I have had some issues lately. I usually check my leash for knicks, but still with an off brand it gave no warning.
Recently switched to Da Kine and have been really happy. But on a recent trip to an El Salvador rocky beach, there were a few boards on the rocks.
Just looking for data.
All the best
I can tell you that FCS is the worst. Just had one fall apart after less than a season. The swivels they use also seem to be constantly bound up. I’ve had a couple but never again
I can also tell you to watch out for the Channel Islands leash as the rail saver is too short. You could end up with a cut rail.
I am most fond of the ProLite leashes.
stay covered, stay covered, stay covered. Leashes made in Oceanside, Ca. with top quality materials. They make leashes, while the other guys just source them, from whoever is cheapest. Probably hurts his business, that Mark Cappa is the nicest guy in the world.
XM leashes - excellent components, and they have a model that comes with a yellow pull ring release that instantly separates the leash from the ankle cuff…couple of times over the years was really glad for that feature…
Dont wear a leash 
The few I own are Prolites. They have lasted a long time, but that’s probably because I hardly ever use a leash.
a2tall,
I have to wear a leash, otherwise the missus would not be able to control me at all. She looks quite nice in the studded dog collar & leash too.
In Oz I always used Ocean & Earth leashes. Never had one attack a board or fail in a critical situation. Often didn't need one but as I'm as lazy as f*%&k I'm not up for long swims if I did wipeout.
Are we having fun yet?
I’ve been liking the Creatures of leisure - they have a nice stand up loop on the ankle… Nice and easy to rip off. Mostly I like to get it off as soon as my feet are on the reef to avoid stepping on it and nicking it… I got tired of the nylon sticking to the velcro… on DaKine
Plus, why doesn’t anyone make a cuff which wraps all the way around a booty and wetsuit covered ankle - and mine are skinny…
That’s always been an issue for us cold water folks. Half the year, we are wearing 5 mil suits and boots, minimum. Dead of Winter, and you most likely have a 6/5/4 with 7 mil boots. Leash straps often don’t fit well with that much rubber.
G'Rat, I'm glad you mentioned Staycovered. After sticking mostly to Hotlines and DaKines, I found these and will never change. For me, they are definitely the go-to.
ps. I'm a little bigger than the average surfer so I use a knee cord on my ankle.
Stay Covered leashes are the best made leashes. I used to lend out a few of my boards to a guy, a better that average big wave surfer, and every time he’d switch out my Stay Covered Leashes with what ever he had when I’d get my boards back. He acted like he didn’t know what I was talking about, and when I called him on that he laughed, because Cappa takes care of me. Stay Covered leashes set the bar pretty high.
DaKine sucks,broke 4 of them this past winter(this was a killer winter),all of them the thickest one they make.One was for longboard,the others for short.And they always gave me some lame excuse as to it being due to fin cuts,never wanted to refund me.Will definitely check out stay covered.
www.resinworks.net/crowhaley.html People in the know, know he's the best. Hand tied probably by Crow himself. Also try www2.swaylocks.com/node/1026325
I have a grab bag assortment of leashes (kook cord, ding string, dope rope, etc) all of which work OK for me. I check them regularly for nicks and gouges. I try to ride like I'm not wearing one most of the time... I.E. kick out, hold on to my board, straighten off and prone out rather than simply falling in the white water, etc.
For longboard riding in bigger waves it's really important to get a 'big wave' leash. Most are longer and thicker than the standard shortboard models. Get a light weight cheapy? - plain and simple, expect it to break sooner than later.
One of the best I ever had was black hollow rubber tubing with the nylon cord stuffed inside. The rubber would stretch to a point and then the nylon cord would take over. Haven't seen one of those in years.
I've seen some standard leashes that had been stretched to the point that the diameter at one spot was about 1/4 of what it should have been. I've also seen some with serious nicks and cracks. All were ready to blow.
Have often wondered why leashes weren't rated like climbing ropes - good for 'X' number of falls? Their lives depend on it...
UIAA Falls
'UIAA Falls' is a standardized rating that every climbing rope receives from the UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme), which has established standard testing procedures to measure how a rope reacts to severe falls. This concept is confusing to most new climbers. If your rope is rated at 8 'UIAA Falls' it may withstand (a lot) more than 8 falls*. 'UIAA Falls' create a worst case scenario and repeats it until rope failure. Details are available at the UIAA website.
*One fall can do core damage to a rope. Always inspect your rope.
UIAA falls are calculated with an 80 kg (176 lbs) weight for single ropes and a 55 kg (122 lbs) for half and twin ropes.
johnmellor, the leash you are talking about was the Control Products: “Power Cord”, in its day it was the best, but we’re not back in the day anymore.
Mr. Mellor, as a former "nazi" climber and S&R team mate, the rule of thumb on the poly ropes is near 100 lead falls, replace the rope. The old "Goldlines" made of hemp of course didn't last as long and were tougher to work with. Thank heaven for companies like Mammut that were fore-runners in poly ropes. More useless trivia.
You can’t go wrong with “Stay Covered” they really are well made leashes, that are made in Oceanside, Ca. Just call Gary Linden and he’ll agree.
Xm, nice and simple/solid
Fcs are the worst in my opinion and Ocean and earth look pretty good, anyone tried them?
Hey nocean,
When I lived in Oz I lways used O&E Two reasons; they are really good, never had one fail & I lived about 5mins drive from the O&E factory & retail outlet at Sussex Inlet. (they always had really good specials at the factory outlet on all sorts of gear)
I'm using Dorsal fins which I get online direct from Dorsal, Malibu, CA at the moment (FCS compatible) so I got a Dorsal leash to try out. So far, all good.