Switching to a POD HARNESS
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- Опубліковано 25 січ 2022
- EVERYTHING ABOUT PARAGLIDING POD HARNESSES
Paragliding pod harnesses make you more aerodynamic and keep you warmer for longer flights, but when do you know its time to get your first pod? Which one should you choose? How should you adjust your harness for cross country flying? All these paragliding questions are answered in this video, where I talk with Karlis, 5x Latvian Paragliding champion, and we cover EVERYTHING ABOUT PODHARNESSES!
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Pods are great for keeping warm in winter flying. I'd advise it for that alone.
So true it also helps in Spring at higher altitude!! :)
Thanks so much for your tips.
Today was my first time flying with my pod and your launch advice helped me to get into my pod In a almost natural manner.
The pod felt so much more natural position and better set up than my open harness.
I love what the man said, In no other aircraft does someone just let go of the controls right after takeoff. As a helicopter pilot I can agree wholeheartedly 😂. I’m still very new to paragliding and I don’t think I will be buying a pod harness for a long time to come. Appreciate the two of you sharing your knowledge. Thank you 🙏🏻
😊😊 Glad you found it useful! How is it flying paragliders after helicopters?
@@FlyingKarlis Ha Ha Well I have been flying helicopters for 40 years with 17,000 hours airborne time but only 1 year flying Paragliders with 20 something hours so it’s hard to say just yet 😂🤣. They’re very different but there’s a lot of similarities too. I can easily compare landing a paraglider with an autorotation to land (engine off landing) as the planning, commitment, flare and touchdown are all the same. I’m definitely enjoying it! 😁😁😁
@@Bob_just_Bob I would love to see some videos of your flying, helicopter and Paraglider!
@@wildflyingbc maybe I will post something eventually. I don’t really have video from any of the helicopters I flew. I mean it was my job, never really considered videoing anything, it was all just work and most of the flying I did from 98 onwards was boring as hell, not very exciting, I was flying for a helicopter Shuttle Service between Hong Kong and Macau China Pick people up from the rooftop of the ferry terminal in Macau, fly 17 minutes to HK and land on the rooftop of the ferry terminal there. Passengers got off, we wait 5 minutes and new passengers got on, fly 17 minutes back to Macau, land, drop passengers, get refueled and repeat, 6 round trips a day 4 or 5 days a week, every week, every month, every year, for years. Mind numbingly boring, not the stuff of great videos 🤪.
@@Bob_just_Bob 😂 understandable! Well good luck with the paragliding! Where is your home locale?
I fly in the interior of British Columbia. If you ever make it up here, check out Paraglide Canada operation! Lots of
Active pilots in the okanogan valley! See my videos for some of the local sites we fly!
This is fantastic. Thank you. I made the mistake of buying a pod too early. I started with an ancient heavy open harness and was encouraged to get a pod by my instructors after completing the basics as the next "stage" was thermal flying. So I bought an Advance Lightness 2. Fantastic harness, I love it. But it's awkward for ground handling, slope soaring, etc, and I do those more often than thermal flying. I should rather have bought a better open harness and eventually decide if a pod is necessary later in my progression.
Thanks for this video. As a 2 yr P2 pilot, this has been on my mind a lot. This discussion was super valuable for me to further consider my why and how when it comes to getting a first POD harness. 👏
Thanks for this.
I recently started using a pod.
First flight wasn't pleasant, but as I refined the adjustments, it has become more enjoyable.
Comfort isn't better or worse, but having the option of sitting up just like an open harness is good.
Warmer, lighter and faster.
Thanks for the great advice for both of You. Much appreciated this video and the previous one.
And Instead of stepping up, I decided to switch to Pod this season, so this video was spot on.
Prieks, ka varējām palīdzēt, Juri! Kādi plāni šogad?
@@FlyingKarlis Šī gada plāni ir noteikti turpināt lidot, cik vien tas ir iespējams. 😉
@@jurisauzins9266 Lieliski! Tad tik jāplāno sezona un viss izdosies!
