Are There Any “Weightless” Pilots Here? What are your thoughts about it? 👇💬 🪶First Impression Video: ruclips.net/video/ftlU7VhACIQ/видео.htmlsi=pFrTBNtoD1M_G-6b 💥Weightless In The Dolomites & Stuck Carabineer: ruclips.net/video/Lr7jGVaolc4/видео.htmlsi=SNn-ngpEICOQfxS1 🪑More About Weightless: flybubble.com/advance-weightless
For me Flybubble is the best channel with great mix of everything paragliding related :) Perfect overview of the harness! Thank you Carlo for making videos like this.
Hey - glad you like our channel, and found this video helpful. We plan to continue making videos as long as people find them helpful and we're able to do so.
Mine, also in use for about 2 years in hike&fly but also XC comps etc, with approx. 200h of airtime, got quite some wear at the red sheething of the hip strap as it always gets in the big velcro of the instrument panel at takeoff and landing... Other than that, it is really durable for its weight, but the fin is not bright white but off-white/yellowish now... I dont use the bag at all as I prefer the skywalk hike packs for comfort reasons, also for a vol biv trip in switzerland... Recommend not to fly too much XC comps on full speed bar though as it is not really stable on full bar, especially at cross wind which can blow into the Speed Bag, and it of course cannot be as stable as comp harnesses. For Hike&Fly (comps), h&f XC flying, VolBiv adventures etc however a great harness.
Very nice little review. It would be great to have a comparison of the current (ultra)light harnesses, like the Weightless, Strike 2, Arrow P etc. Features, feeling, pros & cons etc. It's hard to find people who have flown all of them.
The rucksack by far, is the best paragliding bag I've owned in 23 years of paragliding ! 💯 The harness build quality is exemplary.. it does take a time to get it right.. Carlo thanks for your help with that🙏 it was my First lightweight advance harness and Carlo helped me to get it right.. It gives good feed back and comfort when set up properly. A very well thought out bit of kit.. 💯 recommendation.. 6 foot 4 96kg pilot weight
Glad you found this video helpful. Yes, we've already tested the AirDesign The Sock quite a bit, in sizes M and L, and the The Sock Superlight (SL) a little. I've found The Sock to be a very good semi-light pod, offering very good value for the price. We've had a n umber of customers buy The Sock from us who seem very happy with them. Of course no harness is the best choice for everyone, so as always it's down to the individual. Full reviews of The Sock and The Sock Superlight to come, if possible.
Recently I bought a lightness 3 as a first pod harness so I have nothing else to compare to 😅 From time to time it feels quite active but still playing with the settings and the upright position. How would you compare the lightness 3 to strike 2? Also I would like to know a bit more about your protector preference mentioned on 7:24! I thought that the airbags perform a bit better on impact and are more compact in packing. Thanks for the video!
Glad you love yours. Odd that the footplate comes out of the pocket at all. We've never had that happen or to my recollection had anyone report that happening to us before. What do you think is causing this to happen with yours? Perhaps you have the speedbag lines set too tight (as many pilots do on their pod harnesses)?
I think it’s due to some aggressive launches with the leash attached. Without it I fight to get into the speed bag. Line lengths were carefully adjusted in a shop; I don’t think they are too short (also came from an Impress 3, so I have a pretty good idea of the speedbag length adjustments).
A quick update - Advance has agreed to replace the speedbag. It looks like the material on the end of the bag was stitched a bit too tight, so the foot plate doesn’t properly sit.
@@petergreis Thanks for the update! 🙏 What you were describing didn't sound right to me. 🤓 Glad you reached out to Advance and they sorted it for you. 👍😊
Hi. Thanks for your thanks! 😊 Nancy and I have been flying the size M, which is an excellent fit for both of us. I'm ~ 181cm, 78-80 kg. Nancy is ~177cm, 64-65 kg.
Yes, the foam protector is quite compressible - which is good for packing, longevity and safety, I believe. These are key reasons why overall I personally prefer this kind of protector.
