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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip Clips Are Movable Anchor Points For Tarp

Michael Hodgson Special To Travel

Product: Grip Clip.

Description: Two part plastic clips, comprised of a larger “button hole” piece with a 1/8 inch nylon cord attached and a smaller button-like plug designed to fit inside.

Pro: Using a Grip Clip, you can secure an anchor point at exactly the place you need without worrying about it slipping or popping off - makes grommet holes obsolete. By moving the anchor point, you are able to tightly secure a tarp to anything, including boats, truck beds and RVs, virtually eliminating any annoying flapping that can lead to tearing. The button-like design will not tear fabric, even light fabrics, and you can be sure I tried my utmost to rip and tear an assortment of tarps. Since the Grip Clips will not tear tarps, repeated use of a tarp is possible, even if all the tarp’s original grommets have been torn out or damaged. Easy to use. By using a Grip Clip, the structural stability and tear strength of a tarp is doubled from normal grommets. With four or more clips, you can easily and effectively secure two tarps together.

Con: If I have one quibble, it is the price, but then in this day and age, you do get what you pay for and by all indications, the Grip Clips do deliver durability and function in spades. Still, at more than $4 per package of two, you are talking $20-plus for an effective system that offers versatility and will meet just about every attachment and design need. The light fabric packaging comes with four to a package for approximately $3.50. But the clips are too light in my opinion to be useful for anything more than securing a doily.

Comments: Savvy campers know well the trick of placing a round rock in a corner of a tarp and then tying a rope around the rock and thereby creating a “modified” attachment point that is secure and useful. The trouble is, that method still damaged the tarp. The Grip Clip is a more sophisticated approach to a traditional problem - making a tarp fit your load or design intentions when the grommets are in all the wrong places. Double thumbs up.

Suggested Retail: $4.30 heavy duty; $3.95 general purpose; $3.40 light fabric.

Company: McGillis Products, 2083 Old Middlefield Way, Suite 206, Mountain View, CA 94043; (415) 961-7334.