Ride Engine Tractable Reel Leash w/ Waist Belt | Retractable Wing Foil Leash

Anyone who has spent a downwind run with a coiled leash swinging off their calf knows the problem. It snags, it drags through every transition, and when you do go in it either whips the board back at you or leaves you unpicking line from your feet while the wing flogs. Ride Engine's Tractable Reel Leash solves it differently: the line lives on a retractable reel worn at your waist, so it stays out of the way until the moment it actually has to do its job.

Inside the reel is 1.8m of Kevlar weave webbing wound onto a spring. When you crash, the webbing pays out and holds the board — and, more to the point, the foil — at a controlled distance rather than firing it back in your direction. The spring itself is titanium PVD coated, which matters more than the spec sheet makes it sound: this is a moving mechanism that lives in salt water, and an uncoated spring seizes solid inside a season. Retraction is deliberately gentle. There is no aggressive snap-back when tension comes off.

The whole unit weighs 100g. On the water you forget it is there, which is the entire point of it.

Who it suits

Wing foiling, parawinging and downwind. Anywhere you are moving around the board and do not want a leash wrapped round a leg. It is a particularly obvious upgrade for downwind, where a conventional leash spends the whole run getting in your way.

This is the waist belt version, which comes with a padded neoprene belt. For most riders we would take this over the calf strap — it is more comfortable across a long session and keeps the reel well clear of your feet. The calf option makes more sense if you are already running a second leash and want to keep the two systems separate.

The honest bit

A reel leash is a mechanism, and mechanisms need looking after. Rinse it properly with fresh water after every session, especially off Wallasey where it will pick up sand as well as salt. Do that and it will last you years. Neglect it and no coating on earth will save the spring.

It is also not the cheapest leash on the wall. If you only ever ride flat water at West Kirby on a short leash, you probably do not need one. If you are putting in downwind miles or long wing sessions, it earns its money quickly.

Specs

• 1.8m Kevlar weave webbing
• Internal titanium PVD coated spring — corrosion resistant, smooth consistent retraction
• 100g total weight
• Padded neoprene waist belt included
• Quick-connect attachment
• Disciplines: wing foiling, parawinging, downwind foiling

Not sure whether the waist belt or the calf strap suits the way you ride? Give us a shout. We ride this gear at West Kirby and Wallasey most weeks, and we would rather put you on the right one than the dearer one.