a mask as you pushed this cart of lumber up and down the aisles of Homie D’s. Now back out in the parking lot, you see your vehicle and think—

Oh shit. I gotta tie this down.

Let’s say you’re NOT the gee-golly Eagle Scout and, on the contrary, have experienced this enough times it should no longer be a surprise. 

And yet it is. 

So what do you do?

Well, if you’ve got a handful of Titan Straps tucked away in the vehicle, you’ve probably got a better option. 

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From the I-finally-broke-down-and-bought-something-advertised-on-Instagram Department comes this very simple and, I hope, practical review of my new Titan Straps. Full disclosure: I saw these on Instagram and immediately knew I needed them in my life. I mentioned TGP and a desire to review them, and the good people at Titan Straps threw a couple extra in the box. I have shared them with friends.

What are Titan Straps?

Have you ever worn a belt? Titan Straps are like a cross between a solid, leather belt and a bungee cord. They’re made of a thick, yet delightfully supple polymer that feels somewhere between plastic and silicone. They’re super stretchy and can be quickly deployed one-handed to strap things down. 

How I’ve used them. 

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Titan Straps secure my truck/trail tool kit. Nice and tight. No rattles. They keep my snatch/tow straps and jumper cables from unrolling and generally being a pain in the ass. And now that I’m thinking about it, I bet I can use Titan Straps to mount my fire extinguisher and first aid kit to my rear door where they’re easy to get to. 

Then again, it can be tricky getting into the back sometimes. You know, like every couple of years when the tailgate latch breaks (again) and you need a pull strap to open it from the inside until you get around to fixing it. If I hadn’t literally just opened a brand new bag of zip ties—Hey. Old habits die hard.—I would have removed the zip tie in question. Completely unnecessary.

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Why I love them. 

Despite wanting to sail, I use knots so seldom, I suck at them when I need them. And I use my ratchet straps so seldom that I almost never have them with me when I need them, either. But I can keep a dozen Titan Straps in my recovery kit or in the glovebox or under the seat, or in the map pocket in the door and that means I’ve got them when I need them. 

Could you use Titan Straps to secure a stack of lumber to your roof? Probably. Some of them are rated for 70lbs working load and you can daisy chain them together to make a longer strap and then wrap them around things multiple times before securing if the strap is too long. Crazy adaptable!

See also: Lashing things together inside the truck to stabilize the load or get things off the floor. Hanging gear off a backpack. Hanging a couple backpacks on from the roof rack to while transporting through-hikers. Re-attaching car parts that do not want to stay on the car when you’re miles from tarmac. If you lost a ball joint in the bush, maybe you could splint things together with a tire iron and a bunch of Titan Straps. 

Basically, if you can get a rope or strap around it, you can get a Titan Strap around it. Instead of trying to remember how to properly tie a trucker’s hitch or figuring out what to do with 15 feet of extra strap after ratchting something down, just throw a Titan Strap around it, pull it as tight as you like, then slip the slack through the buckle like the belt holding up your pants. It’s like magic.

A simple review

For me, it was love at first sight with Titan Straps. I knew I needed wanted needed them and ordered them immediately. Funny thing is, with the exception of the broken tailgate I mentioned, I’ve barely had any opportunity to use them since buying them a couple months ago. Damnit, I wanted to be clever!

Meanwhile, I see all the cool things other people are doing with their Titan Straps in their Instagram account. I think, what am I gonna do to compare to that?

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Pretty neat, huh?

And get this—Titan Straps have been around since 2010. How did we not all know about Titan Straps sooner? That’s a story I’d like to hear more about, ya know? Maybe we’ll connect for a podcast one of these days. I’m always down to discuss things I believe in.

In the meantime, do yourself a favor. Check out the Titan Straps site. Here’s a link to a variety pack of their Industrial straps. Read through the reviews. Then ask yourself how much you paid for your ratchet straps (and how much you “enjoy” using them).

Wizards only, fools. Keep it tight.

Would you like to know more?

• Go direct: Titan Straps 
• Keep it tight on the Instas: @titanstraps
• DualSport Alchemy, 2013
• Popular Mechanics, 2015
• Hard Working Trucks, 2016