Touring - What to use to attach bags/tent to the top of the rear rack?

What do you guys use to strap baggage & tents to the top of the rear rack?
I'm guessing a bungee chord with hooks wouldn't be enough for a secure fit.

Thanks :thumb:

I prefer nylon straps over bungees. I buy the cheap ones like these:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_59937

I cinch them down pretty tight so I tend to break them. I carry a spare or two and buy them on the road as necessary. I think I may have broken 3 or 4 in 73 days on an XC tour. They alway broke while I was tightening them and never failed while riding.

Edit:
Just a clarification... It is the buckles that broke not the straps.

I use the same kind of strap in a 1.5 or 2 inch width. They really secure the load well.

Started off with chinch straps and converted to bungees that I found on the road. Either one is fine, the bungees I found to be easier and quicker and more secure. That's just me. The straps didn't squish things as much as the bungees did and I count that as a mark in their favor. I just got lazy.

I like the flat nylon cinch straps with a releasable buckle - click to get things held in place, cinch to hold it tight.
This kind of thing. Haven't had one break, been using the same pair for >10K miles
http://www.rei.com/product/380043

I like the flat nylon cinch straps with a releasable buckle - click to get things held in place, cinch to hold it tight.
This kind of thing. Haven't had one break, been using the same pair for >10K miles
http://www.rei.com/product/380043

I must really over tighten because I broke those too. They break less often than the 3/4" cheap ones though. I think that the fact that I was carrying a 9 pound tent was at least partially to blame. (It's not as bad as it sounds, three people were sleeping in it)

I prefer straps to bungies, bungies try to grab too many things I don't want them to.

On my recent nine-day tour I used 10" mini-bungee cords and they worked great. The 10" length is just right for going around a tent, a sleeping bag, or the mesh bag I used for my wet laundry, and the small hooks are just the right size for hooking to the tubing on my rear rack.

REI has them (http://www.rei.com/product/674921), but I've also seen them at most other stores that sell bungee cords.

Here's my sleeping bag and REI Half Dome tent attached to my rear rack with them:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2881058777_eb040ee5c2.jpg?v=0

I prefer nylon straps over bungees. I buy the cheap ones like these:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_59937

I cinch them down pretty tight so I tend to break them. I carry a spare or two and buy them on the road as necessary. I think I may have broken 3 or 4 in 73 days on an XC tour. They alway broke while I was tightening them and never failed while riding.

Edit:
Just a clarification... It is the buckles that broke not the straps.

+1 with the straps. I use the straps that came with my car carrier bike rack. They have metal buckles, which really work well. I wanted to buy a few more but I have not been able find them in a store yet.

What do you guys use to strap baggage & tents to the top of the rear rack?
I'm guessing a bungee chord with hooks wouldn't be enough for a secure fit.

Thanks :thumb:

I prefer bungees because they self adjust. Nylon can loosen when it gets wet. I don't like the hook type bungees, however. I use ball end ones (http://cvfsupplyco-store.stores.yahoo.net/babuco9bl.html)

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/cvfsupplyco-store_2005_36442591

You can make nylon straps for about a dollar if you have a sewing machine.Pick your favorite size strap(I like 1")and buy some d-rings.Put the strap thru 2 rings,sew closed,done.Takes about 30 seconds to make one and you can make whatever you need.

After long ago migrating from bungee cords of various types to straps I finally settled on straps sewn to the stuffer I use on the rear rack. It is lined with a light weight dry bag from Sea To Summit. My tent, clothes and sleeping bag are happy and dry there. This makes a very secure package that does not move or fall off unexpectedly.

I like to use a cargo net.
http://www.rei.com/product/698481

If your cargo net is the right size to maintain adequate tension, its the best. There is a cheapy sold in the atv section of WallyWorld that works fine on both my motorcycle and my various bikes when I have big things to carry. There is a reason why most cyclists have collections of dozens of bungee cords hanging in their garages (none the same color, size or manufacture - they were all found along the road where they fell off of someone elses load). I use them sometimes but I don't trust them like straps or the cargo net. There is also a reason why they all come with a warning about wearing eye protection and not overextending them. They are killers if they break undertension. tom

I use a heavy shock cord from REI and S hooks that I get at a hardware store. I crimp one end of the S hook, tie a knot in one end of the cord and hook it to my bike. I then thread the cord over, around, under and back over, or whatever to attach whatever. When I get to the end I figure about how tight I want it, crimp the end of another S hook, slip it on, tie another knot.=custom length bungee. I carry a few extra hooks and a length of cord although so far I've not broke anything. I like the cords so I can stuff my jacket or other clothes under it.

