Velcro alternatives for 3rd Row Seat Straps? (2 Viewers)

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The Velcro on on of my 3rd row seat straps is worn out and not holding anymore. Obviously, I can use a stitch-ripper to remove it, and a sewing machine to sew new Velcro in place. However, it will eventually wear out again.

I've seen people on here talking about using snaps on the strap instead, but those aren't adjustable, so as things stretch over time, the strap might become loose again. Toyota used Velcro for a reason, I'm guessing. I suppose I could install multiple snaps, close together, like the holes on a belt, to allow adjustment in the future.

Does anyone have any experience with alternatives to Velcro that don't wear out? Maybe Dual Lock or Duotec? The "loop" (fuzzy) part is what wears out. These alternatives have mushroom-shaped hooks that connect to each other, so there are no fuzzy loops to wear out.

BUT.... has anyone seen a sewable version of these Velcro alternatives? I wouldn't want to trust pressure-sensitive adhesive in this application.

Maybe like this stuff, which has a plain back, and can be sewn on?


Oh, another question is how flexible this stuff is, because the straps get rolled up for stowage...
 
Cam buckles are a great idea! I was thinking of putting some sort of spring-loaded clamp mid-strap, like what you might use to hold a potato chip bag closed, but I thought it would look cheesy. Cam buckles would look good.

Do you have a link for a suggested make/model of buckle that works well? Or for what you used?


"Passage 2: Back From the Grave" is slated to be released on April 1, 2021. Instead of being 5 minutes long and costing $1, it will be 5 hours long and cost $50.
 
Cam buckles are a great idea! I was thinking of putting some sort of spring-loaded clamp mid-strap, like what you might use to hold a potato chip bag closed, but I thought it would look cheesy. Cam buckles would look good.

Do you have a link for a suggested make/model of buckle that works well? Or for what you used?


"Passage 2: Back From the Grave" is slated to be released on April 1, 2021. Instead of being 5 minutes long and costing $1, it will be 5 hours long and cost $50.
You're awesome.

For cam buckles, there are more bad ones on the market than I care to admit I'm aware of. You will not be disappointed with these but I'm not sure if the width is appropriate for the third row:

 
You're awesome.

For cam buckles, there are more bad ones on the market than I care to admit I'm aware of. You will not be disappointed with these but I'm not sure if the width is appropriate for the third row:

After seeing this post I pulled a NRS loop strap I had and what do you know it fit. I removed all the velcro parts, removed the metal button stopper, removed all of the sewing that prevented the OEM plastic spring hook from coming off. Loop the cam buckle around the grab handle then pull the OEM strap through the cam buckle and pull to tighten. The blue NRS strap bugged me because it's a different color than the factory strap so I bought grey one's online. Only one of mine were bad but I did the same thing to the other side so they match.
 
After seeing this post I pulled a NRS loop strap I had and what do you know it fit. I removed all the velcro parts, removed the metal button stopper, removed all of the sewing that prevented the OEM plastic spring hook from coming off. Loop the cam buckle around the grab handle then pull the OEM strap through the cam buckle and pull to tighten. The blue NRS strap bugged me because it's a different color than the factory strap so I bought grey one's online. Only one of mine were bad but I did the same thing to the other side so they match.
The Velcro on on of my 3rd row seat straps is worn out and not holding anymore. Obviously, I can use a stitch-ripper to remove it, and a sewing machine to sew new Velcro in place. However, it will eventually wear out again.

I've seen people on here talking about using snaps on the strap instead, but those aren't adjustable, so as things stretch over time, the strap might become loose again. Toyota used Velcro for a reason, I'm guessing. I suppose I could install multiple snaps, close together, like the holes on a belt, to allow adjustment in the future.

Does anyone have any experience with alternatives to Velcro that don't wear out? Maybe Dual Lock or Duotec? The "loop" (fuzzy) part is what wears out. These alternatives have mushroom-shaped hooks that connect to each other, so there are no fuzzy loops to wear out.

BUT.... has anyone seen a sewable version of these Velcro alternatives? I wouldn't want to trust pressure-sensitive adhesive in this application.

Maybe like this stuff, which has a plain back, and can be sewn on?


Oh, another question is how flexible this stuff is, because the straps get rolled up for stowage...
Ran into the same problem with the Velcro wearing out on my straps for stowing the third row seats. I could not find (or perhaps just figure out) a cam buckle solution so instead found some snaps in the bulk section at my local Ace Hardware. For under $4 I think I've found a workable solution. I haven't removed the old Velcro yet but will soon.
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Hmm... that looks like a solution!

Though I do worry that it will get loose over time as the strap continues to stretch, and it's not adjustable.

I did end up buying the cam buckles recommended above. They are very nice, high-quality buckles. However, I never got the strap to squeeze through. I would have to unstitch the tail of the strap AND remove the little black "stop" pin on the strap, which is too much surgery for an experiment.

So I'm still living with loose straps. I'll eventually buy some replacement velcro and plop the sewing machine down in the rear section of the vehicle.
 
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Hmm... that looks like a solution!

Though I do worry that it will get lose over time as the strap continues to stretch, and it's not adjustable.

I did end up buying the cam buckles recommended above. They are very nice, high-quality buckles. However, I never got the strap to squeeze through. I would have to unstitch the tail of the strap AND remove the little black "stop" pin on the strap, which is too much surgery for an experiment.

So I'm still living with loose straps. I'll eventually buy some replacement velcro and plop the sewing machine down in the rear section of the vehicle.
I do share your concern about them getting loose over time. Hopefully it takes a while! One thing in my favor is that I only run with the seats in the back some of the time. If I know my wife won't need to ferry a bunch of kids around I will remove the seats and store them in the garage.
 
Yeah, that's an excellent idea as well about the seats.

I'm just worried that, out of sight, out of mind if they sit in my garage for too long... that they'll eventually get ruined somehow. They're currently in excellent condition. Like... what if a mouse digs into the foam to make a nest?

Needless to say, we almost never use the extra seats... which is why I'd worry that they'd languish to ruin in the garage!

I guess I love my LX470 an irrational amount.
 
I'm just worried that, out of sight, out of mind if they sit in my garage for too long... that they'll eventually get ruined somehow. They're currently in excellent condition. Like... what if a mouse digs into the foam to make a nest?

I put mouse poison near the seats in my garage, hoping the mice find it more appealing than the seats.
 

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