Best Reversible Airbag Harness for 2011
by Jérôme Daoust, revised 2011/8/21
Discussion + Poll on Paragliding Forum
Please send in comments on your harness. It will help others to shop for their next one.
Unwanted features:
· Footrest / stirrup.
· Side Pockets. I use a flight deck with underside storage to have access to my gloves/food/water...
· Front leg fairing.
My body: Male, 5' 10" (178 cm) and 171 lb (77.6 kg).
My selection: On 2011/8/20, I decided NOT to purchase a harness with an airbag. Impact energy absorption varies too much depending on inflation time (after launch), airflow direction (OK with under seat inlet, not good with side inlet when falling vertically) and if the reserve parachute was deployed (less energy absorption if no longer under seat). Maybe in a few years these issues will be resolved. But for now the benefit of reduced storage volume is not worth the safety concerns. See instead Best Regular Harness for 2011.
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Color code: |
Good |
So-So |
Bad |
Unknown |
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Model |
Talk |
Size |
Reviewer |
True legs strap (easy on privates)? |
Easy entry after launch without using a footrest. |
Seat plate |
Cupped seating: Reclined seat board + Full back support. |
Built-in speedbar retractor. |
Airbag pre-fills before launch. |
Inlet location |
Can use quick-links instead of carabiners. |
Big rear storage container |
Built-in reserve container. Location? |
Fits wing + FF helmet? |
Extra comment. |
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Apco / ChairBag Integral II |
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Front / Bottom. |
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Charly / Globe |
Yes. |
Side (2): Airflow problem during vertical descent. |
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Yes. |
Huge. |
Under seat. Adjustable size. RHS handle. |
Similar to Verso. Best of February 2011 DHV testing. |
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Gin Gliders / Verso |
TBD: M |
Jérôme + Enrique |
Yes. |
Carbon. |
Video shows adjustable angle of seat plate. |
Yes. |
Seems so on video. |
Side: Airflow problem during vertical descent. |
Seems so on video. Airbag double skin. |
Yes. |
Huge. |
Under seat. Adjustable size. RHS handle. |
Enrique: Yes. |
Similar to Globe. Removable rucksack waist belt. |
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Sup'Air / Quo Vadis |
L |
Jérôme |
Yes. |
8/10. Easy. |
Carbon. Shaped. Light. |
Not comfy. Seat angle not well adjustable. |
No. |
Yes. |
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Yes. |
Huge. |
Under seat. RHS handle. |
Thin buckles. Light. Small straps that hold sliding shoulder straps unsnapped open. |
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Swing / Connect Reverse |
L |
Jérôme + Arvin + Bob |
Yes. |
8/10. Easy. |
Yes. Material? |
Comfy. Fully adjustable seat board angle. |
No. Only front elastics to take line slack. |
Yes. Lexan plate in base. |
Front / Bottom. |
OK. |
Yes. |
Huge. |
Under seat. RHS handle. |
Arvin: Yes. Bob: Wing only. |
Similar to Voyager Plus. |
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Woody Valley / Voyager Plus |
L |
Jérôme + Michele |
Yes. |
10/10. Very easy. |
Polycarbonate |
Comfy. Fully adjustable seat board angle. |
No. Only front elastics to take line slack. |
Front / Bottom. |
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Yes. |
Huge. |
Under seat. RHS handle. |
Bill: Wing only. |
Similar to Connect Reverse. Not the lightest. Big buckles. |
Extra info
Safety problem with airbag harnesses.
DHV, 2011/2/2: Safety problem - Convertible rucksack harness.
Damaging the rucksack damages the airbag.
Darren Shepherd, 2011/7/31: I was told that the problem with reversible harness is, that when using them as a rucksack if you damage them and get a hole in them then the protection (airbag) becomes useless, however after looking at the verso the airbag system is protected from damage? Not sure about other makes but worth considering.
Jérôme Daoust, 2011/8/1: I kept thinking about how wear & tear of the rucksack's envelope affects the burst limit of the airbag...
It seems that in most cases (for example the Swing / Connect Reverse) the shared fabric from the rucksack's envelope only corresponds to the behind-your-back chamber of the airbag.
The under-the-seat portion of the airbag is most often separated by a fabric wall with some airflow holes and this part is not exposed when in rucksack mode.
So let's say your rucksack fabric has suffered abrasion and is potentially weakened. In the case you land on your back (more than on your butt) that could be a problem, with that part of the airbag bursting. But in most cases where we fall mostly on our butt, the fabric of that airbag chamber is not part of the rucksack's exterior, so its burst pressure should be mostly unchanged.
Lothar Haeger, 2011/8/1: Many of my friends fly reversible harnesses like the Connect Reverse and the Sup'Air Altirando. Almost all of them use a simple backpack rain cover when carrying to protect the harness from abrasion and in one particular case when a harness/backpack slid down a rocky slope a few hundred meters by accident, the pilot still had a nice flight instead of having to hike back down to the car and find a repair shop. Money well spent, adds 130 grams to your setup, though...
Damaging the airbag's pre-fill mechanism.
Rodolfo Saccani, 2011/8/2: With reversible harnesses you have to be careful when packing: take care of the Lexan reinforcements. I've seen situations where the Lexan plate took a bad shape and prevented the airbag to inflate. Pictures explain better than words: Mechanism + In flight.