I purchased an used weightless that looks in good conditions but the white areas are getting slightly yellow. The previous owner said he made 50 hours of flying, that can be true? thanks
I didn't keep an exact record but checking back we used this harness on approximately 40 different days, perhaps more. Some days we did 1 flight, others ~ 20 flights. Average 5 flights? Some flights lasted just minutes, others lasted ~ 4 hours. Average 0.5 hours? Total ~ 200 flights, 100 hours? To be honest this is a pretty rough guess, sorry. My feeling, thinking how many times I took this harness out, because I like it a lot, is that is a conservative guess, but I'm really not sure. Hope this helps!
I personally have been flying mine for around 450 hours for the past two years and except for the white color that slowly became yellow-ish because of the dust on certain take-offs (I might try to clean it when I am back home) and the front strap that I had to protect with some tape from to the friction with the cockpit's velcro I have no concerning wear and tear. I am planning to use it another season at least so I would probably reach 600 hours with. My backpack does definitely not look new and white anymore but no wear and tear or repair needed even after heavy use while traveling across continents. I started to use O-rings on my carabiners as well with my latest glider, apparently the elevators' loop being bigger than those from my former glider caused them to get stuck on the gate of the carabiner .
@@francoiswagner8933 Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙏 This shows that, with proper care and good piloting, the Weightless and Lightpack ULS can last a good long time, even as an everyday harness. 👍 (However, as with all ultralight gear, it won't last as well as heavier-duty gear with improper care and less good piloting.)
I have two questions. Firstly, I have heard rumors that the harness is broken when you have to deploy the reserve. I can't imagine that with the best will in the world. But is there any truth to this rumor? Secondly, I would like to buy the harness second-hand. After watching the video, I would say that this is not a problem as long as it has been well looked after. Do you agree with this? Finally, many thanks for all these great videos.
Yes, lightweight harnesses can break if you throw the reserve. E.g. shown here for the Easiness by Lucian: lu-glidz.blogspot.com/2020/07/retter-raus-und-rrrratsch.html?m=1 So the harness will not fail in terms of safety, but the fabric in the back might, so there will likely be unrepairable damage to the harness in this case. But that can happen with all lightweight harnesses and advance also writes in the manual that the weightless shall not be used under any circumstances for SIV as it can rip under high g manouvers or as said in case of reserve deployment.
well, reserve deployment causing permanent damage happens to the heavyweight Impress... (spoiler Advance won't take it as warranty repair) so I can totally imagine it can occur with this one. Also what I've found in the manual of my Omega ULS... Advance asks you to not do SIV with it. I'll let you connect the dots :)
@@kocot.Take an old wing from 2014 and an actual light wing from 2024 and compare the weight, inner structure etc. And you know why most manufacturers do not recommend SIV with ultralight wings nowadays. You all wanted ultralight wings so you cant get the same robustness with the D10 or Skytex 27 as back in the days with 38 or 40 skytex and 4 line rigging. So nothing to search between the dots just simple math.
Having said this, the fact is I've known too many pilots who quite regularly do have encounters with fences, bushes etc, and generally have not-so-good wing control - too often losing control on launch, having bum landings etc - who choose to buy ultralight gear (I suppose for the obvious benefits, seemingly conveniently ignoring the obvious compromises). Too many of these pilots then seem surprised when they damage this ultralight gear - and too often they then blame the gear for being "not fit for purpose" 🙄 rather than their competence. To me this shows a general lack of self-awareness and good judgement - both of which can be fatal in our sport.
@@flybubblecarlo And that is exactly the point imo! Ultra-Light Gear is for those who actually do stuff that needs Ultra-light gear! Seeing those on the pubic launch spot with ultra-light gear, but with a ultra-heavy belly (and def only interested in the fly-part of hike-and-fly) grinds my gears!. Could be an interesting topic-starter or discussion-video!
