ADVANCE IMPRESS 3
My main harness for the past 2 years was the Impress 2+,
which was very comfortable for my taste. Then came the Impress 3 M .
1.81 m and 73 kg inside the M size.
The construction of the harness and details are
‘impeccable”. It is very rare to find between harnesses such a jewel in terms
of “finessing” ;-) !
The harness impresses you to the level of handling it with
respect. Swiss precision! ;-)
In the air:
In order to feel better the harness, I did make a flight in
the Impress 2 + and the Sigma 8 25 @ 93,and then landed at the take off in the
same conditions and switched to the Impress 3 M @ 90 all up.
Immediately after take I felt more roll movements than the
Imp 2+ has. May be I am a bit skinny inside the M size.
Conditions of the day were like small 3m/s bullet thermals
with 10 m “radius”. “Frequent on our sites”.
It was an exceptional day for trying to put the glider in
its path using the harness.
My flying was long adapted to a seat board, and used to have a support
point inside the Imp 2 when weight shifting, and that, wasn’t available in the
Impress 3 as it doesn’t have one.
I think that time is needed to adapt to that feeling that I
didn’t get used to it yet after 5 hours. It could be my stubborn head to adapt
…
But I felt that “it rolls a bit quicker than I could weight
shift to counter steer”.
Nothing out of the ordinary for that level of race harnesses,
but just a bit more roll than the Impress 2 +.
The strong points of this harness are its superb comfort in
the air by supporting the back and the hips + the light feel of carrying it on
the take off.
The pluses:
A comfortable feeling, with nice back and hips support.
Lighter than Impress 2 by -3 kg.
A superb product with excellence in details and
construction.
The minuses:
Has more roll in the thermals than the Impress 2. (I am
1.81m and 73 kg) May be a bit skinny inside the M that does explain the roll.
Doesn't have a "support point" when you weight
shift (no seat board edge) like the Impress 2, but it needs time to adapt to
its weight shift characteristics.
More feedback:
Flying inside the harness i thought I'd make a small modification for skinny people, to limit the "slack" roll i was feeling.
After receiving some e-mails of pilots that found a similar feeling in roll movement,here's a photo of the modification that i don't recommend to make before contacting the pros at ADVANCE to be on the safe side. But it worked fine for me.
A small strap on each side about ± 16 cm (see pic) would suffice but i did install the trims to see at what point it will erase the roll excess.
I found that just a bit of pressure would be enough. No need to pull them hard. Just a slight pressure.
https://picasaweb.google.com/110040226962521480605/ADVANCEIMPRESS3M#5664862914670979250
https://picasaweb.google.com/110040226962521480605/ADVANCEIMPRESS3M#5664867032364545746
And i did install the neoprene cover on the chest strap to prevent the inside hard webbing's to hurt the chest on take offs when leaning forward.
...
After receiving some e-mails of pilots that found a similar feeling in roll movement,here's a photo of the modification that i don't recommend to make before contacting the pros at ADVANCE to be on the safe side. But it worked fine for me.
A small strap on each side about ± 16 cm (see pic) would suffice but i did install the trims to see at what point it will erase the roll excess.
I found that just a bit of pressure would be enough. No need to pull them hard. Just a slight pressure.
https://picasaweb.google.com/110040226962521480605/ADVANCEIMPRESS3M#5664862914670979250
https://picasaweb.google.com/110040226962521480605/ADVANCEIMPRESS3M#5664867032364545746
And i did install the neoprene cover on the chest strap to prevent the inside hard webbing's to hurt the chest on take offs when leaning forward.
...
14 comments:
Hi Zen,
I enjoy your review and comparison; this harness did catch my attention. Can you comments on the speed bag adjustment; were you at the maximum speed bag length? I am 1.85 cm in height and was wondering if a size M was the right size...
I am surprised you did not comment on the back protection which seem to be limited to the lower back compared to other harness.... Can you share your views on this aspect, I currently fly the same harness Impress 2+ but I am hesitant to switch the the I3.
Hi,
I am not in the max speed bag length.May be more 5 cm. Yes the back protection is small.
The harness support the back and hips more comfortably than impress 2+ but in moving air the I2 is much more stable in roll movements.
Hi Ziad,
first of all thanks for your "work" of testing all this gear, I really enjoy reading your reports!
Regarding the Impress 3: I experienced the roll-momentum of the harness as very helpful for avoiding collapses. Since I fly this harness my Mantra M4 hasn´t collapsed any more due to the "forced weightshift" to the side which is loosing load.
Can you imagine what I am trying to explain?
Greetings from Austria,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thank you for your comments.Yes of course,the harness is good for feeling the air mass. I found it sometimes to have just a little slack to react ,surprisingly much like the brakes of the M4.
Happy flights,
Ziad.
Hi Ziad,
So since you eventually sell your gear after testing for a while. Are you going to sell the Impress 3? Or are you replacing your Impress 2? I believe that will also be a good indicator of the appeal of this new harness ;)
Hi Jorge,I already sold the Impress 3.Keeping the I 2 for the moment. :-)
i don't understand. where did you put thouse stamps?
"A small strap on each side about"
thanks,
Selam ziad.tu a testΓ© la genie lit?
Selam ziad.tu a testΓ© la genie lit?
La 1 oui,
La 2 pas encore :-)
A+
hi i need an impress 3 M green do you have any whats the price I dont mind if is used
you can write me to mal mail rt.medsys@yahoo.com
Hi Ricardo,
Sorry... i don't have one .I only sell the tested ones which was sold long ago.cheers
Hi Ziad
At which points did you attach the straps you added please? I can see the one to the chest strap buckle. Is the idea to secure it to the carib and create some cross bracing?
regards
Matthew
Hi Matthieu,
It look like a cross bracing but effectively it's only the keep away useless roll movements.
From the carabiners to the attachment strap .may be 12 to 15 cm. .there's a picture on the paragliding forum in the I3 topic.
Cheers,
Ziad
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