Escapees January-February 2023

seatbelt, and the ratcheting and release mechanisms are very smooth. Suddenly, we had no worries that the RZR was going to come loose while we were driving. Even better, whether the RZR was being towed behind the fi fth wheel while traveling from one destination to the next, or was being towed directly behind the truck on our way to a trailhead, we could untie the RZR and be driving it in a matter of minutes. Then, equally effortlessly, we could load the RZR back onto the trailer when we were done exploring and be ready to tow it again. Double-towing with a truck, fi fth wheel and utility trailer was not ideal, however, and after we ended our full-time travels, we purchased a Genesis Supreme open box fi fth-wheel toy hauler for part-time seasonal adventures. The toy hauler’s garage fl oor has D-rings mounted to the trailer frame that are intended for tying down whatever toys you bring along. With an open box fl oor plan, our garage is also our living room (yes, the RZR travels in our living space!), so the permanently mounted Cargo Buckles weren’t suitable. Fortunately, the manufac turer of Cargo Buckles, Immi, makes S-Hook Adapter Straps designed speci fi cally for situations where the Cargo Buckles can’t be permanently mounted. The S-Hook Adapter Strap gets bolted onto the Cargo Buckle creating a single unit that has an open hook at one end, a locking hook on the other end and a ratchet mechanism in the middle. Bolting the pieces together took no time at all and gave us four ratchet straps to tie the RZR to the D-rings in the garage fl oor. The D-rings are not positioned symmetrically in our toy hauler, but we found four that worked well for tying down the RZR, two in the front and two in the back. We towed our toy hauler 4,000 miles this past summer, camping in 43 different campsites, and the RZR was rock solid in the garage on each leg of the trip. The ease of unloading and loading the RZR was a sheer delight, and if we were underway, we had no hesitation with taking a break and unloading the RZR for an hour or two of impromptu exploration before continuing on our way. Perhaps the most impressive testament to the security of this tie-down system was

EMILY ANDMARK FAGAN #99408 traveled full-time by RV and sailboat for 13 years and now enjoy RVing part-time. Emily has written over 200 articles for various RV and sailing magazines, and the Fagans’ photography has appeared on magazine covers, in commercial wall calendars and even in museums! Follow their blog at roadslesstraveled.us. recommend the Cargo Buckle systems highly enough! These slick retractable straps transformed our entire attitude towards bringing our fun little RZR along on our adventures. our drive between Shiprock and Gallup, New Mexico, on US 471. If you can avoid this highway, please do! It is loaded with shallow dips you can’t see as you drive but that sent our rig fl ying any time we were going faster than 50 mph. When we fi nally got to our destination, we were fl oored to fi nd that the RZR hadn’t budged and the Cargo Buckles were all still completely secure. The cooler that we keep tied down in the back of the RZR was another story, however. Even though it was tightly secured to the RZR with good quality line, it jumped clear out of the RZR on one of those fl ying dips and was dangling off the back end! If you have to tie down anything in your travels, whether it’s a side-by-side, ATV, motorcycle or boat, and whether you’ll be tying it down inside a toy hauler garage or on a fl atbed trailer or boat trailer, we can’t

In a toy hauler garage equipped with fl oor-mounted D-rings, the cargo buckles are paired with S-hook adapter straps instead of being permanently mounted.

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January/February 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine