Want to help us test a Strap Keeper design?

[xyppy]

@Tonya, I like how you have them installed. Your method is like a hybrid between the way TB says to do it and they way they say not to do it. They look invisible.

I went out with my DLBP to get lunch and do some shopping in my neighborhood. I really like the feel of the strap tidiness the strap keepers give. The tri-glides still leave loose strap even while it's not dangling loose. I think it would take a lot of effort to detach the strap keepers. But over time I'm wondering if there is any shifting. I'm going to keep them on my DLBP to find out.

[Tonya]

@Tonya, I like how you have them installed. Your method is like a hybrid between the way TB says to do it and they way they say not to do it. They look invisible.

I went out with my DLBP to get lunch and do some shopping in my neighborhood. I really like the feel of the strap tidiness the strap keepers give. The tri-glides still leave loose strap even while it's not dangling loose. I think it would take a lot of effort to detach the strap keepers. But over time I'm wondering if there is any shifting. I'm going to keep them on my DLBP to find out.

The hybrid install is because I didn't have enough space on the strap to install the strap keeper the TB way. It also makes the extra strap more secure. The way I did it, the extra strap can't be pulled out of the strap keeper. And when installed this way, the strap keepers are tight so I've noticed no shifting. Of course, I have a lot of extra strap so that will make a difference in the tightness.

However, the profile of the extra strap isn't as smooth as the TB way. I know because I took a short 5-mile day hike with my S22 today and the strap keepers came along for a ride. The way I had them installed, the ball of extra strapping rubbed against the inside of my arms as I hiked. I lasted about half a mile before I stopped and reinstalled them. For a quick fix, I attached the strap keepers and extra strap to the straps that usually hold the chest strap. Lots of strap words, so I snapped a few photos to illustrate what I did. This kept the extra pack straps well out of my way, but I'm sure I looked like a dork. ha!





The strap keepers are so nifty, I really think that I can find a great way to use them on my S22 and also on plenty of other bags. I love how secure they are! Plus they make pretty decent emergency hair ties.

Edited to add... Looking at the photos, I just realized that the extra strapping attached to the chest strap area would have been much less noticeable if I had rolled the strap the other way before attaching. I didn't put much thought into it on the trail, but I may have to try this technique again.

[teresapoet]

My test pair arrived yesterday, and I just got a chance to test them out on my DLBP. These little things are great!

Compared to my current hair band method (I like that even if the folded part slips out, the strap keeper should still be secured on the strap, unlike the hair band):



A closer look:



The amount I wrapped under was long enough that the thicker flap part at the end wouldn’t be in the center where the strap keeper wraps, and the last fold ended up nestled up perfectly against the adjuster buckle thing.

It’s a little weird to not have the dangling ball or over a foot of strap hanging down, as I often fidget with them when I walk, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I want a set for my other backpacks (Smart Alec, Synapse 19). I might also experiment with using them on the waist strap of my SA, but they’re fitting so perfectly on my DLBP now I don’t want to touch them.

[haraya]

My Strap Keepers arrived over the weekend, but I’ve been under the weather so didn’t get a chance to install them till now.

I agree with pvn and everyone else that they are easy to install, not as easy to remove. That’s probably a good thing!

(I wanted to flip the hook around to the other side of the strap. I think I have normal mobility in my fingers, but could see that someone with arthritis, like my mom, might just need to set these and forget them. The tiny bend at the end of the hook makes it more secure but also more fiddly to detach.)

Here I am about to install one on my Luminary. I decided to put the hook on the outside of the strap (away from my body), hoping that it will minimize catching on clothes that way.



I decided to test one on the waist strap of the Luminary: I know I can detach the waist straps, but for whatever reason I have been using the Luminary waist belt more than the one on my Synapse. Probably because I used the L12 for sightseeing and wanted hands free for photography.

One waist strap bundled, one loose:



And then just for comparison, I put the other one on my S19, but this time on the excess shoulder strap webbing:



Again - one strap loose, one strap hanging.

The Luminary strap (I wrapped a pink polka-dot hair tie around it so you can tell the black straps apart) is narrower than the S19’s (blue hair tie). But the Luminary strap is longer, so the bundle is thicker. (And the buckle is also wrapped up in the webbing.) Which is to say, the Strap Keepers work well for different applications.



I will try these out tomorrow and see how easy it is to remove, adjust, and rebundle the extra webbing while on the move. I also want to see if the hook is likely to get caught on loose clothing or, say, a hand-knit scarf, even though it’s supposed to be hot and steamy here the next few days! Oh, the things we do for science!!


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[drdamian]

I got my Strap Keepers with my PPB Synik 30. I don't have much to add in terms of pictures or insight (I have mine on like @teresapoet in #18 above), but what I can say is that since I've had them on I've completely forgotten they're there. They're easy to get on, and once they're on, they keep a low profile, they stay put, and they're unobtrusive. That works perfectly for me; the only constructive feedback I can think of is that some folks might want the option of a splash of color against the black straps. For me, though, black on black is perfect.

[imagineez]

I also got a test pair of strap keepers, but I hadn’t posted anything as yet simply because I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to use these for my needs. Hopefully I didn’t overthink this.

I find I adjust my shoulder straps a lot during the day, which makes for the TB way of setting up the strap keepers (as opposed to dangling ball) more difficult in adjusting strap lengths (without the rolled-up strap falling out of the strap keeper).

Here are some pics of what I settled on - I decided to keep doing the dangling ball using the Strapeez, but then use the strap keeper to anchor the dangling ball to the portion of webbing attached to the pack (the “TB way”). This gave me the easiest chance of adjusting the shoulder straps without the chance of “messing things up.”



I tried using the strap keepers on the sternum straps too. They’re useful there as well and perhaps a tad too large for the smaller amount of bundled sternum strap (and its smaller width) to tuck inside the keeper. This made me wonder if there might be any use for having different size strap keepers for different size dangling straps on a pack (instead of one size fits all).

As others have stated already, they’re very easy to put on but rather difficult to get off. At some point, I doubted my dexterity. It was “exhausting” to get them off and try them elsewhere on my pack or other packs. For this reason, I also thought it would be nice to have at least 4 in a set when they are offered for purchase, or if they happen to be bundled with the packs (like how the TB pulls are included).

These strap keepers are very nice to have and streamlined in looks with the pack. I like the design a lot because you’re not stuck with them on the straps (like from other companies).

Also I thought of using these on the Absolute shoulder strap whenever there’s an excess of dangling strap annoyingly getting in the way. Very useful there as well.

Thanks again to Tom Bihn for the opportunity to test these out!


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[theswiftbiker]

Tom Bihn was so nice to send me a pair of these strap keepers and I’m geeked to have a set! I am 5’5” and I have both the S25 and the L15 which are both designed to accommodate bigger people than I. I like having the extra space for the unknowns! The straps are excessively long for my torso. I first put these to the test the best way I knew how, on a bag that was not my EDC or travel bag, but my hydration pack for cycling. Sunday afternoon I embarked on a two hour singletrack mountain bike ride. The pack I use has dangling straps everywhere and they flap in the wind and smack me in my arms and sides and some even slip between my legs and catch on my bike seat rails. They drive me absolutely bonkers. So I slapped these little guys on the waist belt of my hydration pack and off I went. I didn’t notice them and they didn’t budge! If they can hold on just fine for two hours of mountain biking I have complete faith that they can hold on through anything. These are truly a fantastic solution!



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[haraya]

I like drdamian's idea of colorful Strap Keepers! Maybe they can match the key strap colors.

And I was also thinking (like imagineez) that Strap Keepers should be available in packs. Maybe singles, and then packs of four, or ten?

[haraya]

Update on in-motion test:



(I put a scarf underneath the straps, to make it easier to see what's going on.)



(I like how it looks like a neat little bow tie!)

So I installed a Strap Keeper on one side of my S19, and a hair elastic band on the other side. I went out to run errands and see how easy it is to adjust my straps while on the move.

Turns out it’s quite easy to tug on one end of the extra strap while walking, to free it from the Strap Keeper and adjust the shoulder strap. The SK stays tucked away, almost totally hidden under the buckle (ladderlock?). (I took a very quick vid but can’t figure out how to post it! )

(I wouldn’t try the tug-and-release method with the side that was secured with a hair tie, because the hair tie would then be launched into the air, never to be seen again!)

