Wetstuff Waist Leash

[surfercook]

Wetstuff sent me this waist leash like two yrs ago after I bought the V-Box off him and it just sat in my shed. I decided to start using it to get ready for the foil. I never thought I'd like it but it felt great! Only once all day I had to get the leash from under my foot. When it tugged after a wipeout I didn't know what to expect. There're two different spots in the back of the waist where the ankle cuff goes. Also a small line w/a cinch which I finally realized might be for a paddle hold if you have to swim. Is there a certain technique to using a waist leash?

Wetstuff_Waist_Leash by surfercook, on Flickr

Beautiful day of waves here and I multi-tagged the SOLOSHOT so my buddy got in the show! Sunny and offshore all day. June-tember weather.
Frank_6_14_Cedars (10) by surfercook, on Flickr

Frank_6_14_Cedars (2) by surfercook, on Flickr

vlcsnap-2018-06-14-12h48m26s331-edit by surfercook, on Flickr

vlcsnap-2018-06-14-13h32m43s687 by surfercook, on Flickr

[APPST_Paddle]

Umm...........for some reason a waist leash with a foil sounds dangerous.

[Wetstuff]

Marc sprung a tail....   I don't understand, we're only 150mi away and I only heard of one day so far where the water was as calm as his?!  Must be a Soloshot effect.

For some strange reason, I use a waist all the time — a shorter one for flat water.  They were too fiddly to attempt to manufacturer and there is natural prejudice toward something, 'I haven't tried'.  I don't go over-the-falls much anymore but never liked getting yanked by the ankle; the knee is better but I don't get pulled under with this. 

App_T... I kited during the deadly development period when there was a mortality about every 60-90 days - foiling looks too dangerous to me.

Marc...  I'll whip you up the urethane section.  Cheers. 

Jim

[PonoBill]

Waist leashes fall into the "We've always done it this way" category of idiotic inertia. They only thing they aren't great for is trying to streamline yourself to either reduce the drag on your leash, or get dragged out of the impact zone. Other than that they are hugely superior in every way. I get people laughing at them constantly. Hey, people laughed a George Carlin--but then, he was a comedian.

I don't see any difference between wearing a waist leash to foil or wearing an ankle leash. In either case you want a fairly long leash that you can take up to keep it from tangling on the foil. Blue Planet's leash reel looks like a good solution, but I just use 8mm urethane 10' long and tuck the excess under the belt. I used a coil leash on Maui this winter, but it sucked.

[APPST_Paddle]

Ponobill - I'll give you that, it does fall into that type of thought process. I was just thinking of the pull of a SUP with a foil once you fall off and jerking on your back. They are dangerous, there's no doubt about that I've kited with one and obviously didn't wear a leash.

Good on ya if you can surf with a waist leash, I'm not sure how you would go about getting through big surf when you have to bail to get yanked by your waist. At least on a foot leash you can kick back in the direction of the pull of the wave once you go under to release the stress. That and coiled leashes in surf are a PITA in my opinion.

[eastbound]

cookie comes with a serious gem--i am going to immediately have a velcro loop sewn to my waistbelt to which i can attach paddle in cas of a leash-break swim

long swim holding paddle tires one quickly---paddle loosely attached while swimming makes life (and continuing with life) much easier.

[PonoBill]

Ponobill - I'll give you that, it does fall into that type of thought process. I was just thinking of the pull of a SUP with a foil once you fall off and jerking on your back. They are dangerous, there's no doubt about that I've kited with one and obviously didn't wear a leash.

Good on ya if you can surf with a waist leash, I'm not sure how you would go about getting through big surf when you have to bail to get yanked by your waist. At least on a foot leash you can kick back in the direction of the pull of the wave once you go under to release the stress. That and coiled leashes in surf are a PITA in my opinion.