I saw a graphic once that showed that the biggest aerodynamic hurdle are the arms of the pilot holding the controls. It's not the sitting position or pod/open harness configuration. A pilot in an open harness with his arms down to the body has a better aerodynamic signature than one with pod harness and raised arms.
You forgot to speak about the warmth advantage of the pod harness. For me that was the main reason why I switched, not to be freezing any more under a big summer cloud flyin' at 2000m ^^
Especially my Exoceat with it's thick neoprene pod! It's super warm.
Talking about pre-flight checks and you as a skydiver would appreciate this, how many paragliding pilots touch their reserve handle or know exactly where it is? I was a skydiver 40 years ago and I can still find my reserve handle by reflex. I'm not sure paragliding pilots are good enough at rehearsal before flight.
Touching reserve handle on ground pre-flight is not very useful, since the handle's location is different relative to your anatomy compared to in flight. Doing it in flight on a glide is a good exercise though. And of course inspecting reserve handle before you put the harness on.
@@daveachuk Yes true but better than nothing! I practice sometimes at home when I hang in the harness. I guess it bugs me because it was a thing to make the move automatic in skydiving but in paragliding not so much. I do the move on launch because then at least going to the right side is automatic.
Peter, to practice where my reserve is I do it in the air. Every single flight I will check where it is with my hand to refresh my memory. Before the flight I make sure that my reserve is in place and nothing has opened up while I move my harness around. I don't look for reserve handle on the ground, as it is different, once we fly. When I fly acro, I do this before I go for a run(start the maneuvers), multiple times a day, when I was practicing it regularly, I knew exactly as a reflex where both of my reserves where.
I think the difference between skydiving and paragliding is that for most pilots, they might never use they rescue, this is why, I think, it is neglected in our sport. Even dough it is a lot less likely to be needed during a normal flight in paragliding, I still think it is super important to keep checking where your reserve is and how to get to it fast.
I have thrown some 14 reserves and only one time during XC flying. All of the rest has been during acro pushing my limits.
@@daveachuk Fully agree!
I had two main reasons why i wanted a POD (the second reason i realized it after i got the POD). But first one was to be more comfortable in the sky. In my open harness I would start to get some back pain and tension after a while around 1 hour in the air. I played around with the settings alot but just couldn't get it, Now in my POD (GTO light 1 which i recommend, love it!) I can recline back and little more and get comfy and last longer in the sky for more hours. The second reason came up after I started flying the POD was my confidence level rose alot with the POD as well... For some reason I always had a false sense of insecurity while flying my open harness (exposure of maybe falling out... not sure) but when i started flying my POD i felt less fear because I felt more enclosed in my harness which i think in turns helped me become even more confident in the sky so I wasn't mentally scared.... Just my reasons of why i got a POD. I didn't really have alot of trouble switching because i hung in the pod first and practiced over and over getting in and out of the POD before my first flight with it. I i picked my first flight to be a more extended sledder with smoother air in the morning to get a feel for it... Than slowly transition back into more active time of the day.
Interested point. I also feel more 'safe' in the pod. Not that open are not safe, not at all. But, hey! If it helps your mental game, I'm all for it! Now after years of flying in the pod, I can't imagine flying any long distance in a seated harness.
Interesting. I still fly my first open harness. Thinking about a pod harness for the next season..or may be not. Still haven't decided yet...
Funny... That feeling of safety is also why I decided to buy a pod. I feel very open in an open harness and it really does not help with my fear of heights. I hope a pod harness will also make me feel more enclosed and safe... :)
good chat but for someone looking to switch to a pod, I still have no idea what criteria to look at apart from lightweight vs non lightweight. pls do a part 2
I wish I watched this before going to a pod. I have a lightweight harness, and even though it's nice for the hike, it's not as good in the air or safe.
I'm using a 10 year old mac para hawaii pod .... weighs like 9kg :D Its a tank. Switched my used glider to a crispy new one this year. Switching my pod to a crispy new one next year probably.
