Support American Whitewater! support unicef

[please login to make this ad block disappear]

Independent Review: Original Lasso Kayak Lock

lasso-security-cables-reviewAn independent Playak review of the ‘Original Lasso Kayak Lock’.

Intro

Kayak life was careless in the past, in the Lowlands. I didn’t worry about leaving my sea kayak unattended. I couldn’t imagine anyone would ever steal such a long (over 5 meter) unmanageable object . I believed there wouldn’t be criminal interest for such a specialized piece of equipment like a sea kayak. That was what I thought first when I received the Lasso Kayak Lock for this review.

On second thought: naivety is an expensive hobby. As kayaking is increasing in popularity in the Netherlands and kayaks are getting more expensive, I’d better pay more attention where I leave my stuff. Locking the kayak might not be too bad an idea!

The Lock

The Lasso Kayak Lock by Lasso Security Cables is a vinyl coated steel cable in the shape of 2 loops connected by an integrated lock in the middle. The overall length of the cable is about 5 meters, the size of the loops is about 1 meter. The cable diameter of the plastic coated cable is 9,5 mm. The diameter of the steel inner core of the cable is about 7 mm (this is a guess because I didn’t want to damage the lock). The cable nicely coils away in a compact stuff sack. The weight of the complete Lasso kayak Lock system is 1360 grams. The integrated lock itself is a combination lock that works with a re-settable 4 digit code.

lasso3

In Action

The concept of the Lasso Kayak Lock is that you first strap your boat to the roof rack on top of the car, put one loop over the bow of the kayak, the other loop over the stern, make sure that one part of the cable is running under the roof rack and then finish by connecting both ends together with the combination lock. This sounds more complicated than it is: the whole operation is simple and done within a wink. It works with any single touring kayak and probably also with most double kayaks (Lasso provides variations of the lock with wider loops for tandem kayaks, sit-on-tops, fishing kayaks). When you use the Lasso lock on a shorter or a narrower kayak, you just wrap the cable an extra time around the roof rack or around the hull of the kayak to get the slack out of the system. Because the Lasso Lock secures the entire hull of the kayak to the rack, the kayak itself doesn’t need to be equipped with any special attachment points. The plastic coating of the lock prevents car and kayak from being scratched. I don’t advise however to drive you car at high speeds when the kayak lock is installed: a bit of slack is always in the system and the lock is quit heavy. I don’t want to have the lock bouncing on the hull of the kayak (or on the roof of the car). And of course: when you lock the boat to the roof rack, the roof rack needs to be locked to your car. Otherwise it would be to simple to unscrew the roof rack and slide the cable off your boat…

lasso1

The Lasso Kayak Lock is primarily designed to lock a kayak to a car’s roof rack, but you can lock the kayak to any other fixed immovable object (like a tree, fence, lamppost, …) as well of course. The length of the cable makes it a very versatile piece of equipment: during this review the Lasso was used to lock up multiple bicycles, motorcycles and camping chairs.

lasso2

Conclusion

The Lasso Kayak Lock proved to be a well thought out, handy locking system for touring kayaks. It works with any kayak, without the need of any adaptation of the boat. The system is fast and easy to use and there are no pieces to get lost. With the combination lock you don’t have to worry about keys getting lost (just remember a 4 digit number – you can choose yourself).

lasso

Finally a note about the security (any) lock offers. We didn’t do a destructive test and we didn’t try to cut/break or demolish the lock. A well-equipped professional thief breaks a 7 mm steel cable within minutes. Anyway: when a thief wants to steal your kayak, he will find a way. But most thieves go for the easiest way. The chances are good that the simple fact that your kayak is solidly locked, will make them choose an easier target. Common sense is essential for preventing theft: preferably leave the kayak in a visible and well lit area, lock it to a solid object, don’t lock it in the same location all the time (a thief may notice the pattern and target your kayak), etc., etc.  Having said this: buying a solid lock is a good investment: the cost of the lock is close to nothing compared to the value of your kayak!

For Playak,
Hans Heupink

See full product details in the Playak Buyers Guide

Login to post here

dbriggsc2 added a video. 1 hour 14 minutes ago

89Worlds K1W Myriam Fox Jerusalmi Dana Chladek...

Video by dale briggs footage Featuring Myriam Jerusalmi (Fox) Dana Chlagek Cathy Hearn 89Worlds K1W Awards Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi 1st Dana Chladek 2nd...

danejackson added a video. 2 hours 25 minutes ago

#BARRELED #2020

PRS added a video. 7 hours 31 minutes ago

Safety Tape vs Snake Sling vs Cobra Sling

We check out the differences between the Palm Equipment Safety Tape, Snake Sling and Corba Sling. Which one are you taking in your pocket?...

EJ added a video. 9 hours 53 minutes ago

EJ’s non-fishing Fishing day

Sometimes the fishing isn’t the experience. This was one of those days. It was still a great day on the water. Made a new friend too. #ericjackson...

aztronsports added a video. 11 hours 33 minutes ago

Soak up the sun worry-free with our Papillon...

Whether you’re catching waves or relaxing on the beach, our quick-dry fabric offers full UPF 50+ UV protection. Tailored for warm water adventures,...

supzero added a video. 13 hours 4 minutes ago

Paddling For Life: Tomás Lacerda NSP Team Rider...

If you love Stand Up Paddling, subscribe to our channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/Totalsup?sub_confirmation=1 -------------------------------------...

supzero added a video. yesterday

EMPOWERED WOMEN, EMPOWER WOMEN

paul.robertson added a video. yesterday

Palm Groms go to Galway Fest

We had a blast at Galway Fest recently, showing up in full force with our team paddlers and crew of Palm Groms from our mentorship programme. Thanks...

Surfrider Foundation
See the AUP for our Acceptable Use Policy and a Privacy Statement. Verein Playak is responsible for all editorial content on this site (including all graphics). No part of this site may be duplicated in any way without explicit permission from Verein Playak. Verein Playak takes great care to only publish original content, but since part of the content is user generated, we cannot always guarantee this 100%. If you notice any copyright violations, please let the editors know through the contact form and they will take appropriate action immediately. As a news and information platform, we republish small text snippets and thumbnail images, but always link to original content on other sites, and thus aim to adhere to a 'Fair Use' policy. If you believe we violate this policy in any particular case, please contact us directly and we'll take appropriate action immediately.