Leash in the way

[covesurfer]

Pono's waist leash comes with several other fashion accessories, all available from KooksRKool.com

Try pairing your waist leash with some colorful knee high compression socks, color coordinated compression sleeves and some sleek boardies. Hats are optional, but available. I think there may be a package deal. The surfing model waist leash is very popular this year in the BigKooks on BigWaves department. Oh, there is a package that comes with lifetime lifeguard escorting for downwinders too.

[WhatsSUP]

Hey, he's wearing a Pat's hat so its ALL good!  One accessory such as that brings it all together and makes it right! 

 

Styling!

[PonoBill]

_

Is that the precursor to the leashless leash and the shaftless paddle? The replyless reply.

[PonoBill]

Hey, he's wearing a Pat's hat so its ALL good!  One accessory such as that brings it all together and makes it right! 

 

Styling!

My sister sent it to me so I'd know who to root for. That's the big round ball, right? Or is it the puck?

[pdxmike]

_

Is that the precursor to the leashless leash and the shaftless paddle? The replyless reply.

If he'd put that there after you posted your fashion photo, he might have been saying you looked dashing.

[Bulky]

_

Is that the precursor to the leashless leash and the shaftless paddle? The replyless reply.

If he'd put that there after you posted your fashion photo, he might have been saying you looked dashing.

Nope.  For some reason my previous response double posted as I was flipping between screens on my computer.  It wasn't as funny when I read it twice but I couldn't figure out how to delete an entire posting.  I could only edit by deleting all the text but then found I couldn't save an empty post.  Insert dash.  Kind of says it all.

[Eagle]

We just attach a loop around the PFD webbing - and that seems to work ok.  The plastic buckle seems beefy enough on our PFDs.  We worry more about the board to leash connection breaking or the velcro letting go.  Most times we do not go out in conditions that extreme where the buckle could ever snap on a DW.  But having a separate waist belt would be safer.  If in very rough conditions - redundancy and failsafes are probably good ideas.   

[PonoBill]

The "wimpy buckle" is probably rated at a few hunderd pounds of pull, but who among us hasn't broken one. I'd do a backup with Velcro if that was all I was going to use.

[coldsup]

There's the Leashlok, the Ralph belt and the Haley......which one is the best or are they all good? The Leaslok one needs to have the leash re-connected which is a bit of a pain as my O&E leash is a one piece snd you can't unscrew....take there's no problem in simply attaching the Velcro strap around it and not using the little leash plug thingy?

[PonoBill]

I don't think there's any problem doing that. But one thing to remember with waist leashes in the surf is that you need to higrade the rest of the stuff. you pull a lot harder on the leash--you can't do the "turn yourself into an arrow" thing to reduce strain on the leash. I'm using a 9.5 mm cord in what I consider big surf (not, but big enough for me) and hand-tied swivels.

I'm surprised how quickly everyone in the gorge has switched to waist leashes. Mostly they're using an ankle leash connected to a belt PFD, which most downwind fanatics wear since the Sherrif here is pretty serious about enforcing PFD requirements.  I don't think that's ideal--relying on a potentially wimpy buckle and if it pulls off, you PFD goes with your board. But that's what folks are using.

[SeldomScene]

I prefer the new Bluetooth leash.  Sometimes I worry about getting to pair up on the fly if it comes unpaired in a dicey situation ....

[PonoBill]

Bluetooth is named for the condition of your teeth when you bite your smartphone in half trying to get it to work. I read up on the protocol once. It's one of those "who thought this was a good idea" kind of things. The only thing you can really in favor:  it isn't ANT+.