"Hook and Loop" Closure -- Open Fast or Slow?
 

So that "hook and loop" closure stuff popularized by Velcro is everywhere now. It's very handy; I especially like the way it's used on my gloves. However, there are times when I need to open something secured with it and am faced with a dilemma.

Do you rip it open quick? It makes way too much noise, but it's over quickly.

Or do you open it slowly? It makes less racket, but over a much longer period of time.

Interesting question..

velcrow
 

I try to avoid anything with hook and loop on it. I try to buy all my hunting cloths with buttons on the front and pockets.Packs i stay with draw strings. I avoid nylon jackets, I like wool backed by gore tex. The more quite you are the better your kill ratio will be.

This is true. The part I didn't put in the OP was this:

I avoid pants and shirts that use hook and loop like the plague. I prefer buttons for my pockets, and buttons or zipper for my fly. However, a couple of my really super handy pouches do have it, and so do my gloves. I love those gloves, and I can't really see how they could do without hook and loop on the wrist. But the problem is that I do have to take them off from time to time, especially to operate the buttons on my pants or to run my phone.

If you are so close that a deer (or whatever) might hear you pull off some Velcro shouldn't the deer already be dead if it's going to be?

I don't use gear with Velcro except for specific pockets/pouches where I won't need the items stored inside until AFTER the animal is dead.

My policy USED to be that "fast is louder than slow". If you rub your finger through the Velcro, you can make it so quiet that a person 5ft away can't hear it, so I figure that's good for a deer to at least 25yrds. Fast rips are LOUD.

I've cut Velcro out of many items and either sewn on buttons, riveted in snaps, side-release buckles, etc. For some flaps, sewn in magnets work quite nicely.

For some items, I simply cover the hook part with duct tape except for a few teeth at the end. These are easy to pop silently, and go quickly, but hold well enough to keep the flap from blowing in the wind.

But yeah, eliminating Velcro like the plague is my policy.

Agree! I have one jacket that has velcro on the sleeve cuffs. Once I put it on and secure no need to touch. I rarely wear that jacket though.