Trailing a Strap

On the front of my boat, I have a 4' orange strap. On the back, I have a 6' orange strap. These straps have several useful purposes. The main purpose is to have a strap you can grab onto if you flip and the boat starts to get away from you. It's also useful if someone else needs to haul your boat or attach a rescue rope. Finally, it means that you will always have a strap handy to attach your boat to a trailer for transport, or to secure the boat when it's rolled up.

Why not trail a rope? Ropes will compress between rocks and woody debris, and when the load is reduced will decompress, which can wedge the rope. Straps don't do this.

The length of these straps is important. If the strap is too short, of course, it's ineffective, but if the strap is too long, it can cause problems. A 6' strap in the back of the boat is short enough that it won't accidentally wrap around your paddle.

The color of the strap is not critical, but it does help if it's a light color to contrast with the water. It does need to be a floating strap, and in my opinion that is way more critical than color. A bright neon strap that sinks is useless compared to a darn green one that floats.

Sometimes, hardshell kayakers will come over to me and tell me I have a strap dragging. Many of them will toss it into the boat, and that's fine as long as they don't secure the trailing end to anything. After all, when I flip, the strap will come out of the boat and trail behind, which is where I need it.