Had a paddle today at a local reefbreak and got caught inside on one and my leggie broke , had to swim about 50 yards to retrieve my board and luckily a old timer on a Wave ski had grabbed it for me
No names as it has served me well but it was a good quality big wave leash and always washed after use and kept stored out of sunlight
It was 2 years old and had a fair bit of use
I have a back up i bought around the same time that i use sometimes on another board
SUP,s obviously will make it hard work for the leash so im thinking i should be changing leashes more often than every 2 years
Any thoughts on what others do
Leggie last as long until fins start to slash in some fine cuts up the rail saver. Check at your leggie before coming out by heavy session for those nasty cuts 
Select to expand quoteKami said..
Leggie last as long until fins start to slash in some fine cuts up the rail saver. Check at your leggie before coming out by heavy session for those nasty cuts
Is also my experience, depends more on the nasty sessions (big stress) / unlucky encounter with a sharp fin.
I always buy the big wave type. I don't wash after use. I check it before the session and always keep a spare in the car.
UV is also a killer, along with fin cuts, (shark bites, see mick fanning) and stress from larger or more powerful waves
At the moment I'm using an 8mm leg rope for the smaller, normal days but use a Balin 10mm unit on bigger more challenging days ..... I don't want to be swimming after my board in heavy surf with lots of water movement. I am thinking that using the heavy duty leggy more sparingly will preserve its condition for when I really need it. This seems to be working for me so far.
I'm go thru a lot less leggies sinse I started taking the leggie off after every session, instead of left wrapped around the board and stored in the bag.
I'm go thru a lot less leggies sinse I started taking the leggie off after every session, instead of left wrapped around the board and stored in the bag.
I had one of my 2 year old 10mm leggies break in 1ft waves earlier this year.
Got in contact with the manufacturer who told me it was a known fault with a run they had done a few years back. The swivel pulled clean out of the housing.
Makes me nervous as I run the same model on all of my boards, a couple of which I purchased around the same time.
I asked if there was a way I could tell if my other leggies would suffer the same fate at some point, but apparently there is no way to tell.
They looked after me with a new replacement.
Always have two of them........the older one for every day use.......and a newish one I only use on big scary days
Just bought a big wave Balin leash for backup for my other leash on bigger days
Yep im carrying 2 at all times now
Hey mate. Went out today on my 12'6" sup in the surf cause the surf was small. Had a well known brand name leggie on. First time used in the surf and majority of times used in fresh water. Broke in the first fall. Wasn't even a decent wave/fall. Leggie less than 12 month olds. So I think you could be just unlucky some times
Only ever snapped one leggie wasn't a huge day either, only started carrying a spare since then... couldn't really tell you how often i change em over... when they snap or look 3 foot longer then when i bought it..?
I buy a new leggie every 12 months. I ve used heaps of different brands but the one I use now is :www.surffx.com.au/product/dakine-kainui-leash/ at $45 its a corka
I break a leash every 18 months or so. It happens, a nick from a fin on one fall and a big set afterwards and away it goes. Barring cuts from fins, the most common structural failure has always been the attachment points between the cord and the railsaver. On DaKine style leashes, its just swivel connected to a nylon cord hidden in the rail saver, same as the one they include to run through your leash plug on your board. When you check your leash, make sure to work the swivel out of the rail saver a little so you can look at that cord. I've had 6 leashes break at this connection point. At this point I won't buy another constructed like that.
It's funny and sad and disturbing the way we think nothing of spending thousands of dollars each year on new boards but we all turn in to tight arses when it comes to leg ropes.
change them every 12-18 months. It's not worth doing in your $2000 board when your $40-50 leg rope snaps because you didn't turn them over. I have a 8' leggie on my 8.0 board that I just changed over, it looked fine but then I put it on my 10' for my daughter to paddle in the flat the other day and it was 10' long. I surf mostly 1-3foot and get heaps of waves with this leggie stretched over 2 foot in 12 months, it has been replaced. My mate has the 10mm heavy duty one and has compressed the tail of his board twice. Something has to give under load, get 6-8mm leggie and turn them over. Better to have the leggie stretch than crush the tail of your board in. The stretched leggie is now my dog leash......
If the attachements to the cord are well designed (no sharp angles, quality swivel and its anchoring, ...) I found out that the leashes can be good for may years if not exposed to UV and chafing (sand), and rinsed from time to time.
What I learned, though, is that a even a quality new leash (such as the O&E One) can break easily if not taken care of on the water:
- wiping out with the board facing out: the breaking wave will push it on the fins. This is very important when going out, if you feel you are not going to make it over the foam, take the time to push the board sideways when bailing out.
- resisting the pull: this is very important: at the start of the pull in a wipeout, try to streamline yourself and be dragged to damper the initial pull. I have snapped leashes just by following my instinct of resisting the pull by "anchoring" with my arms and legs in the water. I then could feel the leash overstretch and snap.
I like the Hotline Stage 3 Big Wave Leash because it's built differently from other leashes; rather more basic perhaps but all the better for it.
I generally change my leashes each year; both Surf (straight) and downwind (coiled). If I'm downwinding in big stuff and a couple of miles offshore I'll wear two leashes. The water is cool here, and the lifeboat won't launch in very high winds so a DJ-style leash failure might be the end of you. PT Woody is right - skimping on leashes while spending a fortune on boards makes no sense.
Ordered two for xmas - they arrived by courier 6 days after - my front door at mid north coast from Hawaii - my wife and I have used them and they are great - took away her fear factor about falling off in surf - no more stretched leg tendons and aching joints!
absolute best buy Steve
