Ratcheting Thigh Straps

[jdschall]

Hello,

After looking at Stephan's beautifully outfitted Chronic I have decided I need a pair of ratcheting thigh straps too! I've done a bit of searching and hunting and here's what I've found out.

Riot will sell the straps separately but they are expensive. I have heard as low as $40 and as high as $60. Riot themselves seem to be slow to get back to me with their quote. While searching I was told that the riot straps were originally used as Snowboard bindings.

So next I started searching for replacement snowboard bindings:
see http://brinsonmarine.safeshopper.com/59/297.htm?183
These look like they would do the trick and cost about $25. Apparently if you live in a snowboard town you may find them as low as $15. I live Chapel Hill NC and when I called the ski shops here I got "you want to do what with the who now?"

I am still hunting other sources:
Anybody know anything about Browns Quick Release Thigh straps? Another C-boat friend of mine says he uses them but he lost the guys contact info.

That's all I have so far. Let me know if you know of other sources.

Thanks a bunch,
Dave

[marshwater]

[sbroam]

I bought a set of Dale Brown's quick release thigh straps a couple of years ago and really like them. They use a cam buckle for adjustment (1", metal, a la roof rack straps) and stay secure, yet "fall apart" at a tug on the release.

But about getting a new set... I've got a link on my web page to his old site ("Brown's Pack Systems") that is now out of date. When I got mine, he was in the process of moving (from Missouri to Maine?) and it took a while to get them. Dunno what the state of things is now.

He referenced a "Mil spec pin and ring quick release system" in his description, so I'm guessing what he had was not patented (no reference on the product or old page) or necessarily patentable. So, maybe somebody could start making the same or similar (I made some improvements to mine)? The trick might be in tracking down the specific hardware components, one of which I haven't seen elsewhere (the "pin").

I'll take some pictures and post them soon - if I don't remember, somebody e-mail/pm me...

[jdschall]

Here is a link to a suicide-strap set-up for a kayak.

http://www.unsponsored.co.uk/lapstrap.htm

It has some nice features. Most notably the quick release. I think it could be very easily modified for c1 thighstraps. Nice pics too.

Dave

[jdschall]

Riot customer service finally got back to me.

You can buy the riot straps for $31 at http://www.wickedwaters.com

Dave