When folks take their big dogs for a walk ...
they most likely use a leash.
It's a safety thing, right ?
Control of the dog from running away is important.
Animals running amok can be dangerous.
Question:
Do these dogwalkers hold the leash freely in their hand ...
or do they hardwire the leash to their person somehow ?
Question:
When jockeys ride horses ...
do they lock-in the reins onto their bodies somehow ?
Question:
Why do kiters think it's ok to tether themselves to a power-kite with a rope ?
If you lock-in your death-leash, the kite becomes a piece of you.
People don't attach dog leashes to themselves because they don't want to walk around with a ****ing harness on.
Poor Mr Slave such intelligence but such a slow leaner , yes, it's been said, 2 words, yes you can do it , read it slowly , yes it's Quick Release . It means it releases it quickly and safely but most of all it will save you posting repetative attention seeking questions
yeah the leashes in the building industry shouldn't be attached to the users in harnesses either and why are we born with one when we are spat into the world. Slave you have many leash instances to explore don't stop at the dogs. I wear my leash on my wrist. it is a double over the top strap on in fleuro pink, quite fetching really.
Has someone been attaching their dog to a kite?? Idongeddit??
Foil hat on - leash discarded - ready for kiting
hahahahah you boys are all good! priceless wave slave gets alot of thumbs down has he got any friends at all? or a girl friend?
Have to agree with WS on one point and that is some leashes open up by themselves.
I had 2 slightly diff model Airush leashes that were kn hopeless if you did bail to them. They had a double velcro fold over that fkd up 3 out of 4 times! Hopeless and made using it virtually redundant.
Yep - happened to me at KS (09). Combined with the demoed kite's dodgy chicken finger dropping out (and mashing my finger between the loop and the bar in the process), then the loop opening up, hanging on one handed to a fully powered kite in 35 knots, before attempting to bail to my leash - only to see a new kite flying off and down the beach past amused punters. Tres embarrassing.
I now use a sliding style final release leash and no dramas with accidental release so far. Had to completely release the kite when caught inside a big set once and the slide release was easy as. Recomended.
I'd still rather have a leash and have the occasional stuff up than bail on a kite (with a hazardous bar swinging arounf waiting to KO somebody) every time.
Give it up Slave. You have your opinion. We know what it is. Now move on.
Re getfunky, yeah I don't think velcro has any place on release mechanisms, be they leashes or chickenloops. A well-designed mechanical system with durable components that can easily be inspected for wear and obstruction should be easily designable and fool-proof.
I use a simple, unmodified cabrinha leash. I have connected it to my garage roof and hung my body-weight from it and bounced about a bit without the leash, clip, or QR showing any signs of strain. I check the mechanism regularly and have never had a problem.
Still, if there are real safety concerns about particular leash designs, I'd be glad to be informed.
DJ - I have to agree with you, I use a Naish leash and the secondary release is very simple to use, I don't know how it would seize up, and I don't know how it would accidentally release either. Because it attaches to a loop on my spreader bar, I think it would be easy to release in tangle events (sits right next to the hook).
I used to have an old school naish chickenloop with the velcro and that was alright, but since I was learning and used it a lot, the velcro started to wear and I did release it by accident a couple of times. (More of a hand/arm position thing) The new Naish QR, being more mechanical is a lot more reliable (only needed to use it once)
FYI,
the Airush velcro release is not the "safety" release, it is the secondary release, for when you have alreay acitvated your safety release and want to completely ditch your kite.
The actual "satefy" release on the Airush chicken loop is one of the more robust, failsafe, and reliable release systems that I've seen or used.
Also, there is a big difference between a "death leash" and a safety leash, although WS still refuses to see the distinction, which is odd because he does have a safetly system on his kite which flags it out to one line and this is exactly is what most "safety" leash system do.
Yeh, just to clarify, Rick is correct the Airush leashes final release were velcro. Unfortunately they had a very bad habit of releasing the kite - wether you wanted to or not! Not good design, as the act of deliberately opening it up was far more awkward than a slider or simila,r but much more prone to unintentional release! Double bad design really. Dunno if they have changed this aspect or not? Slider releases (or at least non-velcro) are the go I reckon.
Have to agree with wave slave on this one. I never wear a kite-leash. [except for WAKSA comps!]. the things are a heath hazard and in the tumbling seconds of a wave wipe out i think the less you have to wrap yourself around the better
I have yet to lose my kite unintentionally. The only time i have released, my kite has been downed in waves. Inevitably it washes up on the beach unharmed and pinned down by water and sand, posing less of a hazard than the dozens of loose boards that pop around these days from strapless riders.
In sizable waves kite leashes are a definite health hazard. Around Christmas I was riding a sizey [8-10'] day at Margs when my mate Scottie dropped his kite in front of the set of the day. He threw his quick release on the chicken loop but was towed under by his safety leash for nearly a 100m under water. I was on the wave behind and when he did finally break the surface he was a nice shade of purpley/blue. Facing another dragging from the wave i was on, I yelled 'ditch the leash', which he did, and his kite came in without a scratch when i towed it ashore. The trouble is that he knew he should get away from his kite but when you are being towed at 10kts plus underwater you cant actually get a hand against the water pressure to release anything.
From what I read, seems like best thing to do is just unclip the leash once you are out among the monsters. I have yet to be on one, but if ever......seems like a plan.
I think its a nonsense argument what about the other 4-5 lines attached to your bar? I would much rather a safety leash wrapped around me than an actual kite line.
On any wave where you stuff up your just as likely to get thrown well into the middle of the main lines and have four of them around you thats a risk you take when you kite
A saftey leash is a good way of stopping runaway kites, I saw at the gero nats a 12 mtr runaway kite tangle and pull to the ground a mother carrying an infant worse scenario possible cant remember if the kite was leashed but it was loose and gives you an example of the benefits of a leash - its a backup
Not using a leash makes you more likely in the event of a unintentional unhook chicken rope snap whatever to loose your kite and injure someone else through your own action - thats a little selfish in my view
Would chuck Norris' kite without a leash
dare to fly away. Would it dare!
And I ask you, if it did what would waveslave say to chuck?