weights and balances

I enjoyed reading Irwyn's geeky post after his Mont Blanc adventure - weighing all his kit to the gramme - the other posts about the same adventure with Squash Falconer are also a great read.

In Scotland we often have damp, cold conditions and reasonable walk ups to launch (500m vertical and sometimes more). Walking up more than one hill per day is not so unusual and mobility on the ground for kiting up or walking up with glider bunched over the shoulder is also important.

So it took me a long time to convert to a pod harness but once i did the comfort in the air made it hard to give up. The extra weight is slightly compensated for by the reduced clothing you need to carry.

My first try was in 2008 with a Woody Valley X-rated 3 which i bought second hand. Use of the speed bar with a comp style 3 step speed bar lying in the bottom of the pod was a revelation but the harness had much less weight shift authority than i was used to and I never really found it that comfortable (probably my fault in not understanding how to adjust it). At 9.5kg (without reserve) and a serious bulk to fit in the rucksack it was a continuous source of mirth for my buddies who mostly fly Sup'air Altirando XP or similar.

In spring 2009 I then moved on to another second hand pod harness - this time a bit lighter . The Ava X-alps pod harness at 4.3kg (not including back protection and reserve) isn't perfect but overall i really like it as as compromise between performance, comfort and weight for xc flying. It's still not really good enough for competition flying as the light nylon pod flaps like crazy on full bar on a comp wing and speed bar use isn't optimal. I wrote a bit more about what its like to fly on PGForum.

Here is how all my kit weighs up at the moment according to the bathroom scales


ava x-alps harness (i added Sup'air light quick release buckles) 3.4
back protection (12 cm bump'air and lexan sheet) 1.5
ava x-alps pod/cocoon 0.9
sup'air lite reserve 1.4
ozone glider bag 1.6
mantra R09 plus xcertina bag 7.1
total 15.7 kg
(no sunnies no water no instruments no helmet no gloves/jacket no radio)

There are supposed to be a few new lighter weight pod harnesses coming out in the next months and years and it will be interesting to see if any of them offer a better trade off. This is part of a general move to make pod harnesses lighter and therefore attractive to more of the pilot community than just competition pilots who actually want heavy harnesses so they can fly the next size of wing up.

1) Karpofly X-alps. Only 2.5kg and great flying position and feedback according to one Lakes pilot who has added his own lightweight pod. Needs chest mounted reserve which attaches to main karabiners. Very light but I would prefer an integral reserve and reservebridle running to the shoulders even if a bit heavier.
2) Advance Lightness. No seat board sounds weird to me. Rumoured to cost 1000 Euro - seems you have to pay for the bits they have taken out. Also rumoured that fat pilots will have lower hang points and thin ones higher hang points due to the lack of seatboard. Chest mount reserve attached to the main krabs only.
3) Ava sport Tanto - a new sleeker version of the X-alps at slightly better weight at 5 to 6kg including back pro? Really crap info available on the web about the actual weight and there seem to be multiple versions around.




Avasport X-alps Harness (pic from avasport website)

Things that need improved on the Ava-Xalps harness (still keeping its focus as a light xc non-competition harness)
1) rethink the way the pod attaches under the seat close to the reserve as sometimes the bottom surface of the pod detaches from the harness in flight and leaves speed bar dangling below. This usually happens due to a clumsy entry to the pod just after launch using more force than necessary but can be very annoying and always provides me with a few anxious moments wondering if the reserve is going to deploy. It never has.
2) better angle of dangle control for your legs (there is no adjustment on the straps from the front of seatboard to the hang points.
3) more robust connection of stirrup and footplate (or as would be much better just a replacement for the stirrup sewn into the cocoon when you fit it)
4) a light 3 step speed bar with soft loops and elastic connection to the foot plate
5) add ram-air round nose to end of cocoon (adds only a few grammes)
6) consider slightly heavier stretchy/neoprene leg cover as per Supair Vamp leg cover
7) fit lightweight quick release leg and waist buckles as standard (i think they already do this as an option)
8) lighter please!