Thigh Strap Pictures

Hi all,

I’m moments away from installing thigh straps into my 2011 llama, but would like a little confirmation before I do so. I live in a pretty rural area and don’t have a kayak shop or any packraft friends to ask advice. Could any thigh strap users please post a few pictures of the placement of thigh straps in the boat? I know the bow patches go low and the hip patches go high, but how high and low and approximately how far forwards/backwards.

You know what they say, measure twice cut once!

Thanks for the help.

I used Roman and Timmy’s videos. My placement may not be perfect, but here it is.

First, here are the bow placements. They are difficult to measure; however, you can see they are very low and close to the seams and floor.

This is the stern port side. It’s center is approximately 3 inches from the rear seam.

Stern port side again. About 5.5 inches on center from outside edge of deck.

Stern starboard, 3 inches from seam and right to the edge of spraydeck.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need more shots or clarification.

Hi John, thanks for the reply!

Is there a reason you tied in your straps instead of using the ladderlock buckles? Also, my patches are 1" while the straps are 1.5". Is everybody getting 1.5" d-rings on their patches or just stuffing the 1.5" webbing into a 1" d-ring?

Thanks!

I think I have 1.5" buckles and straps.

I tied them in because the ladderlock buckles kept slipping. I still have the quick release and they work fine this way. I did find tonight when I had to get really aggressive they were slipping on me somewhat. I think it is time to move my seat forward and add a little more backrest.

Hi all,

I just installed the thigh straps following Roman’s instructions thoroughly and let it dry for 72hrs before rolling up the raft and taking it for a spin. As I unrolled the raft, I noticed one edge of a patch coming off and I was able to rip it off using my hands. Something definitely went wrong in the gluing process…

EDIT: I managed to peel the incorrectly glued patches off and went through my methodology in my head and realized that after washing with MEK and applying 2 coats of stabond glue, I only heated up the patch side and pressed it onto the boat. Roman’s video makes it seem that you only heat up the patch glue, but I think I must heat both. Can I clean off the boat and patches using the MEK and try again? This time I will use a hair dryer and heat up both the patch and glue and hopefully that will create a good bond.

Thanks!