Duane Strosaker said: >>I really like the Snap Dragon backband that is a plastic strap with neoprene padding. The strap gets bolted in. It works great on my plastic Looksha IV and fiberglass Arluk II.>> <snip> Back support, specifically lower back support is one of the issues raised most often by new paddlers, paddlers with new boats, and "paddlers" renting boats who normally only paddle a couple times a year. Newbies seem to love the "chair" style, with full molded plastic support - admittedly, and seemingly comfortable at first. Some even go on to like this style for the long haul (literally and career wise). Others prefer a wide, flexible plastic piece, with padding - mounted like a back band strap. Necky still has this available. Caffyne used back slats held vertically in position, for some of his loooooong trips. Back straps seem the post popular with performance oriented paddlers. I have used, and/or installed a number of these different options over the years. I find the back band digs in to my back a bit too much, but afforded the greatest amount of freedom of movement. The wrap-around Necky style gave a good compromise with comfort and performance/flexibility. The seat-style I've tried on borrowed boats was okay, but too restrictive for my taste. It even seemed uncomfortable after a while, and interfered with exits and entries, due to the fact that it sticks above the deck and coaming of the kayak (paddlefloat rescues were made more difficult too, during the getting back in phase). Folders often have well-thought out seating arrangements, and often more readily amenable to innovative designs due to available mounting points and de facto engineering. I wonder what the Inuit used for back support. Any experts in this subject out there, or has this been brought up on paddlewise before? My buddy who makes his own kayaks, orders the P&H seat which has built-in lumbar support. Within a year, he added a back band. I even tried one of the newer, wider back bands, but still found it obnoxious. Now I just paddle a lot and do back exercises at the gym, and don't need any back support whatsoever. It has been liberating to paddle like this, though a bit difficult the first two days out on a long trip. I can also more easily adjust trim by sliding back or forward a bit - something not entirely possible with an arbitrary preset-distance back support. I do have a slanted, wrap-around aft bulkhead that is padded with 1/4 inch foam, such that if I lean back, I can get a modicum of support for rest breaks, or while taking a break to suss out conditions so as to ascertain whether I want to be in a Sea Kayaker Mag incident report, again :-) Back to you. BC'in Ya Doug Lloyd (now on digest version) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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