Aerial Straps and Loops
(Standard sizes and colors available to order online OR complete the Custom Order Form for more options.
We use webbing with nylon fibers woven into a cotton cover. The cotton provides comfort and the nylon provides strength. Our standard aerial straps are 2 inches wide (1/8" shrinkage on dyed straps) and certified Minimum Breaking Strength 2900 lbs (see certification document at bottom of page) which makes them a great beginner and intermediate level training and performance strap. Please note that all Aerial Animal strap products are custom made to your specifications and may require fabrication turn-around times of up to 2 weeks. If you require expedited service, please contact us. Read the "Know Your Straps" section below before making a purchase. Note: Aerial Animals is one of the few US fabricators to carry product liability insurance. Ask- don't assume other circus equipment companies have this. It adds 16% to our costs.
We use webbing with nylon fibers woven into a cotton cover. The cotton provides comfort and the nylon provides strength. Our standard aerial straps are 2 inches wide (1/8" shrinkage on dyed straps) and certified Minimum Breaking Strength 2900 lbs (see certification document at bottom of page) which makes them a great beginner and intermediate level training and performance strap. Please note that all Aerial Animal strap products are custom made to your specifications and may require fabrication turn-around times of up to 2 weeks. If you require expedited service, please contact us. Read the "Know Your Straps" section below before making a purchase. Note: Aerial Animals is one of the few US fabricators to carry product liability insurance. Ask- don't assume other circus equipment companies have this. It adds 16% to our costs.
Other Options:
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Leather Covered Hand Loops - add $50
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Self Cinching Hand Loops - no extra charge
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Adjustable Straps - Add $55 for silver and $70 for black
(Tri-Fly not included deltas not included) |
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Let us know if you have an idea that you would like to try!
Pricing
Straps: $190 for 8 ft. + $5 each additional foot. See below for dying charges. Shipping is included in price for online orders.
Aerial Loops: 8 ft includes the attachment loop and seam making the opening or working space on an 8 ft set of straps about 7 ft 4 inches. Custom lengths available. Add $10 per foot for lengths over 8 ft. Shipping is included in price for online orders.
Straps: $190 for 8 ft. + $5 each additional foot. See below for dying charges. Shipping is included in price for online orders.
Aerial Loops: 8 ft includes the attachment loop and seam making the opening or working space on an 8 ft set of straps about 7 ft 4 inches. Custom lengths available. Add $10 per foot for lengths over 8 ft. Shipping is included in price for online orders.
Straps in Fun Colors!
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Aerial Animals straps are now available in scarlet red, cardinal red,oxblood red, black, deep purple, Burgundy, eggplant, red fuchsia, dragon fruit, forest green, moss green, Cerulean blue, navy, midnight blue, cobalt blue, teal blue,turquoise, emerald green, timber wolf grey, and potentially other colors. The base color of the webbing is tan, so I can't do off-white. All straps are dyed by hand using Procion dyes. This is a time-consuming endeavor - I plan on 4 hours minimum. I am happy to tell you how to do this yourself! $25 charge for dyeing. $35 for black, turquoise, emerald green and some other colors. Red, midnight blue, deep purple colors are consistent. Many of the blues like cerulean blue and teal vary in shades and uniformity when we dye and don't always look like the supplier's color chart. Colors, especially black, will fade with use. I recommend you hand-wash your straps periodically and dry them with weights hanging on them.
Straps Hardware Click here for more information about straps rigging hardware - Tri-Fly, Bi-Fly and Tri-Fly Lite
Tri-Fly
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Tri-Fly side view
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Know Your Straps - Strength Ratings and Signs of When to Retire or Replace Your Straps
We’ve made over 750 sets of straps since 2012. Our webbing manufacturer quotes a 2400 lb breaking strength. I consulted with an expert hand gliding / parachute harness maker to design a stitch pattern to yield 3200 lbs. on our seams. In 2016 our straps were certified at 2900 lbs. See document below.
January 2014, I had destruction tests done by Delbert Hall from D2 Flying Effects and he found the cotton covering started to break around 1200 lbs and the nylon started to fail around 1700 lbs. The nylon stretched about 12 inches before any of the nylon fibers broke. We did not see catastrophic failure. Delbert found the dye did not affect the breaking strength. In 2015, we repeated the test on a set of straps which were heavily used for performing and teaching for over two years. They also failed between 1700 and 1800 lbs. In August 2016, we tested a set of straps which were used for over 3 years in studio conditions. These straps showed excessive wear with much of the cotton cover worn away and the nylon fibers exposed and flattened. In test conditions, they stretched over three feet before the nylon fibers started to break at 1200 lbs. We did not see catastrophic failure like we have seen with cotton only straps. I can't fully explain the discrepancy between 2900 and 1700 lbs. Note that these destruction numbers reflect a single strap not a set of straps.
