Surflogic Lockable Roof Rack Tie Down Straps 3.5m

Length - 3.5m / Approx. 11ft 6in
Use - Surfboards, SUPs, Kayaks & Watersports Gear
Security - Lockable Tie Down Design
Ideal For - Roof Racks & Roof Bars
Best For - Added Security While Travelling or Stopping

Top 3 Reasons We Love These
1. A roof-rack strap with added security — ideal when you've got expensive surfboards, SUPs or a kayak on the roof and need to stop for fuel, food or coffee on the way to the beach
2. At 3.5m / roughly 11ft 6in they're a really useful everyday length, working well for surfboards and many single SUP and kayak setups
3. Particularly good for surf trips and travelling — normal tie downs secure your boards to the car, while the lockable design adds an extra deterrent against someone simply removing your straps and walking off with your kit

Product Description
The Surflogic Lockable Roof Rack Tie Down Straps 3.5m give you a simple way to secure your surfboards, SUP or kayak to your roof rack while adding an extra level of security when you leave the vehicle unattended.

Normal roof-rack straps are brilliant for transporting boards, but there's one fairly obvious problem — they're normally incredibly easy to undo. That's fine when you're driving straight from home to the beach, but less reassuring when you've got thousands of pounds worth of surfboards on the roof and need to leave the car at a service station.

The Surflogic Lockable Tie Downs are designed to solve exactly that problem. You get the convenience of a roof-rack tie down with a lockable system that makes your equipment considerably harder to simply remove from the vehicle.

At 3.5 metres / approximately 11ft 6in long, they're a useful all-round size for surfers. They're suitable for carrying individual boards and small stacks of surfboards, as well as many single SUP and kayak roof-rack setups.

We particularly like them for travelling. Surf trips inevitably involve stopping at motorway services, supermarkets, hotels, campsites and restaurants, and being able to add some security to the equipment sitting on your roof gives you a bit more peace of mind.

They're still quick enough to use as your everyday tie downs, so you don't need to carry one set of straps for driving and another security system for whenever you stop.

Features
• 3.5m strap length
• Approximately 11ft 6in long
• Lockable roof-rack tie down system
• Adds security to equipment carried on your roof
• Designed for roof racks and roof bars
• Great for surfboards
• Suitable for small stacks of surfboards
• Suitable for many single SUP setups
• Suitable for many single kayak setups
• Great for travelling and surf trips
• Particularly useful when stopping at service stations
• Ideal for road trips and overnight travel
• Useful for expensive watersports equipment
• Combines transportation and security in one system

Why Choose Lockable Roof Rack Straps?
If you're just driving five minutes from home to your local beach, normal tie downs probably do everything you need.

The lockable version really starts making sense when you're travelling any real distance with valuable equipment on the roof.

Stop at a motorway service station with two good surfboards on top of the car and suddenly walking inside for 20 minutes doesn't feel quite so relaxed. Standard cam straps can normally be released in seconds.

A lockable tie-down system adds another barrier between your equipment and someone trying to remove it. Like any portable security product, we'd treat it as an additional deterrent rather than a guarantee against determined theft, but it's a significant improvement over leaving valuable boards secured only with standard straps.

How Many Surfboards Will 3.5m Straps Carry?
For surfboards, 3.5m is a useful everyday strap length. We'd consider it well suited to one board or a small stack of around 2 to 3 conventional surfboards on many normal vehicle and roof-rack setups.

The exact number isn't something we'd guarantee because board thickness and vehicle width make a huge difference. Three thin shortboards require considerably less strap than three thick foam boards or longboards.

If you're regularly carrying a large stack of chunky boards, we'd measure around the complete load before choosing your strap length.

Will They Work With A Kayak?
The 3.5m length should be suitable for many standard single recreational and sit-on-top kayak setups when securing the boat to conventional roof bars.

Kayaks vary massively in width and depth, though. A compact recreational kayak and a huge fishing kayak are very different loads, so we'd recommend measuring around your particular kayak and roof-bar setup if you're unsure.

For two kayaks carried together, we'd generally expect you to need a longer strap or separate straps depending on how the boats are mounted.

What About SUPs?
A single conventional SUP should work with the 3.5m straps on many roof-rack setups.

If you're stacking multiple thick paddleboards, the amount of strap required increases quickly. We'd recommend measuring your setup or choosing a longer strap if you're regularly carrying several SUPs together.

Perfect For Surf Trips
This is probably where we'd choose the lockable straps over normal tie downs.

On a surf trip your boards can spend hours or even days on the roof. You'll inevitably stop for fuel, food and coffee, and you may end up leaving the car parked outside accommodation or at a campsite.

Being able to secure the boards every time you strap them onto the roof is considerably easier than adding a completely separate locking system every time you stop.

They're also useful if you regularly leave a board on the roof while checking different surf spots. Instead of taking everything off every time you walk down to look at the waves, you've got an additional level of security built into your tie-down setup.

Expert Advice
If you regularly travel with expensive boards on the roof, we'd seriously consider going lockable.

Standard straps are absolutely fine for holding boards securely while you're driving, but they're designed to be quick to release — which isn't necessarily what you want when the car is unattended.

The 3.5m length is particularly useful for surfers because it's long enough for the majority of normal board setups without leaving ridiculous amounts of excess webbing to deal with.

As with any roof-rack setup, don't overtighten your straps. They need to securely hold the board, but excessive pressure can damage surfboards, particularly lightweight constructions.

Always check your load before setting off and we'd recommend stopping somewhere safe after the first few miles to make sure everything remains properly secured.

Q & A

Q: How long are the Surflogic Lockable Roof Rack Straps?
A: They're 3.5 metres long, which is approximately 11ft 6in.

Q: What is the advantage of lockable tie down straps?
A: As well as securing your equipment for transport, the lockable system adds an extra deterrent against someone simply releasing the straps and removing your boards when the vehicle is unattended.

Q: Are they good for surf trips?
A: Yes. This is probably where they make the most sense, particularly when you're regularly stopping at service stations, shops, restaurants or accommodation with boards still on the roof.

Q: How many surfboards will they fit?
A: We'd consider 3.5m suitable for around 1 to 3 conventional surfboards on many normal roof-rack setups. The actual number depends on board thickness, board width and the size of your vehicle.

Q: Will they work with foam surfboards?
A: Yes, but foam boards can be considerably thicker than normal hardboards, so a stack of foamies will require more strap length.

Q: Can I use them for a kayak?
A: Yes. They should work with many standard single recreational and sit-on-top kayak setups, although we'd recommend measuring particularly wide or deep kayaks before ordering.

Q: Can I use them for a SUP?
A: Yes. A single SUP should suit many 3.5m strap and roof-rack combinations. Multiple thick SUPs may require longer straps.

Q: Are lockable straps completely theft-proof?
A: No portable security product should be considered completely theft-proof. We'd view them as a useful additional deterrent that makes removing your equipment considerably less straightforward than using standard tie downs.

Q: Should I use them instead of normal tie downs?
A: They perform the same basic job of securing your equipment to the roof, with the additional benefit of the lockable system, so they're a particularly good everyday option if security is important to you.

Q: Can I leave my surfboards on the roof overnight?
A: The lockable straps add security, but we'd still bring expensive equipment inside or store it somewhere secure whenever that's realistically possible.

Q: Should I check the straps during a long journey?
A: Yes. Always check everything before setting off and again after driving a short distance, particularly with larger loads such as SUPs and kayaks.