I have a small cargo net made for a bicycle rack. Down side, it doesn't have a very large volume. I use it mostly on the front rack. I have a large one, for motorcycles and ATVs that I use for the rear. It usually gets the sleeping pad and some misc. gear. These have plastic hooks and arn't as likley to tear a hole in a bag. I also cary along a few of the small bungies with metal ends, just in case!

I am a fan of ROK Straps http://www.rokstraps.com/ I have used them on motorcycles and bicycles they work great.

I prefer bungees because they self adjust. Nylon can loosen when it gets wet. I don't like the hook type bungees, however. I use ball end ones (http://cvfsupplyco-store.stores.yahoo.net/babuco9bl.html)



Stu, how do those fasten?

I am absolutely with cyccommute on this one!!

I picked up a pair in the US several years ago, and I love them.

I have toured with flat straps, and they don't hack it -- tents and other soft material tend to compress after cinching down. I looked for something better after losing the tent and a water bladder of the back near Mildura in 2005 -- and didn't even realise it!

And please, no lessons on how to secure my stuff. I've been through many.

With the bungees with the ball on the end, I just wrap the bungee under the rack and around the load, and pop the ball under the looped end. If there is a bit of slack, I just tie a knot on the loop end and pop the ball through where the knot is. I use them in pairs.

These bungees are remarkably secure and so simple. I have not had one let go, I haven't injured myself with a flying metal hook, I don't have to search around for a hook point on the rack, and I don't have any fear of puncturing the tent or its bag or anything else.

Oh, and I use them every working day to secure my lunchbox (a cooler big enough for a six-pack) to the rear rack of my commuter, and ride 4km of rough gravel. Nary a problem. And I can slip other things like stuff from the local post office, and pullovers/jackets under them.

Yep, love them. And cyccommute put me on to them way back, if I remember rightly.

You can make nylon straps for about a dollar if you have a sewing machine.Pick your favorite size strap(I like 1")and buy some d-rings.Put the strap thru 2 rings,sew closed,done.Takes about 30 seconds to make one and you can make whatever you need.

You don't even need a sewing machine. A needle and nylon thread will do the trick nicely. The webbing is very, very easy to sew by hand, or at least the stuff I have used.

I like to use a cargo net.
http://www.rei.com/product/698481

Me too.

Bungees. I use two criss-crossed in back, and one on the front platform to carry my Big Agnes air mattress. I sometimes carry an extra bungee or two for improvised carries. I also have a couple that I found by the side of the road. I love that. Recycling at its best.

Stu, how do those fasten?

I use one at each corner of the rack and make a loop around the rack. I then just hook the balls together in the middle of the load. Like this

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/cyccommute/TheCorps13.jpg

What do you guys use to strap baggage & tents to the top of the rear rack?


You're doing it wrong! No, everyone seems to agree with you, but for me the tent is one of the heaviest things I'm carrying, and I don't need it during the day, so I put it at the bottom of the pannier. Bungee cords work fine though - just zig zag it along the length of the tent or whatever.

Steve

The solution I use:

Long length of bungie cord (rope?) ,From a gargage sale truck cargo net.

-Cut the bungie rope to desired length.
-melt ends
-put the ball from tarp bungies on one end
-put a loop in the other end

(Similar to cyclocommutes, but longer)

I used a frameless backpack meant for ultralight backpackers. I wanted to have the option to do some short backpacking trips, and it worked great. My sleeping pad, sleeping bag, one person tent and maybe an extra pair of shoes fit perfectly in the backpack, and it was easy to stick on the rack with two bungees. Very secure, really easy to pull my stuff off if I needed to hitch a ride or something, and convenient when I was doing non-cycling activities. All my gear fit in two rear panniers and the backpack, felt perfectly stable, and didn't fail me for 1200 miles or so.

I found that my wonderful cargo net also happened to work as a removable loft in my tent. Very handy for storing a headlamp, journal, etc. Also, there's always "a bit more room" with a cargo net for that oddly-shaped baguette/drying laundry/raincoat/shoes/water bottle/whatever.

I've always used regular hooked bungees. The only complaint that I've had is that they've caused the destruction of several camelbak water bladders, which I used to strap to the top of my front rack. But I don't use water bladders most of the time when I'm touring, so it isn't an issue anymore.