First few flight should be test flights on any equipment. Completely agree don't try to break records with new equipment on the first flight. I was fidgeting with my pod after each flight for a while and now it fits me perfectly. No problems on longer flights. You do develop some core strength :D
Awesome! Same hare after switching to the pod I got a lot better core strength! No need to go to gym, just regular 5h+ flights! :)
Good timing, I just bought my first pod before Christmas
Hope you enjoy it!
Which one is it?
One of the things I would advise is to avoid lightweight pods with a rescue stored in the back (MANY lightweight pods do that). It creates a great hard spot that is strategically placed to inflict the most damage to your vertebrae in case of a stall near the ground. I'm unfortunately speaking from experience.
So the Skywalk Range X-Alps 2 mentioned in the video is good, or the new Air Design Sock have the rescue at the front, and well-rated air protectors.
A couple of points, water (better than nothing) does not compress and I was told it is not advisable to rely on water as protection unless the container can burst on impact and absorb some of the energy. Also a water container should not be totally filled and have some air in it. It would be a bit hit and miss though. Also, no discussion on seat board vs hammock?
Hi Chris, I wasn't relying on water as only protections, and the bags as you say was not fully filled, as well as both of the containers did burst on impact. These where ballast bags, that I bought cheap plastic 10l bags of of amazon and attached them under the seat board and behind my back, while leaving original protection in the harness. During my incident I landed really hard, and I strongly believe that the extra water I had in the harness was the reason I walked away without a scratch. Good point about the seat board and hammock, maybe next time.
That was great. I'm still searching for advice on how to set up and adjust my pod so I can relax my legs a little. I just can't seem to get ir right.
Fabian, find a way to hang your harness indoors and sit in it for most of an entire evening. Change things around, test it out, and find the settings that work for you. Also, remember to have the gear in the back that you'd actually fly with (water, rucksack, etc) so it simulates the actual balance that you'd have in flight. Good luck!
Thanks, best I can do is outside, sadly, and it's a bit cold for an evening 😅
But great tip about the additional weight in the back, didn't think of that when I adjusted it so far.
Stupidly, I can't change much of my harness during actual flight.
I fly long duration flights in an open harness, but prefer to be leaned way back. It sounds like a pod would be a good upgrade for me.
I agree mark! A pod is the most comfortable way to fly, for sure.
In my open harness I used relax bar so my position was very reclined. When I switched to pod at the beginning I had no problems with the switch (doing one hour small soaring), but when I did longer flights in thermic condition (still much shorter than in open harness), I had to land due to back pain (lumbar pain), I tried different settings but only what helped was more upright position. So in present I have more upright position then in my open harness. So I don't know If I should search for another harness or just get to use to it (I am already partly used to it, but still not completely happy compared to my very relaxed 3hours flights in open seat harness
What harness is it ?
@@SkywalkerPaul It is Elspeedo chogori (it is based on Dudek soul). Problem might be that I am small overall, but with very small legs and bigger torso, So it can be that I need bigger size with small leg cover, but I bought it second hand so I couldn't choose.
@ I myself was looking at the Dudek Soul 2.
I think best course of action here is to try as many different pods as you can get your hands on. We are all built different and also the harnesses are build different from brand to brand. It is really hard for me to tell you go buy this or that one. It's actually impossible, without trying them out. If you can travel to one of the paragliding testivals in Alps, go sit in as many as you can and ask if they let you fly them before buying. I know this isn't possible for everyone, but it is by far the best way to find a harness that fits you best.
Agree with what you mention regarding the higher tendency for line twistbecause of the different sitting position. I was already flying many years in my open harness with a leg-stretcher-strap (don't how you exactly call it in English) before switching to pod-harness, so was already used to this difference.
Maybe this is a good advice as in-between-step for new people before starting with a pod-harness?
Not a bad idea at all. I personally have never used the strap, but Theo De Blic uses it all the time for his acro flying.
@@FlyingKarlis I think Theo's setup is just a very heavy looking speedbar, no?
Theo uses a foot rest, they're nice. Here's the model he uses
www.supair.com/en/produit/retractable-20-mm/
@@AriintheAir Yes, that's exactly what I had indeed (sorry, didn't know the exact name in English ;-) Gave me much more comfortable sitting position for longer flights in my open harness, and when it became more turbulent could just release and pull up my legs to reduce my inertia.
