Bungee cords

[LeatherneckPA]

WOW!!! Bungee cords are dangerous!! There I was yesterday strapping my two 50lb bags of feed on the back of the motorcycle when I lost my grip on the end of the bungee I was hooking. Just this spring I replaced all of my old metal hook bungees with a new wide strap/plastic hook bungee style. That big ol' plastic hook flew up and hit me right smack dab in the eye. Good thing I was wearing my eyeglasses instead of my contacts. I've always gotten safety glass lenses because of working in the prison. I got two nice cuts in my cheekbone from the hook and the glass frame. And the hook actually fractured my safety lens. Check out the hole in these glasses!!

[W2R]

Wow!! That's amazing.

Be careful, Mike. You only have two eyes, y'know. Maybe some non-elastic straps, with adjustable lengths would be safer, or else twine you could simply tie with knots.

[ls99]

Wow, talk about lucky. Even with bifocals, it is cheaper to replace the lens then eyeball. I too wear safety lenses, just for those weird occasions.

[samclem]

Wow, congrats on dodging that bullet. I've got some of those plastic-hook bungees, but I've got safety concerns with them, too--te ones I've got are adjustable, and the elastic cord tends to work it's way loose and finally slip out, leading to a flying loose cord. Not nearly as bad as a metal hook, but no fun, either.

I try to keep my head away from the likely cord path whenever I'm stretching the things. Kinda like an arresting cable on a carrier deck--plan for failure and don't be in the way.

Stay safe out there!

[Caroline]

Yikes, that was scary!

I refuse to use bungees myself for that very reason -- string or rope and a truckers hitch work just as well without the risk:

How to Tie the Trucker's Hitch Knot | ExpertVillage Videos