Kortel have improved the comfort and safety of their Karma harness, and created the lighter and more compact Karma II.
An everyday harness for leisure pilots, the Karma II is designed to withstand heavy use, and every aspect of its safety and comfort have been thoroughly analysed.
Its back protector is a new ‘Krashbox’ – an airbag, with its attributes of low weight and volume, but with a foam structure that gives it shape and means it is effective from the moment it is unpacked. Kortel say the Karma II passed LTF certification without the airbag even being inflated.
The company have spent a lot of time on the airbag design too, giving it rounded sidewalls makes it more efficient, and it has been designed to protect a pilot from both horizontal and vertical impacts. Read more about the design process, here. Kortel say they avoided making the harness reversible, as they feel this risks the longevity of the airbag, which would be exposed to greater wear and tear as a rucksack.
The harness’ overall comfort takes into account the fact that a leisure pilot can spend as much as 80% of his time thermalling, so leaning over to one side of the harness, and they have taken great pains to ensure the harness is just as comfortable in this position as during straight and level flight.
Tweaks to the seatboard and the position of the main strap have made it easier for a pilot to transition between a standing and a seated position for takeoff and landing, so there is no need to use your hands or wriggle about too much just after takeoff, an important safety consideration.
Kortel say the new reserve container holds any size of parachute, new or old, securely in place in the pouch. The reserve handle can be reached by both left and right hands, a useful backup in case one hand becomes immobilised.
The Karma II is available in five sizes, XS to XL, and costs €790 including VAT.
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