I don't even begin to understand that reasoning. I wouldn't surf big waves with anything BUT a waist leash. Waist leashes were developed for big wave surfing. Moving them down to my limit of somewhere in the DOH range isn't necessary, but the leashes work better for big boards in every way except streamlining, and that's actually one of the reasons they're so good. You don't get dragged under for an interminable ride when you get caught inside--you pop to the surface, and the greater drag pulls your board out of the whitewater sooner. You have to upgrade every component, but the reliability and benefits, in my sample of one, have been overwhelmingly good. I've had leashes detach from my ankle, pull down from my calf, and break in various places far too many times. My homemade waist leashes break at much higher pull levels and never detach. I probably could put the same effort into having an ankle leash that wouldn't break, but I don't need that kind of stress on my knees.

The obvious difference is the size of the boards. If you're on a 5-foot shortboard with 15 liters of volume then a 4mm dinky leash and ankle cuff is perfect. That isn't what we ride. The pull of the board in whitewater is directly related to volume and area. So a SUP leash has 6 or 7mm cord and the same cuff, same molded connectors, same swivels. See any problem there?

I also build a pound or two of float into my waist leashes. In the unlikely event that my leash does break that small amount of flotation is great to have. You can spend the day in warm water hanging on to something that delivers less than a pound of float. I build the float into the back of the belt, so all it does while swimming is help get my feet up, which is great. If I got tired I could float on my back and rest. I tend to just keep chugging when I find myself without a board--not fast, but I've got a diesel engine. But I don't mind having the extra assurance that I can hang out if I need to deal with a cramp or just get tired.

The closest I've come to drowning while surfing was having my leash get caught on a reef, holding me two feet from the surface in heavy surf at Lanes in Ho'okipa. I couldn't reach the leash to release it--and it was a calf leash. Everyone assumes they can, but in turbulence or current, they can't. I could have easily released a waist leash. I would have died if the leash hadn't pulled free.

[APPST_Paddle]

Ponobill - I'll give you that, it does fall into that type of thought process. I was just thinking of the pull of a SUP with a foil once you fall off and jerking on your back. They are dangerous, there's no doubt about that I've kited with one and obviously didn't wear a leash.

Good on ya if you can surf with a waist leash, I'm not sure how you would go about getting through big surf when you have to bail to get yanked by your waist. At least on a foot leash you can kick back in the direction of the pull of the wave once you go under to release the stress. That and coiled leashes in surf are a PITA in my opinion.

I don't even begin to understand that reasoning. I wouldn't surf big waves with anything BUT a waist leash. Waist leashes were developed for big wave surfing. Moving them down to my limit of somewhere in the DOH range isn't necessary, but the leashes work better for big boards in every way except streamlining, and that's actually one of the reasons they're so good. You don't get dragged under for an interminable ride when you get caught inside--you pop to the surface, and the greater drag pulls your board out of the whitewater sooner. You have to upgrade every component, but the reliability and benefits, in my sample of one, have been overwhelmingly good. I've had leashes detach from my ankle, pull down from my calf, and break in various places far too many times. My homemade waist leashes break at much higher pull levels and never detach. I probably could put the same effort into having an ankle leash that wouldn't break, but I don't need that kind of stress on my knees.

The obvious difference is the size of the boards. If you're on a 5-foot shortboard with 15 liters of volume then a 4mm dinky leash and ankle cuff is perfect. That isn't what we ride. The pull of the board in whitewater is directly related to volume and area. So a SUP leash has 6 or 7mm cord and the same cuff, same molded connectors, same swivels. See any problem there?

I also build a pound or two of float into my waist leashes. In the unlikely event that my leash does break that small amount of flotation is great to have. You can spend the day in warm water hanging on to something that delivers less than a pound of float. I build the float into the back of the belt, so all it does while swimming is help get my feet up, which is great. If I got tired I could float on my back and rest. I tend to just keep chugging when I find myself without a board--not fast, but I've got a diesel engine. But I don't mind having the extra assurance that I can hang out if I need to deal with a cramp or just get tired.

