Velcro is a marvelous product- in a clean environment. I've found that in snow it quickly becomes totally clogged. In most other conditions, I find timely cleaning sufficient for hard use. I love velcro for the ease of use, not a small factor in some situations.Then again, I had a velcro strip give way and deposit valued gear on the trail with a sarcastic mule deciding to moonwalk at the same moment.