Gear America Soft Shackles

A Stretchy Grip

Quality - 5/5 stars

I'll be honest, I haven't used these yet to really know the quality. Built similar to a recovery rope, they do seem to be capable of enduring quite a bit of abuse before breaking. They even tout a break strength greater than that of metal shackles due to their stretchiness! I'm sure, like the recovery rope, they are prone to wear and tear at a faster rate than metal shackles but, as always, if you take care of them, they will last a long time!

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Usefulness - 5/5 stars

Soft shackles are every bit as useful as metal shackles but more so! Why do I say that? With soft shackles, you don't have a pin you must undo each time to need to hook and unhook on to your vehicle. You simply thread the shackle where you want it to go, expand the loop end over the ball end and you are set! The force pulling on the shackle will tighten it down so it doesn't slip off making it both easy and reliable. How useful is that?!

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Cost - 3/5 stars

There are a number of brands out there and each one is vastly more expensive than the standard metal shackles. You will probably want to strongly consider your need of these if you are trying to stick to a budget. Of course, if you are looking for something that, when it lets go, won't pose a serious risk of injury or damage to your vehicle, look no further! 

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Overall - 5/5 stars

What I do like most is that there is no pin to thread. They are so easy to use and still retain the same or greater effectiveness than metal shackles AND are far less weight to carry! The only drawback, which is a serious drawback, is the exorbitant cost. Easily double if not quadruple or more the cost of metal shackles, you might accept a little more weight to save a bunch on cost. Your call of course!