I have it one year,now I have the niviuk Arrow P, it feels better more comfort and sitting much better and is black ,the weightless color are very fast dirty😮
And how do you feel about the minimal protection it offers? Comparing to RXA2/3 or F*race it definitely take more balls to fly this one in H&F comp conditions. Especially since the reserve under the seat means you might either fall onto a tightly packed reserve or the hole that's left after deploying it. Comfort wise and material wise RXA3 or Arrow feels like a higher level to me, but it would be insane to say it's a bad product given who flies in it and the results they are getting :)
Hello again @kokot. 👋 Thanks again for sharing your opinion with us here. You must be one of our most regular contributors, thank you! 🤓 In answer to your question, I am very happy with the level of protection the Weightless offers. 😄 For reference, I am really not that brave. Actually I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat compared to some. So I do prefer good protection in a harness, within reason. ℹ Based on my experience and research, I believe that no protector is perfect or makes the pilot invulnerable. Far from it. I'm sure that, as with all flying gear, manufacturers will continue to improve protectors over time. However I am not sure there will ever be the perfect protector or one that makes the pilot anywhere close to invulnerable. In my opinion all protectors are a compromise, as is all flying gear. Overall, in reality, I prefer the compromise that a good foam protector offers to an airbag, inflatable or rigid style protector. Currently, my second choice would be a good inflatable protector. ℹ
I believe the Weightless has an excellent foam protector, probably the best overall compromise currently available for this type of harness. 👍 I feel the same about the Niviuk Arrow P, which also comes with a foam protector as standard (optional inflatable protector in development). Speaking of the Arrow P, having already tested it quite a bit (in a wide variety of conditions, in the UK and Colombia, and with several different wings) Nancy and I are equally impressed with it. This and the Weightless are currently our two personal favourite ultralight pod harnesses (of course others may feel differently, as to be expected with all gear). 👍
About comfort, for me the overall comfort of the Weightless and Arrow P (which I find pretty much equal) is better than RXA3 and Strike 2, and much better than the RXA2, F*race, BV1 and The Sock Superlight. I also believe that the build quality of the Weightless and Arrow P are in another league. Others might believe differently.
@@flybubblecarlo sorry, but what makes you think that weightless has 'probably the best currently available foam protector'. There is really nothing that would suggest so, starting from it being pretty much the smallest you can find, to having absolutely nothing special about it, while other companies at least try to innovate with the materials and structure. I do get you guys can't really say anything bad about those brands you sell, but come on... let's stick to data
@@kocot. thanks for your critique. Reading what I wrote again, I of course did not mean that I believe the Weightless has 'probably the best currently available foam protector' of all harnesses; I of course meant for the class, and I of course meant looking at the overall package it offers - and not just one piece of data, which IMO can lead to over simplistic and false conclusions. Following your feedback, I've edited my comment to read: I believe the Weightless has an excellent foam protector, probably the best overall compromise currently available for this type of harness. 👍
@@flybubblecarlo this is exactly how I understood it, no worries. However, the question still stands - what makes you think it's 'probably the best overall compromise currently available for this type of harness.', since it's the smallest of all and offers absolutely nothing special in terms of the technology. I dont doubt Advane claims so, but I just don't see any data backing it up. I feel much safer in RXA2/3/F*Race, and I would in Arrow P as well.
Equipamentos novos é tufo de bom - os meus já tem 18 anos - sem trimagem - sem porosidade - nunca viu uma revisão - e fora da validade o reserva. 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Are There Any “Weightless” Pilots Here? What are your thoughts about it? 👇💬
🪶First Impression Video: ruclips.net/video/ftlU7VhACIQ/видео.htmlsi=pFrTBNtoD1M_G-6b
💥Weightless In The Dolomites & Stuck Carabineer: ruclips.net/video/Lr7jGVaolc4/видео.htmlsi=SNn-ngpEICOQfxS1
🪑More About Weightless: flybubble.com/advance-weightless
For me Flybubble is the best channel with great mix of everything paragliding related :) Perfect overview of the harness! Thank you Carlo for making videos like this.
Hey - glad you like our channel, and found this video helpful. We plan to continue making videos as long as people find them helpful and we're able to do so.
@@flybubblecarlo I second this.
