Thule 531 Express Surf Strap

It is amazing how fast, secure, and easy to use these straps are. I bought a pair initially to use for strapping my surfboard on the roof rack but in over 2 years of usage I've successfully managed to also strap snowboards, ski bags, etc on the roof! And they are still going strong with no sign of wear and tear.

These are the perfect balance of not-too-tight, not-too-loose. They won't crush the edges of your board like using nylon webbing alone, and they won't flop like a big rubber band like bungee cords will. I use three in case one ever gives way (ask an engineer). I was skeptical, given the price versus alternatives, but now I like them so much better, they seem like a bargain.I'll be very sad if Thule discontinues these: REI quit carrying them, but luckily still available on Amazon. REI guys said they see a lot of SUP boards with edges warped/crushed from over-tightening, and these were highly recommended solution. I now agree.I wrap these in some of that soft, rubberized foam, pipe insulation the hardware stores sell in 6- or 8-foot lengths. Helps protect my boards even further. Those seem to "grab" a little better than, say, an old "pool noodle" floaty.They're just long enough to work with 32" wide SUP I have, and a 28" wide, high displacement one, riding on top of a Toyota Highlander, with roof rack bar pads. I got some short loops of nylon webbing to act as extensions, but haven't needed them.

Didn't thought much of it.,. thinking it would be like most.., but actually is super simple to put it up.., and works really well.., keeping your board safe....Most important it is ridiculous fast to put it in and take it out.., so you don't waste your time when you arrive at the beach to catch some waves.., every second counts, as you know..,

These are the best tie downs! With these I don't have to keep going around my car to adjust the tie downs, and I am a little "vertically challenged" so easier that way too. My favorites!

I purchased this to use with my pair of SUP's and my Yakima Whispbars. Overall, I like the Thule Express Surf Straps, but these are not five-star straps for me. I also have an Inno SUP rack with ratchets that I love, but which is overkill for hauling the boards across town. I will still use the INNO for long trips that involve freeway driving and when I need to leave the board on the roof when the car is unattended. For me, these Thule straps are good for short, local trips where security is not a factor.First of all, they are good quality, as you would expect from Thule. The straps are made of thick webbing and secure the boards nicely. They have a loop on one end for attaching to the cross bar and a hook on the other end, with smaller loops to run the hook through after securing to the crossbar on the other side. There is an elastic section of the strap that allows it to be pulled tight, and a slide buckle to adjust overall length. The elastic nature of the strap provides an appropriate amount of tension without the likelihood of over tightening and damaging the boards as sometimes happens with ratchet straps.On the negative side, and the reason for removing a star, is that they are a few inches shorter than I would like and are made with a terribly thick logo patch. I managed to get these to work for carrying two boards stacked on on the other, and it was not a simple endeavor despite one of the things that I read a lot of people like about these express straps: their simplicity. My SUP's are both 32" wide and neither is particularly thick. In order to get the straps to make it over the boards and attach to the far side of the bar, however, I had to feed the strap almost all the way through the buckle. In order to do that, I had to massage, pull, and yank the rubberized Thule logo pad that is sewn on the straps through the buckle - no small feat. I managed to get them through, but not back again when I needed to use the straps on a single kids kayak the next day, which meant wrapping the strap around the bars a few times to manually shorten it.All in all, I prefer these to straight up tie down straps, but did not find them quite as "express" as I wanted. I had experience with a friend's setup on a Thule pickup rack and it worked perfectly (only one board to secure), but this is not as simple as I had hoped for my needs. I will keep using it, but I hope Thule will either lengthen the straps a bit to work with multiple boards or come up with a different mechanism to brand their product.All in all, I don't regret this purchase, but I am disappointed because these are not as simple as I had hoped. They work for a single or double SUP setup and were long enough for our kids' kayak on its own.

42 yrs old, surfing all my life and these are by far the best straps I've come across. So easy to use, cinch down tight as you want and never slip loose, and easy to take off no matter how tight you made it. They aren't super long, which means you don't have to tie up a long loose end. Downside to that is you can probably only get two boards under them. However, if you get more than one set you can use them together to fit more. I use these for tying down all kinds of stuff...usually in the back of the truck or stuff I don't want falling out of the kayak while fishing (they were perfect for strapping two 96-gallon waste containers to the fence when hurricane Matthew came through last year).

I thought these would be a cheaply made set of straps but I needed them to lock my board to my 4Runner stock roof racks. Having surfed for many years and used many racks I was surprised how simple and easy these are to use. I can use them for much more than surfboards. I keep them in my car at all times if I need to secure anything to my roof rack. They have a flexible but secure bungie cord center and the hooks and cinch are easy to use and very sturdy. The metal hooks are rubber coated to protect paint surface. so simple and effective. Knowing what I know now, I would have bought them even if I didn't use for my surfboards. add and removal is quick and easy. They have not come loose even after many miles at freeway speeds. I love these guys. They are very light and versatile all-purpose roof rack straps for Yakima, Thule and stock racks. 100% adjustable, fast to install and remove.