The closest I've come to drowning while surfing was having my leash get caught on a reef, holding me two feet from the surface in heavy surf at Lanes in Ho'okipa. I couldn't reach the leash to release it--and it was a calf leash. Everyone assumes they can, but in turbulence or current, they can't. I could have easily released a waist leash. I would have died if the leash hadn't pulled free.

Interesting, I'm open to new stuff, not saying anything against it.

My main thought was that your waist is a fixed location, you can't bend and flex to absorb the wave as it comes over.  Also, I'd have to watch someone with one a bit more but how is it staying out of your way with footwork?  That was my thought with the foil, you certainly don't want to have something else to trip you up, the foil is tough enough.

I've been in big surf with crappy surf leashes breaking as well, so I agree that SUP-oriented leashes are not trustworthy. I've had the most luck with a shorter Ocean and Earth premium leash, and then just try and make a conscious effort to kickback with the wave once it goes overhead if I have to bail.

[PonoBill]

When I first started using a waist leash I had to fiddle with the leash getting on the board but I quickly learned to ignore the leash--even if it seems to be in the way, the location on your back moves it out of the way as you get onto the board. It's surprising how quickly it gets out of the way. With the higher attachment point you are much less likely to step on the leash and if you do, it's easier to grab it to flick it out from underfoot. I still don't quite understand your point. In general, the leash is more out of the way and requires less attention than calf or ankle. I used an ankle leash with my foilboard in Maui this year and it was a complete PIA. When I went back to my waist leash in the Gorge it was such a relief to be able to ignore the thing.

Waist leashes are something you have to try in order to understand how they work. I don't know anyone who has tried one that switched back except for times when they don't have it handy. You can't go to a surf store and buy one unless you just use an ankle cuff that attaches to a belt--that's the primary limitation. I would use an ankle cuff on a belt in a pinch, but generally, I prefer to roll my own attachment and eliminate a set of failure points.

[surfercook]

APPST_PADDLE.....Interesting, I'm open to new stuff, not saying anything against it.

[surfercook]

I don't know anyone who has tried one that switched back except for times when they don't have it handy.

Add me to the list. Had my Wetstuff waist leash out today in some sizeable swell and it was so nice to not have that darn cord under foot. One time on a pretty good sized wipeout the board started pulling pretty strong and I actually was being dragged under water, but only a little bit. I have quickly learned that w/a waist leash you need to face the horizon and be face down in the water after a wipeout. pretty much the opposite of when you are using a calf or ankle leash.

Today's surf!
vlcsnap-2018-06-29-11h40m01s641 by surfercook, on Flickr

vlcsnap-2018-06-29-11h41m32s997 by surfercook, on Flickr

vlcsnap-2018-06-29-11h42m56s927 by surfercook, on Flickr

vlcsnap-2018-06-29-11h46m11s927 by surfercook, on Flickr

[connector14]

I normally fasten my coil leash just above my left knee. But lately my left leg has been giving me some pain and I thought maybe it was the leash cutting off some circulation. So just for kicks,  I attached the leash to my waist lifebelt (that I improperly wear in the back instead of the front) and hey,  I really liked it and I think I am going to start doing it this way. Seemed like it kept the leash out of my way more when trying to move around. Also seems easy to release by just unclicking the waist stap on the belt should I ever want to get the leash off in a hurry. Don't know why I haven't tried this sooner. 

[surfercook]

I attached the leash to my waist lifebelt (that I improperly wear in the back instead of the front) and hey,  I really liked it and I think I am going to start doing it this way. Seemed like it kept the leash out of my way more.

Very cool. Waist leash is stoking. I think in the bigger surf I will stick with the ankle or knee leash for sup surfing. I noticed Andrew Cassidy (aka Australian Paddle Surfer) goes w/a coil leash on his ankle for sup foiling.

Good news on the leash front. Wetstuff hooked me w/a sweet pack of em. A 6 footer and a ten-er with a cool ankle attachment.

[PonoBill]

The thing about leashes is that people use what they have. not what is best.

[connector14]

I am waiting to see someone using one of those retractable dog leash thingees.....maybe with adjustable "drag" for various different conditions .........