The ubiquitous bungee cord has been re-invented to be a much more useful tie-down strap that will also cause less damage to items that need restraining.

The CamJam is an easy, knot-free way to tighten, tension and secure lighter and fragile loads of all kinds in the back of a car, caravan, motor-home or even on a boat. It also has lots of uses for camping or securing items around the home or office.

A traditional bungee comes in set lengths and they can cause damage to delicate items when stretched tight, but the CanJam is more versatile, according to its importer Griffith Equipment, which has just introduced them to the New Zealand market.

The CanJam features a strong cord that attaches to a pair of sturdy and durable carabiner clips with a stainless steel gate on one end and a rotating, ridged cam mechanism on the other.

Designed to lock into place with a simple pull of a cord the CanJam can be fastened onto a hook, D-ring, or loop and then the cord is fed through the cam until the desired level of tension is reached. A firm pull locks the cam into place and it stays that way until released by rotating the cam.

Easy to adjust and re-adjust, the CamJam is made to use and re-use hundreds of times, in hundreds of ways. It’s excellent for hanging and securing tarps, tents, blinds, gear (perfect for camping). Create a loop by clipping it to one end of the cord and pulling the other end through to bundle sleeping bags, blankets, cut brush, or wrap light loads to wheelbarrows, wagons, dollies, bikes and boats.

They are a simple, yet effective means of securing lighter and fragile loads and they are very strong and because you can set the tension, it provides a much better solution for securing items without causing damage, which can happen with rubber bungee cords.

The CanJam has been developed by American company Nit Ize, which was responsible for the S-biner carabiner clip that was launched in New Zealand by Griffith Equipment last year for use in clippings keys or other small items to a belt or bag.

The CanJam is available here in a single clip pack or a double clip pack with 2.74 metres (8 feet) of 2mm or 5mm cord from automotive retail outlets throughout New Zealand.