Mine, also in use for about 2 years in hike&fly but also XC comps etc, with approx. 200h of airtime, got quite some wear at the red sheething of the hip strap as it always gets in the big velcro of the instrument panel at takeoff and landing... Other than that, it is really durable for its weight, but the fin is not bright white but off-white/yellowish now...
I dont use the bag at all as I prefer the skywalk hike packs for comfort reasons, also for a vol biv trip in switzerland...
Recommend not to fly too much XC comps on full speed bar though as it is not really stable on full bar, especially at cross wind which can blow into the Speed Bag, and it of course cannot be as stable as comp harnesses. For Hike&Fly (comps), h&f XC flying, VolBiv adventures etc however a great harness.
Very nice little review. It would be great to have a comparison of the current (ultra)light harnesses, like the Weightless, Strike 2, Arrow P etc. Features, feeling, pros & cons etc. It's hard to find people who have flown all of them.
The rucksack by far, is the best paragliding bag I've owned in 23 years of paragliding ! 💯 The harness build quality is exemplary.. it does take a time to get it right.. Carlo thanks for your help with that🙏 it was my First lightweight advance harness and Carlo helped me to get it right..
It gives good feed back and comfort when set up properly. A very well thought out bit of kit.. 💯 recommendation.. 6 foot 4 96kg pilot weight
Thank you for this detailed review!
Great feedback, thank you! Have you had the chance to test the air design sock? Its semi light approach is very appealing
Glad you found this video helpful. Yes, we've already tested the AirDesign The Sock quite a bit, in sizes M and L, and the The Sock Superlight (SL) a little. I've found The Sock to be a very good semi-light pod, offering very good value for the price. We've had a n umber of customers buy The Sock from us who seem very happy with them. Of course no harness is the best choice for everyone, so as always it's down to the individual. Full reviews of The Sock and The Sock Superlight to come, if possible.
Recently I bought a lightness 3 as a first pod harness so I have nothing else to compare to 😅 From time to time it feels quite active but still playing with the settings and the upright position. How would you compare the lightness 3 to strike 2? Also I would like to know a bit more about your protector preference mentioned on 7:24! I thought that the airbags perform a bit better on impact and are more compact in packing. Thanks for the video!
Nice!
And nice to see you back, Greg.
That's Carlo
@@turkeyphant I think it's Greg! :)
You can think what you want, it doesn't make you less wrong.
@@turkeyphant Maybe. But I may still think it's Greg!
Love mine… except that the carbon fiber footplate often comes out of the upper pocket to hold it.
Glad you love yours. Odd that the footplate comes out of the pocket at all. We've never had that happen or to my recollection had anyone report that happening to us before. What do you think is causing this to happen with yours? Perhaps you have the speedbag lines set too tight (as many pilots do on their pod harnesses)?
I think it’s due to some aggressive launches with the leash attached. Without it I fight to get into the speed bag.
Line lengths were carefully adjusted in a shop; I don’t think they are too short (also came from an Impress 3, so I have a pretty good idea of the speedbag length adjustments).
A quick update - Advance has agreed to replace the speedbag. It looks like the material on the end of the bag was stitched a bit too tight, so the foot plate doesn’t properly sit.
@@petergreis Thanks for the update! 🙏 What you were describing didn't sound right to me. 🤓 Glad you reached out to Advance and they sorted it for you. 👍😊
Can someone shed some light on what the storage is like? Does it have a storage compartment inside the fairing? Any hiking pole storage etc?
Hi Carlo! Which size have you been flying? M or L? I am 184 cm and always between sizes 😅 Many thanks for the video.
Hi. Thanks for your thanks! 😊 Nancy and I have been flying the size M, which is an excellent fit for both of us. I'm ~ 181cm, 78-80 kg. Nancy is ~177cm, 64-65 kg.
How small van you pack it? Is the protector compressable?
Pretty small, see this and other videos, and product info: flybubble.com/advance-weightless
Yes, the foam protector is quite compressible - which is good for packing, longevity and safety, I believe. These are key reasons why overall I personally prefer this kind of protector.
