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A case for full face?

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AndersP
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Re: A case for full face?

Postby AndersP » Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:24 am

Horrible freak accident!

Question is, how much protection can you use before it just get to much? You can get hurt in all your bodyparts when kiting. I believe head and spine protection comes first. I use helmet and spine protection when I ski, mountainbike and kite. I haven't found a good impact vest with proper spine protection yet. Brain and spine injuries affects your life much more than broken bones. I also strongly believe in using high visibility gear so you are easily found when in trouble out ar sea. A kite knife or 2 is must!

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Re: A case for full face?

Postby joriws » Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:13 am

Well with kayaking helmets like Rocker people huck higher water falls coming down in freewall than nobody can jump with kite. World record is 186ft / 56m. "Woo" that, you jump 56m and eject kite & leash. So definetly Sweet's Rocker is capable of that and there is no bucket effect. Carbon fibre paddles have problems to endure the hit like in world record huck. I've used cap-type helmet with kiting "happy2b"-brand and never had any bucket or visor problem with kite- or wakeboarding among white water kayaking.

For Jyka - you could also make as search with "kayak polo helmet". Those are quite small and have full face metal face guard and made to endure paddle hits. It depends on your foil wing if it can penetrate the holes. I've been using stock ice hockey helmet with face mask in kayak polo - no problem for me in visibility.

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Re: A case for full face?

Postby RagingGrandpa » Tue Oct 16, 2018 2:44 pm

joriws wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:13 am
"kayak polo helmet". Those are quite small and have full face metal face guard and made to endure paddle hits.
That's interesting, thanks. And they sell the guards separately for retrofit too...
Image

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Re: A case for full face?

Postby juandesooka » Tue Oct 16, 2018 4:52 pm

I am more safety conscious than most ... one of the last diehards in my local to still wear a helmet, plus impact vest, 2 hook knives, etc ... "Captain Safety". But honestly I think a face cage is probably a little overkill for kite foiling, at least once you're competent. Weighing the risk vs reward, it doesn't seem justified.

But for surf/sup foiling, it's a different story, especially when learning! The difference in kiting is you have a power source that pulls you away from the foil in wipeouts. Surf foiling, when you wipeout, you are mixed in amongst the foil in waves. Even worse, when you're learning you want to go slow, ease yourself in, but it turns out that's super dangerous (similar to riding a bike....a little speed gives you control and is actually safer). Going too slow and leaning on wrong edge leads to "jackknife" wipeouts, where you collapse into the foil. It comes up at you so fast, I find you don't have time to even cover your face ... kinda like going over the handlebars on a bike. I got hit a half dozen times while in newbie stage .... and if I had a cage, I would have worn it. Could easily see the wing smashing your teeth or putting out an eye <shudder>. I am now at nearly a competent beginner stage, but still wearing helmet ... got over confident a few sessions ago, dumb wipeout, bopped my head pretty hard into the wing....hard enough to knock me out without a helmet? Dunno, but scary to think of possibilities.

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RagingGrandpa
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Re: A case for full face?

Postby RagingGrandpa » Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:06 pm

juandesooka wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 4:52 pm
in kiting is you have a power source that pulls you away from the foil in wipeouts.
A frequent issue (discussed by many here) is the board chasing you down after a forward fall and striking you in the head with speed, while you're floating in the water. ie: my avatar ;)

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Re: A case for full face?

Postby TomW » Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:27 pm

bauer-hockey-helmet-combo-re-akt-100.jpg

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Re: A caes for full face?

Postby SENDIT! » Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:01 pm

wind chaser wrote:
Sat Oct 21, 2017 7:17 pm
ideaR's - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/14 ... f=kicktraq

Sorry to hear about the injury but some things are just not practical.
Holy crap, I thought this was a joke, but I guess not! You can be safe to play football, but you'll have to look like the Juggernaut! :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Re: A case for full face?

Postby SENDIT! » Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:04 pm

RagingGrandpa wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:06 pm
juandesooka wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 4:52 pm
in kiting is you have a power source that pulls you away from the foil in wipeouts.
A frequent issue (discussed by many here) is the board chasing you down after a forward fall and striking you in the head with speed, while you're floating in the water. ie: my avatar ;)
Yes, as a matter of fact, I gave myself a very low speed *bonk* in the head from the nose of the board the other day, doing exactly what you described.

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Re: A caes for full face?

Postby Peter_Frank » Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:31 pm

SENDIT! wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:01 pm
wind chaser wrote:
Sat Oct 21, 2017 7:17 pm
ideaR's - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/14 ... f=kicktraq

Sorry to hear about the injury but some things are just not practical.
Holy crap, I thought this was a joke, but I guess not! You can be safe to play football, but you'll have to look like the Juggernaut! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ha haaa, that is the most stupid thing I have ever seen :lol:

What will come next - do we have to wear wetsuits or even flotation vests in the summer, when foiling?

NO WAY :roll:

8) PF

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Re: A case for full face?

Postby bragnouff » Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:21 pm

RagingGrandpa wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:06 pm
juandesooka wrote:
Tue Oct 16, 2018 4:52 pm
in kiting is you have a power source that pulls you away from the foil in wipeouts.
A frequent issue (discussed by many here) is the board chasing you down after a forward fall and striking you in the head with speed, while you're floating in the water. ie: my avatar ;)
And here is why I do love my Zeeko SpitFire. It just doesn't shoot in the air when left on its own. I got reminded of that last time I swapped gear with someone for 10 minutes.
Maybe it's a false sense of security, but statistically, there's definite truth to that.


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