Wraptie multi-purpose straps: first look
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A little while ago I was sent some Wraptie straps to test out. Honestly at first I was a bit sceptical. Voile straps are already well established in the bikepacking scene. They’re durable, work elegantly, and are dead simple. How can that be significantly improved upon? In a few ways, actually.
So what are Wraptie straps?
Founded in 2017, Wraptie is an Australian company that make elasticised straps that are fastened and secured with velcro. They can be used in a wide variety of ways, on and off the bike, and they won a Good Design award this year. Typical bike-oriented uses include securing soft bags to the frame and tying down loads onto luggage racks. And yes, there are a few advantages they have over Voile straps.
They are completely soft, with no hard buckle to scratch or damage your bike or gear.
They can be rolled up neatly for storage on a bike or rack.
They are available in longer sizes than Voile straps.
There is no ‘tail’ flopping around once they are secured.
Being elasticised, they keep applying pressure even if the load has moved. I’ve sometimes experienced Voile straps come loose when something has moved.
What are Wrapties like to use?
I tried the smallest size at 90cm long. For such a simple looking product, at first they were surprisingly unintuitive to use. Maybe I’m just a klutz, but it took me a while to figure out exactly how they wrap and store. This is also partly due to the fact that there is no single ‘correct’ way to use them but multiple options for tying things down.
But it’s worth persisting, because once I did figure it out, I started to see their elegance. I particularly like the way they wrap around various parts of the bike for storage. From here you can unfurl them in a single movement and wrap them around whatever it is you want to carry. Once I realised this, my inner gear nerd came out. I excitedly kept thinking of new applications for them. You could, for example, keep one wrapped around your bar, and use it to store your rain jacket once the sun has come out.
I haven’t done much bikepacking recently, but I decided to try them out by strapping a bag to my rear luggage rack and riding to work the other day, and they worked just fine for that. They held securely, and nothing moved around. The quality also looks great, and I’m expecting to get plenty of years’ use out of them.
Conclusion
Voile straps are still a great product, and I’m sure I’ll keep using them, but I can see some unique utility in Wraptie straps, and I’m excited to see what uses I’ll find for them in the years to come. What’s more, by using Wraptie you are supporting a small local enterprise, and that’s always a plus for me.
Exclusive offer
Wraptie have been kind enough to offer ACV readers an exclusive 25% discount on the “Rider Bundle,” which includes the straps I have reviewed above, plus a nice looking multi tool.
At checkout, enter the discount code: adventurecyclingvictoria_2021
Offer ends 31st of December 2021.
