The challenge of finding a quick connect/quick release buckle for the Sked® has finally been met. Skedco now has the Austrian made Skedco/Cobra side release buckles that are dependable and strong enough to meet the needs of securing a patient into a Sked® stretcher without the danger of breakage. These buckles are rated at 3 thousand pounds. They are durable and easy to use. When they are under tension they are very hard to release thus accidental release under tension is not an issue. With these buckles you will no longer have to weave the webbing through the buckles when packaging a patient. Patient packaging is often done in about half of the time as when using the original steel buckles. Because of the cost of the buckles they are offered as a special order on new Sked®s and as a retrofit kit for Sked®s you already have. You do, however, get everything you pay for with these buckles. They dramatically speed up the patient packaging because of the ease of using them.