I purchased an used weightless that looks in good conditions but the white areas are getting slightly yellow. The previous owner said he made 50 hours of flying, that can be true?
thanks
How many flights / hours you've made? Even a ballpark figure would give a feeling about it's durability
I didn't keep an exact record but checking back we used this harness on approximately 40 different days, perhaps more. Some days we did 1 flight, others ~ 20 flights. Average 5 flights? Some flights lasted just minutes, others lasted ~ 4 hours. Average 0.5 hours? Total ~ 200 flights, 100 hours? To be honest this is a pretty rough guess, sorry. My feeling, thinking how many times I took this harness out, because I like it a lot, is that is a conservative guess, but I'm really not sure. Hope this helps!
I personally have been flying mine for around 450 hours for the past two years and except for the white color that slowly became yellow-ish because of the dust on certain take-offs (I might try to clean it when I am back home) and the front strap that I had to protect with some tape from to the friction with the cockpit's velcro I have no concerning wear and tear. I am planning to use it another season at least so I would probably reach 600 hours with.
My backpack does definitely not look new and white anymore but no wear and tear or repair needed even after heavy use while traveling across continents.
I started to use O-rings on my carabiners as well with my latest glider, apparently the elevators' loop being bigger than those from my former glider caused them to get stuck on the gate of the carabiner .
@@francoiswagner8933 Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙏 This shows that, with proper care and good piloting, the Weightless and Lightpack ULS can last a good long time, even as an everyday harness. 👍 (However, as with all ultralight gear, it won't last as well as heavier-duty gear with improper care and less good piloting.)
I have two questions. Firstly, I have heard rumors that the harness is broken when you have to deploy the reserve. I can't imagine that with the best will in the world. But is there any truth to this rumor? Secondly, I would like to buy the harness second-hand. After watching the video, I would say that this is not a problem as long as it has been well looked after. Do you agree with this?
Finally, many thanks for all these great videos.
Thanks for your thanks for our videos, I'm glad you find them helpful.
In answer to your questions: I don't believe so. Yes, I agree.
Yes, lightweight harnesses can break if you throw the reserve.
E.g. shown here for the Easiness by Lucian:
lu-glidz.blogspot.com/2020/07/retter-raus-und-rrrratsch.html?m=1
So the harness will not fail in terms of safety, but the fabric in the back might, so there will likely be unrepairable damage to the harness in this case. But that can happen with all lightweight harnesses and advance also writes in the manual that the weightless shall not be used under any circumstances for SIV as it can rip under high g manouvers or as said in case of reserve deployment.
well, reserve deployment causing permanent damage happens to the heavyweight Impress... (spoiler Advance won't take it as warranty repair) so I can totally imagine it can occur with this one. Also what I've found in the manual of my Omega ULS... Advance asks you to not do SIV with it. I'll let you connect the dots :)
@@kocot.Take an old wing from 2014 and an actual light wing from 2024 and compare the weight, inner structure etc. And you know why most manufacturers do not recommend SIV with ultralight wings nowadays. You all wanted ultralight wings so you cant get the same robustness with the D10 or Skytex 27 as back in the days with 38 or 40 skytex and 4 line rigging. So nothing to search between the dots just simple math.
3:48 if you get dragged into barbed wire a lot… well… well,well,well
Fair comment - perhaps I gave a poor - too pointed 😏 - example here, but I suppose that you get the point 😜 of what I'm saying.
@@flybubblecarlo of course! Just had a small laugh!
Having said this, the fact is I've known too many pilots who quite regularly do have encounters with fences, bushes etc, and generally have not-so-good wing control - too often losing control on launch, having bum landings etc - who choose to buy ultralight gear (I suppose for the obvious benefits, seemingly conveniently ignoring the obvious compromises). Too many of these pilots then seem surprised when they damage this ultralight gear - and too often they then blame the gear for being "not fit for purpose" 🙄 rather than their competence. To me this shows a general lack of self-awareness and good judgement - both of which can be fatal in our sport.