It’s a little trickier to put the strap back into the StK once it’s adjusted to my liking - honestly I didn’t bother breaking stride to tuck it away, I just waited till I was back at my car and then rebundled the strap.

(The hair tie works better for securing-on-the-move, because it’s removable and so I can use both hands in front of me to wrap up the webbing, rather than trying to look underneath my arm while walking.)

Verdict: The StK wins for style and stealth. The hair tie is a runner-up for being a common item around my house, easy to repurpose. (But it is also very easy to misplace!)

Many, many thanks to TB for the chance to test out this nifty new design! I love how once again the solution is simple, elegant, and durable (where "durable" means "it's not likely to fall off and get lost", because I haven't had these long enough to know how they will fare over months or years. But given my experience with TB, I bet they will be long-lasting!!)

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[Tonya]

I also got a test pair of strap keepers, but I hadn’t posted anything as yet simply because I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to use these for my needs. Hopefully I didn’t overthink this.

I find I adjust my shoulder straps a lot during the day, which makes for the TB way of setting up the strap keepers (as opposed to dangling ball) more difficult in adjusting strap lengths (without the rolled-up strap falling out of the strap keeper).

...

As others have stated already, they’re very easy to put on but rather difficult to get off. At some point, I doubted my dexterity. It was “exhausting” to get them off and try them elsewhere on my pack or other packs. For this reason, I also thought it would be nice to have at least 4 in a set when they are offered for purchase, or if they happen to be bundled with the packs (like how the TB pulls are included).

Okay I really like how you did things! I'm going to give your solution a try. But I think I may be the only one who hasn't struggled to remove them? Granted it's not super easy (and that wouldn't be good if it was) but I simply hold the hook steady with one hand, and with my other hand I'll pull on the opposite side of the elastic (the side of the elastic that's hooked) until the elastic has a little play and then slide the hook right out. Very elementary but if anyone needs a photo, lmk and I'll get my child to take it while I perform the de-hooking trick.

[G42]

But I think I may be the only one who hasn't struggled to remove them? Granted it's not super easy (and that wouldn't be good if it was) but I simply hold the hook steady with one hand, and with my other hand I'll pull on the opposite side of the elastic (the side of the elastic that's hooked) until the elastic has a little play and then slide the hook right out. Very elementary but if anyone needs a photo, lmk and I'll get my child to take it while I perform the de-hooking trick.

That's basically how I do it too... the keeper is elastic and under tension, so you have to add some 'slack' to the system to allow it to easily clear the end of the hook.

[julia]

We got the strap keepers, but I need to watch the video and install them still. They look supremely useful and low profile.

[KatrinkaWinkle]

I really like the new Strap Keepers! I used them on my Imago, and they were very sleek and low profile.

However, my favorite use for them is to use them on my cafe bags. I love the new, soft straps, but mine twist inside the slot on the adjustable side, and that's not easy to untwist while walking. So I put 2 Strap Keepers together and put it on my SCB. No more twisting! The Strap Keepers settle down over the slot and prevent the strap from twisting within it, but you can still easily adjust the strap length from shoulder carry to cross body. I'll probably add these to all my cafe bags.

Having trouble posting photos, but I'll keep trying.

Well, one finally uploaded but sideways! The 2 Strap Keepers linked together are slightly loose over the cafe bag strap, and they will slide down and settle over that slot, so the strap can't twist anymore.

[Tonya]

That's basically how I do it too... the keeper is elastic and under tension, so you have to add some 'slack' to the system to allow it to easily clear the end of the hook.

Yeah I'm sure others have quickly figured this out. I struggle way more with opening gate keepers than I do with opening strap keepers.

[G42]

Yeah I'm sure others have quickly figured this out. I struggle way more with opening gate keepers than I do with opening strap keepers.

Ha!
I had a horrible time with gate keepers originally! Finally sat and stared at one and took a deep breath and asked myself how they could open easier because there was no way TB would inflict something on us that didn't work....
So
Gently squeeze top of gate keeper near metal latch
Push down on the latch whilst still squeezing to let it unhook from the plastic overlap
and Then let the latch pop up & open
voila!

Simple in retrospect, but I was brute forcing them originally, thinking it was just my user error