parents are getting me an impact vest, but dos any1 actually wear them or are they more trouble than they are good? do they make it hard to bodydrag upwind? make u less flexible or even help you float much better? can any1 recomend a brand/modle ? i wear a seat harnest weigh 52kg 168cm tall and am a skinny little sh** so they will have to be in a small size. cheers!

I guess you will only need one when you start doing big extreme tricks that you stack bad... If your not up to this yet, then I wouldn't bother. I don't think they provide all that much flotation either, so if you want something that floats, maybe something like my wakeboard jacket would do? Its nice and floaty, but thin enough to not hinder your movement

hey
i have been riding 4 a year now and weigh 60kg, my parents as well insist that i should get a PFD/impact vest and now i use an o'neill reactor impact vest which provides heaps of flotation(i am wearing it as i am typing now). They also warm u up, and gives you that piece of mind when u crash ur kite 2km offshore. they dnt get in the way and they dnt look to gay(i hope),
in regards to body dragging the vest sits very close to your body so body dragging upwind is still easy.i recon get one

Get a vest, broke ribs 3 weeks ago doing very unspectacular trick, out of the water for 6 weeks, not fun, just invested in a Da Kine Matrix vest via internet - www.offdalip.com - excellent service and cheap. It's one of those things, you wouldn't think you meed one until something happens.

Try a Liquid Force Impact vest. Very well made and protected. www.liquidforce.com . If you are in Brissy, welcome to try one out in the water.

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snoidberg said...

parents are getting me an impact vest, but dos any1 actually wear them or are they more trouble than they are good? do they make it hard to bodydrag upwind? make u less flexible or even help you float much better? can any1 recomend a brand/modle ? i wear a seat harnest weigh 52kg 168cm tall and am a skinny little sh** so they will have to be in a small size. cheers!

Heh Snoid, since you wear a seat harness any impact vest from a wakeboard shop will suit. I wear a Ripcurl "The Bomb" - apart from it keeping me warm I don't know that it's on. Get a smaller size than you think - they expand at least 10% when wet. Mine is tight as f#$k when I put it on, but is fine once wet. If it's too big it will ride up and annoy you. Check out the number of threads re broken ribs - not to mention near drowning. Get one

thanks for all your help guys, i'll check out some wakeboard & kite shops this week and try some on then. cheers!

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snoidberg said...

thanks for all your help guys, i'll check out some wakeboard & kite shops this week and try some on then. cheers!

Big range online here, and we also have the new 08 Dakine range thats not shown on the site just yet.
http://www.kitepower.com.au/catalog/category_316_Impact_Vests__Helmets.html

Buy in Oz and support the local industry.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve