Little Cloud’s Grasshopper Mk2 is a step-through, hammock-style lightweight pod harness. It has an inflatable protector and back fairing, and comes in at 2.6kg for size M.
It’s a hammock-style, because Little Cloud believe that is more comfortable, more damped and lighter.
Tom Bordeau says, “Gliders nowadays, especially LC, have much better handling than in the past. The extra leverage gain with a seat board is therefore not necessary.
“This extra leverage increases the pilot’s weightshift inputs on the glider, but you can easily imagine that the forces created by the glider will also shake the pilot more in turbulence”.
The straps are buckle-free, so they can’t come undone, and the reserve is front mounted, attaching to the main karabiners. The benefits of this are that your reserve is in front of you where you can see it, and you can throw in either direction; if you throw low, having the reserve attached to the same place as the main glider gives a more controlled landing if you haven’t had time to pull the main glider in.
Check this video which Little Cloud made, testing various reserve options:
Little Cloud say they use high-quality Edelrid karabiners, and as long as pilots respect the manufacturer-recommended lifespan, the chances of failure are virtually zero.
The harness has a flat nose – no inflatable end-piece. LC say the inflatable nose makes little difference aerodynamically, but is vulnerable to damage.
The Grasshopper II is a striking and highly-visible green, and will be available in three sizes for pilot heights of 150cm to 195cm.