After this switching to a pod felt pretty similar, for me.
I have a GTO light 2 POD… I never open my right leg. I step through it first, and then finish the rest…
It makes it impossible to exit accidentally… :-)
I was stoked to get my first pod harness.10 years later I still hate it. So boring and not fun to fly. All the office workers from the city really like them tho.
When I want to do some proper dynamic flying I still switch back to my acro harness, for longer flights, nothing really beats pod. To me it is the most comfortable type of harness there is.
@@FlyingKarlis do your feet rest freely in an open harness or do you have to push the plate in front? I'm thinking if one has to push that plate in front that will be a strain on your abdomen after a while. 🤔
I'm in this dilemma. I have a 6.3kg harness and I just bought a 3.8kg podharness. Reducing space and weight is important to me. I have 1 year of flight, my longest flight was 50km. I dream of long flights. Thanks for the tips and advice!!
Glad you found this content useful! 3.8 kg isn't bad at all, the harness most likely has a decent protections and comfort. I used to fly a 9km pod with 20 liters of water plus the gear total was about 35kg on my back. I'm about 63kg so adding that much weight was limiting my take-off and landing abilities as I couldn't move freely. It was great in the air to get the extra performance from larger wing, but I was loosing the ability to take-off where I want and land in tight spots was increasingly much more difficult. Even dough, I had the best protection I had with any harnesses. Now I have switched back to light harness and smaller size wing, my take-offs are back to normal and I am way more confident in landing in tight spots as I can move a lot better having only some 5kg on my back. As I fly a lot of XC over places where there isn't lots of good options, I need the ability of landing in tight places, so for me in the end it is better to have a lighter setup, with airbag as protection instead of having the big one.
It really just depends on what type of flying you will be doing.
@@FlyingKarlis thanks for the notes... This discussion of increasing the projected area to fly more I still haven't thought about. I think I need more skills and flight hours. I'm going to fly many hours still on my S wing. I'm 68kg. I'll wait for @Ari to make a video about it =D Thanks for listening.. I love your videos man!! Greetings from Brazil
Mistake: waiting too long to try a pod.
- and its not about air drag for me at all.
- so much nicer for climbing in thermals , I can't say this enough.
- body position is stable and strong letting your arms stay smoother , weight-shift stay smoother , glider pitch stay smoother.
- progress to reclined with stirrup in thermals , get used to sitting up in bad turbulence , then try a pod.
- bonus you are all reclined and more patient.
- bonus blocking the wind and staying comfy and warm.
Air bag:
- air bag is probably 5x ? more space efficient vs. foam for equal protection from a HARD hit.
- the way the old harnesses had foam , it was really a pre-filled air bag.
- air is also lighter than foam ; )
Epic
So stocked you like it!
I'll never use pod harness. It blocks the view down and and does FAPP nothing otherwise. I paraglide because I want to be bird-like, not airplane-like.
Okay…. Good…So the abs hurting isn’t just me😂
hahah, sure not! Once I switched to be in more reclined position took me quite a while to build my core before it was not hurting anymore, and even then every spring after less flying XC in the winter, I will feel my abs after landing a longer flight! Look at the bright side, no need to go to the gym! 🤣😂
So basically, pod harnesses are the Porsche Boxster of the paragliding world. At least that's what I got from this video...
I heard that competition harness, despite being big, have low impact protection
I think it depends on how you crash. I think the test is just a vertical impact absorbtion test (fair enough), but that might not be the only relevant info if you have a high-speed landing on your ass.
@@AriintheAir right
as I understand the comp harness have
a small vertical cross section and under seat rescues which makes it difficult to create effective protections
@@PhilippeLarcher Oh that makes a ton of sense. I remember a story from like the early 2000's where a pilot removed his back protection and laid the harness super flat and he had a huge advantage and won the pwc. Now there are rules around that!
Are any of you Instructors?
Yes I am. Why are you asking?
You don't need to be an instructor to make an informed opinion, you need experience, dumb question