The ladder lock buckle is usually used on backpacks. These buckles allow you to adjust the strap length so the backpack sits comfortably on every body size and shape.
Important: Right and wrong side of the ladder lock buckle
A ladder lock buckle has 3 threading holes and 2 bars and has a right and wrong side.
To make sure you thread the webbing through the buckle correctly, you first need to determine the right and wrong sides. Threaded correctly ensures that the strap length remains adjustable when needed while locking automatically.
When laying a ladder buckle in front of you, you will see a ‘tongue’ part at the bottom and 3 horizontal bars on top of it. The first and the second bar are usually ribbed. This is to help ‘lock’ the webbing when you do not want it to move.
The buckle’s right side is the side on which the lower bar (near the tongue) is raised compared to the top bar.
This buckle is the connection between two parts of your webbing. On top, we have a short fixed part. The longer and adjustable strap will be threaded through the bottom part.
It is essential to finish the ends to prevent fraying when using webbing.
This can be done with a zig-zag stitch by burning the ends (if most of the webbing consists of polypropylene) or folding down the end.
To thread the fixed part:
- Hold the buckle with the ‘tongue’ part towards you and the right side up (see photo)
- Thread the webbing into the top hole, from the wrong side of the buckle to the right side of the buckle, and then around that second bar back towards the wrong side.
- Pull the webbing 2 inches (5cm) and clip or hold it in place.
Topstitch along the buckle so that it does not have too much room to move.
This little top part of now done. You can sew it where you want it on the bag. Very often, it’s stitched on top of a fabric padded shoulder strap.
Threading the adjustable part of the webbing
This part will often be sewn on your bag, so it’s extra essential that you do not twist your straps. The benefit is that you can check and double-check before making it irreversible.
Thread the free end of the webbing through the centre hole, from the wrong side of the buckle to the right side of the buckle.
Then thread the webbing around the lower bar into the lower hole and under the tongue.
Once you check that the strap is not twisted, make the end thicker than the size of the hole by simply folding the end of the webbing double and stitching it with a zig-zag stitch or plain topstitching. This will ensure when you lengthen the strap to the maximum, your webbing doesn’t accidentally come off the lower bar of your buckle.
When needed you can easily adjust the length of your strap by lifting the tongue and adjusting the length of your webbing.
Ladder buckles sometimes go with the name ladder locks, ladder adjusters or strap adjusters.
At Serial Bagmakers, we have metal buckles in 7 finishes: Matt Black, Gunmetal, Antique Gold, Antique Brass, Brushed Brass, Rose Gold, Nickel, Warm Gold, and Rainbow.