this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2024
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Reusable zip ties, goddammit! Regular zip ties are useful once in awhile, but the fact that you need to cut them makes them impractical for many applications.
But the reusable ones, which you can fasten and unfasten with equal ease? Holy shit. I use these bad boys ALL. THE. TIME.
For starters, just think about the cords, ropes, cables, and wires in your life. You have a great many of them, and they are probably a mess. ZIP TIES. Wrap an extension cord or laptop charger up in a loop, pinch it together, and zip it up. And that's just for starters.
Sleeping bags? Blankets? Towels? ZIP. TIES. Roll and zip them and they will pack down much smaller than just rolling them alone, and they won't come unrolled, making packing/storing way the hell easier. I can keep going.
Most applications where you might use an elastic band are actually better with Z I P T I E S. Need something squeezed tightly, like the aforementioned sleeping bag? Zip ties ratchet down tighter than an elastic band can. Need something secured gently, like a bag of chips? An elastic will crush your delicate chips, but a zip tie can hold the bag closed with gentle pressure bespoke and delicate. With zip ties, YOU are in control. They last longer and are much more resistant to temperature and sunlight than elastic bands too, so you can use them in the freezer or outdoors or wherever and they will outlive you.
Get yourself or a loved one a bag of 100 for like $5 right now. Hand them out to children on Halloween. Offer them as gifts to friends and acquaintances new and old. They will change your life and theirs. Reusable zip ties.
I'd like to hire you into our sales team.
Kidnapping? ZIP. TIES.
I hate zip ties with a passion. I hate the reusable ones too. My go to is velcro. Get a big roll and cut it to size. Reusable even if you make it too short.
I own reusable cable ties, and you made me want to go and buy more
YES! I a roll recently to get the cables behind my desk up and away from my feet. (Jerking cables out of their jacks sideways is bad for today's crap hardware.) AND no more rats' nesting.
(Too bad I never found a desk with a cable gutter along the back. Wud be great for a bunch of heavy audio/midi cables.)
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Electronics-Cable-Management-Raceways/N-5yc1vZc65f
add your own cable gutter
Whoa! Thanks for the pointer, I never saw one. (Don't get to HD much these days.)
I'll add that on farms, zip ties have joined baling string and duct tape as essential this is to have on hand to quickly fix whatever broke and hold together new fabrications.
But, maybe don't give zip ties to children.
I read this in Billy Mays's voice.
Are you referring to Velcro cable ties, or are there reusable plastic ones?
Reusable plastic ones! The Velcro kind are neat too, for some applications, but the plastic ones are amazing.
These are ones I've purchased in the past, although this particular one is bizarrely expensive at the moment. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0834ZF5SZ
I've been giving the reusable zip-ties and the Velcro cable ties out, together as presents, for the last few years. It is something I would love to have been given. (Usually with some other present too)
Yeah OP I'm going to need a good link now.
I've been very happy with these ones, but the price right now is outrageous for some reason. If I was buying more today, I'd look for cheaper.
If you try hard enough normal ones are reusable too...
How big do these zip ties get that can hold down a sleeping bag? Must be gargantuan.
That's the neat thing-- For a sleeping bag, you just zip three of them together!
But are the zip ties wide enough?
I guess it depends on the application, but for sleeping bags, towels, etc., they work great. I use two loops.
For those trying to move away from plastic I recommend buying some hemp cord and learning to tie a taut line hitch. It can serve a similar purpose as a zip tie
Please comment with your favorite knots
That's gonna be bowline and taut line hitch from me, friend! I'm zip ties for life, but they're not gonna hold my hammock up.
Bowline is a great knot. Definitely my go to for making loops and linking small lengths of cord together. I've even used it on a blanket to create tie outs to insulate the bottom of my hammock.
Nice-- I just use spring clamps to attach blankets to my hammock lol... But I bet rope would be better in a few ways.