# Travel >> Travel Preparation >> General Travel Prep

How to Secure a Lashing Strap

Keep large personal belongings safe during transportation using lashing or ratchet straps to prevent objects from slipping or moving around, causing unwanted damage. Lashing straps secure items in place, using a ratchet system to quickly and efficiently tighten the strap with less effort than pull straps. Safely secure your furniture and heavy boxes with lashing straps to keep your mind at ease during the moving process.

Instructions

- 1
  Place the loose end of the ratchet strap into the slot drum of the buckle. Pull the strap through the buckle.
- 2
  Place the lashing strap around the object or objects you want to secure. Center the buckle on the object so the handle is easily accessible and facing outward. This gives you room to tighten the strap using the ratchet handle. Pull on the loose end of the strap to fit the size of the object. Leave a few inches, roughly the size of a tennis ball, to allow slack for the ratchet to wrap the strap around the drum.
- 3
  Open and close the strap several times to tighten the strap, using the ratchet system until the object is tightly secured in place.