...leash positioning...

[jerseypaddler]

Greetings- haven't posted here in 5 years

Been out of the sup game for over 2 years mostly due to injury (hip)

Finally, had hip replacement surgery 1/4. Looking to get back on the water in spring.

Being away so long I noticed folks are wearing (flat water) leashes now on upper calf and waist. When I stopped paddling I remember everyone wore leash on ankle.

What gives?

[jerseypaddler]

Oh, BTW, search function didn't yield much...

[RideTheGlide]

You don't step on the leash as easily/much. I still see plenty of ankle straps when I paddle flat water recreationaly. In some uses, waist attachment is also about being able to release without bending over for added safety in currents.

Over on the left of my browser right now, the KeNalu ad keeps flashing between pictures of guys using ankle leashes, so it isn't universal by any means.

[supsean]

https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=28747.0

I think you need to search from the top level and not under general. Its under gear talk. Lots of discussion.

[PonoBill]

That's a great link. I've been using a calf leash lately because I left my Leashlok waist leash in Oregon. I use a leash attached to my Camelbak for downwinding where the results of getting towed by a 17' board in a ten-foot wave are more serious, but I've been lazy enough to foil with just a calf leash. Yesterday I got smacked by some hefty set waves on the outer reef, and it wasn't fun. Don Shearer was rolling around in the mackers near me and had his leash break. Turns out a foil board in a big breaking wave can do an impressive job of towing. I'm going to make a belt leash today.

I like having both velcro and a buckle--I don't use a heavy buckle, even a light one will keep the velcro from lifting. And once I've released the buckle it makes a good chicken loop. One could argue that releasing the buckle when the shit hits the fan might be a problem, but I find that it's simple to grab it and give it a squeeze.

Given that dehydration substantially affects my balance I might just go for the camelback. I have one that I modified to give a bit of float in addition to the option of blowing air into the bladder. I'll dig that out and see what might be possible. I did a four-hour session yesterday--it was too good to quit, and at the end, I was trashed and my balance went completely to shit.

[RideTheGlide]

https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=28747.0

I think you need to search from the top level and not under general. Its under gear talk. Lots of discussion.

That thread is about surfing. The OP was asking about flat water. I have noticed the same thing in flat water; lots of calf leashes. Other paddlers have told me it's so they don't get tangled in the leash stepping back for turns.

[Wetstuff]

JP,  I use both - both in the surf and flat water.   I find an ankle leash simply delays board recovery in the surf and either knee or waist helps keep the leash out of the seaweed/schmutz when I am paddling back bays on the other side of the barrier island.  I'll sometimes use a coil in flatwater, but don't particularly like them because they knot up for me.  You can convert an ankle leash to knee with a short section of 2-sided, 2" Velcro. (you'll have to fuse or sew them together)

Jim

[Bean]

Calf (knee) leash is great for flatwater or surf for any situation that you might need to walk the board a bit.  But in bigger waves, I’ve had the leash to slip over my calf, and with the bigger cuff, it continued and slipped right off the end of my foot. 

[JEG]

I'm still in the old fashion ankle leash 

[PonoBill]

Ankle leashes are optimal for low volume boards in big surf. You can use a very light leash and if you get worked, you streamline your body to minimize pull and get dragged out of the impact zone. Other than that they don't make a lot of sense. In flatwater you're either dragging the leash or it's on the board, and you're stepping on it. A calf leash makes a bit more sense, though as Bean says, if you take it into the surf you take a chance on it getting dragged off your leg. Been there, done that.

For flatwater paddling, it's very common to wear a Camelbak, which is an obvious place to attach a leash. I remove the cuff and directly tie the swivel to the camelback with 3mm Spectra speargun line in a manner that it can't come free even if the Camelbak waist belt pops open.

[Area 10]

You are putting more faith in the stitching of a Camelbak than I would. And if it rips your Camelbak you might be really stuffed if that’s where you carry your PLB or VHF etc. I might do this however if I was wearing a pfd that had a complete waist belt (ie. one which is a complete unbroken circle of webbing).

[PonoBill]

Not really, though admittedly that would be so for some Camelbaks. I use the Camelbak Baja, unfortunately, discontinued, which uses a lumbar bladder and has both shoulder straps with two chest clips to keep the straps in place and a waist belt. I run the spectra over and through the entire midsection. Even if the belt pops open the pack would have to be pulled off both shoulders, ripping off the chest straps. If I'm being pulled that hard then I'm probably tangled to a submarine and I'd just as soon be turned loose.

But you're right, it's bad advice unless your Camelbak is similarly secure.