Wood + Ratcheting Tie Down = Ladder Perfect For City Folk

About this time last year, I bought a new house. The new place has ceilings that are 12-feet tall in some rooms. The company who designed the AC system must have thought it would be funny to put the place where filters go on the 12-foot ceiling, which meant my 6-foot stepladder was no good. I don't own a truck so when it came time to buy that new 10-foot stepladder so I could change the filter I ended up driving down the highway, with the top down on my convertible, trying to hold a 10-foot ladder with one hand and shift gears at the same time.

You always hear about designing a better mousetrap, but what about designing a better ladder? This ladder concept is actually cool, and looks like something you could whip up yourself. The thing uses one of those ratcheting motorcycle tie downs and a couple pieces of wood. When you need to carry the ladder somewhere or store it, the ladder comes apart easily.

The tie down works like a handle for carrying it around and keeps the thing from falling apart when you are at the top. The downside to the design is that it's one of those ladders that needs to lean on something, not a stepladder. Still, the design is cool and the thing is a great idea.