Care: You rely on your straps and you don’t have backup. Inspect your straps before each use. If you see any sign of the cotton tearing as in the photo above, quit using the straps immediately and contact me. Note: the nylon provides the structural integrity and the cotton cover provides comfort (much like a climbing rope with core and sheath). So even though the cotton doesn't affect the overall strength, it is still an indicator of wear. The straight seam at the bottom is cosmetic and not structural. The criss-cross seams provide the structural integrity of the seam. If your straps are fraying at the end, trim the loose threads and use a seam sealant like Fray Check to secure the edge. Store straps loosely coiled in a place with some circulating air. My daughter left a set in her locker at school and they molded. You can and should wash your straps. It will extend the life of the straps. If they have been dyed, the color may bleed. Wash your straps in a bucket of warm water with detergent and rinse well. Hang to dry with weights on the ends to even out the straps. You can wash the leather reinforcements on the ends.
We recommend retiring straps after two years or 1500 hours of use. Sooner if you do a lot of dynamic work and big drops. Frequency and intensity of use, the environment in which they were used, and how they were stored, all affect the safe, usable life of your straps. In most industrial applications and sports like rock climbing, best practices recommend retiring soft goods after five years regardless of signs of wear. Since January 2017, all our straps are marked with serial number. The first two numbers are the month they were manufactured and the next four the year. I also have detailed sales records. Contact me if you want to know how old your Aerial Animals straps are.
There have been tragic accidents on straps due to increased level of difficult tricks, lack of industry standards, lack of user awareness or personal responsibility, and lack of basic safety procedures. None of the accidents were on my straps. But, I have no control over what happens to my straps once they leave my shop. I would be devastated if someone was hurt on my straps even if my straps weren't at fault. I will be working with artists and fabricators to make high-level straps safer. Please contact me to learn more and be part of the solution. Know how much force you generate in high-level moves. Note when someone is learning a new move, they may generate more force doing it wrong than one would expect. Be safe, be responsible, take care of your equipment, have adequate health insurance to cover a catastrophic accident and make sure your straps fabricator posts a legitimate straps break test certification and has product liability insurance. Most US fabricators do not.
January 2014, I had destruction tests done by Delbert Hall from D2 Flying Effects and he found the cotton covering started to break around 1200 lbs and the nylon started to fail around 1700 lbs. The nylon stretched about 12 inches before any of the nylon fibers broke. We did not see catastrophic failure. Delbert found the dye did not affect the breaking strength. In 2015, we repeated the test on a set of straps which were heavily used for performing and teaching for over two years. They also failed between 1700 and 1800 lbs. In August 2016, we tested a set of straps which were used for over 3 years in studio conditions. These straps showed excessive wear with much of the cotton cover worn away and the nylon fibers exposed and flattened. In test conditions, they stretched over three feet before the nylon fibers started to break at 1200 lbs. We did not see catastrophic failure like we have seen with cotton only straps. I can't fully explain the discrepancy between 2900 and 1700 lbs. Note that these destruction numbers reflect a single strap not a set of straps.
Care: You rely on your straps and you don’t have backup. Inspect your straps before each use. If you see any sign of the cotton tearing as in the photo above, quit using the straps immediately and contact me. Note: the nylon provides the structural integrity and the cotton cover provides comfort (much like a climbing rope with core and sheath). So even though the cotton doesn't affect the overall strength, it is still an indicator of wear. The straight seam at the bottom is cosmetic and not structural. The criss-cross seams provide the structural integrity of the seam. If your straps are fraying at the end, trim the loose threads and use a seam sealant like Fray Check to secure the edge. Store straps loosely coiled in a place with some circulating air. My daughter left a set in her locker at school and they molded. You can and should wash your straps. It will extend the life of the straps. If they have been dyed, the color may bleed. Wash your straps in a bucket of warm water with detergent and rinse well. Hang to dry with weights on the ends to even out the straps. You can wash the leather reinforcements on the ends.
We recommend retiring straps after two years or 1500 hours of use. Sooner if you do a lot of dynamic work and big drops. Frequency and intensity of use, the environment in which they were used, and how they were stored, all affect the safe, usable life of your straps. In most industrial applications and sports like rock climbing, best practices recommend retiring soft goods after five years regardless of signs of wear. Since January 2017, all our straps are marked with serial number. The first two numbers are the month they were manufactured and the next four the year. I also have detailed sales records. Contact me if you want to know how old your Aerial Animals straps are.
There have been tragic accidents on straps due to increased level of difficult tricks, lack of industry standards, lack of user awareness or personal responsibility, and lack of basic safety procedures. None of the accidents were on my straps. But, I have no control over what happens to my straps once they leave my shop. I would be devastated if someone was hurt on my straps even if my straps weren't at fault. I will be working with artists and fabricators to make high-level straps safer. Please contact me to learn more and be part of the solution. Know how much force you generate in high-level moves. Note when someone is learning a new move, they may generate more force doing it wrong than one would expect. Be safe, be responsible, take care of your equipment, have adequate health insurance to cover a catastrophic accident and make sure your straps fabricator posts a legitimate straps break test certification and has product liability insurance. Most US fabricators do not.
Certification Document
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