The Radavist

We’ve compiled a special package from Sklar Bikes plus some of our favorite brands for a November package to one lucky Group Ride Membership supporter…

Austere Manufacturing, the maker of our favorite cargo/cam straps, just announced a solution for your broken cam buckles. The 3/4″ Cam Buckle allows you to replace broken plastic buckles on your favorite outdoor gear without breaking out the bar tacker or sewing machine. Simply press in the locking pin like the Pin Ladder Lock buckle and get on your way. Austere also announced a new Girth Hitch Cam Strap that can be anchored easily to bars of all types. Whether that’s the rack on your cargo bike, Moto-touring rig, or molle panel in your car camper, this strap is super secure.

Check it all out at Austere Manufacturing.

Austere Manufacturing, the makers of our favorite cargo straps for bike tours, car camping, and everything else you’d need a strap for, just announced an earth-tone “tactical” color set for its 1″ ($27.28) and 3/4″ ($26.96) cam buckles. These are in stock and shipping today from Austere’s Washington workshop, where they’re designed, machined, and assembled in-house.

Check out more at Austere.

Some news for our Group Ride Subscribers, we’re giving away an extremely limited run of “RADAVIST” branded straps, so stay tuned here for the details on that!

Last year, John reviewed the all-new Austere Manufacturing Lock Belt ($94) and he even included it in his favorite products of 2023 list. New for 2024, the small Washington state-based manufacturing outfit just announced three new buckle and webbing colors, mixing and matching an olive drab/coyote/black buckle with coyote or black webbing. Roll on over to Austere to mix and match your own combination.

Announced last week but teased for the past month, Austere Manufacturing‘s latest product isn’t a cargo strap or a bag upgrade; it’s a Belt! When Austere sent out a newsletter announcement, John bought one of these neato belts featuring an all-new CNC machined buckle, and he’s been quite pleased with the product. Let’s check out this precision piece of milled beauty below!

We love the products Austere Manufacturing is producing in Northwest Washington state. Uriel Eisen’s clever designs have taken a critical look at items you can buy from hardware stores and injected real engineering into the design process, resulting in more robust, longer-lasting products that operate as well as they look.

We’ve been using the Cam straps for a while now on our bike tours and even in our 4×4 buildouts, but today, we’re checking out Uriel’s latest creation: a 1″ Pin Ladder Lock buckle (stainless pins $16.95 / ti pins $19.85). These are meant to replace the plastic ladder buckles found on your bags and packs that can break out in the backcountry.

John took delivery of some early production 1″ Pin Ladder Lock buckles and put them to work on his trusty Realm Crossbody Pack. Let’s check out the process below!

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

As a cargo connoisseur, I often get swept up in the details, the minutiae, and some might argue, the icing on the cake of bicycle travel. These little details can become centerpieces of a final touring package. While I’ll always carry a few extra Voile straps on a tour, there’s something nice about having cam buckles and nylon webbing for the bigger jobs. One of the things I love about touring is the constant need to strap more crap to your bike. Sometimes, it’s a frozen pizza at a gas station that catches your eye or your wet clothes from that swimming hole. Regardless, having these items securely fastened to your bike is important because no one likes a broken pizza box.

Having a few extra straps can go a long way and while there are dozens of options made in China out there, it’s nice when a small company takes it upon itself to make something as simple as a cam buckle in the USA. Austere Manufacturing first popped up in my Instagram feed earlier this summer. I’m not sure why these tan cam buckles caught my eye ;-) but I immediately bought two pairs; a 3/4″ cam and a 1″ cam with webbing. Since then, I’ve used them to carry everything from a fly rod to camp chairs around on my bike and can honestly say, these buckles are some of my favorite things to come from a small, cottage industry maker.

Let’s check them out in detail below.