Tow Strap? Kinetic Rope? Why you need BOTH!

It's all Recovery Gear, right?

There's always been a balance when loading up for off-road adventures.  How much gear should you bring?  How much extra weight is it going to add?  What can I sacrifice and leave behind?  Well, when it comes to recovery gear, bring it.  It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!  Recovery Gear is not all the same.  There are different tools for different solutions.  With this in mind, I specifically want to talk about Tow Straps and Kinetic Recovery Ropes.

A Strap is a Strap?

Having proper, well made, safe gear for a recovery is paramount, and here at GearAmerica, all of our products go through extremely stringent engineering, and testing so we can provide the safest gear for tough situations.  Our Tow Straps and Kinetic Recovery Ropes are the best in the industry, but there is sometimes confusion when it comes to needing and using them. A Tow Strap and Kinetic Rope are very different, and are for different kinds of recoveries.

Let's Talk Tow Strap!

Years ago, you might have found someone on a trail with a large chain as a recovery option.  Later, a safer and lighter option came out.  That's the Tow Strap.  It is a staple in all recovery gear kits, nowadays, and it is perfect for towing, pulling and recovering a vehicle that requires a constant, solid connection.  A Tow Strap is just that...a strap for towing!  It is made to help pull another vehicle, like if someone is stuck spinning their tires in mud or moving a disabled vehicle from place to place.  It has very little, if any, stretch or "give", so you want to take up slack slowly, make a solid connection, and pull.  Never get a running start with a conventional tow strap, as you risk doing damage to both vehicles.

How About Recovery Ropes?

Wait, what? Isn't a tow strap part of the recovery kit?  Yes, but it's a TOW strap, not a RECOVERY rope. Towing a vehicle, or giving some gentle help is one thing, Kinetic Recovery is a totally different animal. The Kinetic Recovery Rope (sometimes called a "snatch" rope or strap) has elasticity to it, meaning it can stretch some allowing kinetic energy to provide some extra "yank" to free a truly stuck vehicle. For example, if a rig is stuck to the axles in sand or thick slop, the kinetic rope is a great recovery solution. Have you ever seen a small Jeep pull out a diesel truck?  Well, physics tell us that a light object might have a hard time pulling out a heavy object...especially one bogged down and stuck. Not any more! With the Kinetic Recovery rope, the extra stretch and yank give a bit more of the necessary power to get someone unstuck...not to mention it's easier on both vehicles!

So Don't Forget...

If someone is stuck so bad that it takes a lot of force the yank it free, the Kinetic Recovery Rope is your go-to.  Let the stretch work for you!  If you have a slow pull, towing scenario, or disabled vehicle that needs to be moved, the Tow Strap is the right move.

More Gear, More Weight, Less Space?

If you think about it, a Kinetic Recovery Rope and a Tow Strap are probably two of the lightest things you can pack for a fun time off-road.  They don't take up much space, and having both of them will round out your kit, and you'll always have the right tool for the job.