Hip Pads

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Hip Pads; any1 been round the block with these
Topic Started: Mar 30 2009, 10:05 PM (123 Views)
LmcBride	Mar 30 2009, 10:05 PM Post #1
Member Posts: 19 Group: Squad Member #63 Joined: November 26, 2005	I've been through about 3 combinations of trying to fit hip pads- river type, self made etc to my neutron. I think part of the reason I can't get it right is that I'm sitting quite far forward in the seat- thus my hips are more aligned to the front of the seat as opposed to the middle. But generally the neutron seat is a b**r to get anything round.. NY1 got any words of enlightenment? cheers, lawrence



Harry	Mar 31 2009, 02:03 PM Post #2
Advanced Member Posts: 1,288 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: May 9, 2004	Some info in this thread: http://s7.zetaboards.com/NI_Surf_Kayak/topic/155065/ Have you considered a lapbelt? Harry



LmcBride	Mar 31 2009, 10:20 PM Post #3
Member Posts: 19 Group: Squad Member #63 Joined: November 26, 2005	good thread Harry thanks Got a lap belt- def makes me feel more connected to the arse of the boat- but I've noticed it makes me a bit more paranoid about that small % of the time my roll breaks down. So I think i'll try and get bomb-proof first or use it only in conditions I'm fully comfortable with lawrence



Harry	Apr 1 2009, 09:49 AM Post #4
Advanced Member Posts: 1,288 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: May 9, 2004	Hi, I understand why you are thinking that way but there's a reason not to. You should not be paranoid about the lapbelt. Just like pulling your spraydeck you must KNOW that you can pull the belt and get out of the boat after not being able to roll. If you don't know this for sure then you should NEVER wear the belt. Thinking that you have a bombproof roll is not an option over knowing you can release the belt. The lapbelt will help you roll. With a lapbelt the extra padding you need is minimal as hip and thigh pads no longer need to hold you down. The lapbelt does a great job of keeping you in your seat and in the right position, far better than any padding I've ever used and it's more comfortable. It helps you have good control over your boat and this will make rolling easier, especially after a beating in the surf - when it really counts. Why go to the hassle of all the extra, less effective and circulation restricting padding needed to hold you in when you can just use a lapbelt? So, instead of spending time sorting out your hip pads and practising rolling why not take a flatwater session to become confident in releasing the belt and exiting the boat - you need to do this anyway if you want to wear the belt in the future. Then you can be confident that you will stay seated in your boat after a hammering and be able to roll up. Harry



Gerrymac	Apr 1 2009, 10:42 PM Post #5
Advanced Member Posts: 313 Group: Admin Member #55 Joined: September 14, 2005	I agree with Harry here, I was a bit dodgy about using a lap belt at the start but once I knew I could get out in anger it was ok. You definitely get a lot more contact with the boat, and I found that when i was using hip pads I usually ended up out of my seat after a beating. This doesn't happen with the lap belt and my roll feels a lot better (even after swimming twice in one session in the not too distant past)
	Gerry from Derry


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