@@debozebever 😏😜😉
@@flybubblecarlo And that is exactly the point imo! Ultra-Light Gear is for those who actually do stuff that needs Ultra-light gear! Seeing those on the pubic launch spot with ultra-light gear, but with a ultra-heavy belly (and def only interested in the fly-part of hike-and-fly) grinds my gears!.
Could be an interesting topic-starter or discussion-video!
How many you flew with it
I owned the weightless for 1 year, and I didn’t like it.. I’m not talking about the quality or the features, but about the feelings in flight.
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙏 Just goes to show, no gear is for everyone! 🤓
I have it one year,now I have the niviuk Arrow P, it feels better more comfort and sitting much better and is black ,the weightless color are very fast dirty😮
And how do you feel about the minimal protection it offers? Comparing to RXA2/3 or F*race it definitely take more balls to fly this one in H&F comp conditions. Especially since the reserve under the seat means you might either fall onto a tightly packed reserve or the hole that's left after deploying it. Comfort wise and material wise RXA3 or Arrow feels like a higher level to me, but it would be insane to say it's a bad product given who flies in it and the results they are getting :)
Hello again @kokot. 👋 Thanks again for sharing your opinion with us here. You must be one of our most regular contributors, thank you! 🤓
In answer to your question, I am very happy with the level of protection the Weightless offers. 😄
For reference, I am really not that brave. Actually I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat compared to some. So I do prefer good protection in a harness, within reason. ℹ
Based on my experience and research, I believe that no protector is perfect or makes the pilot invulnerable. Far from it. I'm sure that, as with all flying gear, manufacturers will continue to improve protectors over time. However I am not sure there will ever be the perfect protector or one that makes the pilot anywhere close to invulnerable. In my opinion all protectors are a compromise, as is all flying gear. Overall, in reality, I prefer the compromise that a good foam protector offers to an airbag, inflatable or rigid style protector. Currently, my second choice would be a good inflatable protector. ℹ
I believe the Weightless has an excellent foam protector, probably the best overall compromise currently available for this type of harness. 👍
I feel the same about the Niviuk Arrow P, which also comes with a foam protector as standard (optional inflatable protector in development). Speaking of the Arrow P, having already tested it quite a bit (in a wide variety of conditions, in the UK and Colombia, and with several different wings) Nancy and I are equally impressed with it. This and the Weightless are currently our two personal favourite ultralight pod harnesses (of course others may feel differently, as to be expected with all gear). 👍
About comfort, for me the overall comfort of the Weightless and Arrow P (which I find pretty much equal) is better than RXA3 and Strike 2, and much better than the RXA2, F*race, BV1 and The Sock Superlight. I also believe that the build quality of the Weightless and Arrow P are in another league. Others might believe differently.
@@flybubblecarlo sorry, but what makes you think that weightless has 'probably the best currently available foam protector'. There is really nothing that would suggest so, starting from it being pretty much the smallest you can find, to having absolutely nothing special about it, while other companies at least try to innovate with the materials and structure. I do get you guys can't really say anything bad about those brands you sell, but come on... let's stick to data
@@kocot. thanks for your critique. Reading what I wrote again, I of course did not mean that I believe the Weightless has 'probably the best currently available foam protector' of all harnesses; I of course meant for the class, and I of course meant looking at the overall package it offers - and not just one piece of data, which IMO can lead to over simplistic and false conclusions. Following your feedback, I've edited my comment to read: I believe the Weightless has an excellent foam protector, probably the best overall compromise currently available for this type of harness. 👍
@@flybubblecarlo this is exactly how I understood it, no worries. However, the question still stands - what makes you think it's 'probably the best overall compromise currently available for this type of harness.', since it's the smallest of all and offers absolutely nothing special in terms of the technology. I dont doubt Advane claims so, but I just don't see any data backing it up. I feel much safer in RXA2/3/F*Race, and I would in Arrow P as well.
Equipamentos novos é tufo de bom - os meus já tem 18 anos - sem trimagem - sem porosidade - nunca viu uma revisão - e fora da validade o reserva. 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