Voile strap with metal buckle?

[upallnight]

I've been searching for some long Voile straps (~15") with a metal buckle. Locally, I've found some long straps with plastic buckles, and short straps with metal buckles....but no long straps w/ metal.

Any leads?

(For reference, I find the metal buckle useful in cleaning ice out of the Dynafit female receptacles on my boots.)

Thanks!

[mntlion]

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1147553055368


Voilé 24" Ski Strap

Weight: 25.0 g

This beefy urethane strap is perfect for bundling skis and poles together. Also works well on roof racks.

* Tough urethane material won’t crack in cold weather.
* Length is 60cm (24in.).


For Off-line Shopping call 1.888.847.0770 (Canada & USA), or 604.709.6241 (Vancouver & International)

[upallnight]

Awesome....but it ships within Canada only.

I do remember paying for MEC membership, but I think that was back in '99 or so. Since that initial purchase, everything they've had that i have wanted has been Canada-only type stuff.

[Jonathan S.]

I just pack my Dynafit toe sockets with bike grease and have never had any problems, although maybe I've just been lucky so far...
But don't these seem to be shots of a metal buckle? -
http://www.voile-usa.com/cgi-bin/plu...egory_Code=VSS
http://www.backcountry.com/store/VOL...swatch=VOL0027
http://www.thebackcountry.net/cart/p...1024|768|#tabs

By contrast, the plastic buckle on the straps I got at a rando race seem different from the other website's shots:
http://www.couloirmag.com/store/store_index.htm
(And yeah, I too used to orders lots of stuff from mec *before* the convenient on-line catalog & ordering was implemented since they suddenly started restricting U.S. sales.)

[upallnight]

I just pack my Dynafit toe sockets with bike grease and have never had any problems, although maybe I've just been lucky so far...
But don't these seem to be shots of a metal buckle? -
http://www.voile-usa.com/cgi-bin/plu...egory_Code=VSS
http://www.backcountry.com/store/VOL...swatch=VOL0027
http://www.thebackcountry.net/cart/p...1024|768|#tabs

By contrast, the plastic buckle on the straps I got at a rando race seem different from the other website's shots:
http://www.couloirmag.com/store/store_index.htm
(And yeah, I too used to orders lots of stuff from mec *before* the convenient on-line catalog & ordering was implemented since they suddenly started restricting U.S. sales.)

Those are metal buckles from the top links. Thanks!

I was hoping that someone who actually ordered them could confirm it....rather than placing an order only to receive a plastic buckle version.

Cool!

The grease idea is a really great one! I've found the problem to occur most in springtime slushy conditions, where snow/ice can get packed in. It hasn't been a huge problem, but the plastic buckle is insufficient for clearing it. When I've found myself without any tool to clear the problem, I was able to work it out just by repeatedly stepping in and out of the toe until the toe "jaw" was able to seat firmly in place. That said, if I'm going to carry a Voile strap, I might as well have one with a metal buckle as that will save some trouble/time when this is an issue.

[mntlion]

if you need stuff sent from MEC to the US, PM me.

[Camilo]

FYI, clicking into the toe piece and then pivoting the boot back and forth a few times cleans the ice out of my fittings pretty well. The toepiece pins have a groove in them specifically to clean out the socket. Does this make any sense?

[sar13]

Wilson BC had a bunch this winter if you are around.

[upallnight]

Wilson BC had a bunch this winter if you are around.

Did they really? All they had were the plastic buckle-variety whenever I was in there this season. In fact, I broke down and bought one of them....but I still want the metal buckle version.

[upallnight]

FYI, clicking into the toe piece and then pivoting the boot back and forth a few times cleans the ice out of my fittings pretty well. The toepiece pins have a groove in them specifically to clean out the socket. Does this make any sense?

Yeah....but I've found if it gets really packed with slush/snow/ice, the binding toe pins don't do the best job. In fact, I've found that that method can lead to a premature toe release as it will seem like the toe is locked in but it's not *all* the way in as there may have been a little bit of that snow still in there.

The problem is not as huge a deal if the area under the toepiece is clean/dry, as stepping into the toe causes it to close with more force -- but if there is snow/slush under the toe (I experience this in the spring), the toe jaw will not close with as much force, making it harder to clear the boot toe receptacles.

The Voile strap (or a nail) seems to be the only way to ensure the boot toe is cleared.

Just my $0.02 & experience.

[shirk]

if you need stuff sent from MEC to the US, PM me.

No if you need stuff sent from MEC PM me. I can stop by either of the Vancouver shops and save a couple bucks on shipping. Unless they opened a shop in Banff that I didn't hear about

[Shredgar]

Voile straps are very handy things, I keep several in my pack. A couple of the 24' length once saved me after binding failure far from the hut in Canada.

They can be ordered in 9", 18" & 24" lengths direct from Voile. For the metal buckles it may be worth calling 801-973-8622 & asking. They're good folks.