I have been flying the Arrow harness from the Spanish manufacturer Niviuk for a year now. Time for a review of the harness. I have flown around 55 hours in various conditions. The longest flight lasted just over 5 hours, but there were also a few short glides.
Construction
The Arrow has a semi-light construction and weighs 3.95 kg in size M. The material used is at least partly the robust Lyrca fabric that is now used in many harnesses. The leg bag is replaceable, which is a big plus in case it is torn due to an unfortunate landing. The harness has a built-in foam protector. The seat board can be removed if necessary.
I am 1.76 m tall. I have already set the length of the leg bag to maximum and it could be 1 to 2 cm longer. If you are taller like me or have longer legs, you should try the size L. As the leg bag is interchangeable, the size M could be combined with a size L leg bag. Whether this can be ordered directly is beyond my knowledge.
The accelerator can of course be adjusted as a whole so that the full stroke is available. However, the stages cannot be adjusted individually, as is possible with other accelerator systems. However, as described below, it is designed for practical use. The steps are stiff, making it easy to pick up and step on with the foot. The speed bar can only be adjusted at the bottom of the top step, so it cannot be readjusted in flight.
I replaced the speed bar system on my previous harnesses with the Bullet Speed Bar because I couldn’t manage with the original ropes.
The parachute can be installed without tools. This is an advantage if the parachute accidentally falls out at the launch site. Unfortunately, the parachute compartment is too large, so there is a risk that the parachute could twist in the compartment. This would make deployment impossible. As a remedy, an insert is supplied which is adjusted in the parachute compartment using magnets. Although this reduces the storage space, it is still generously dimensioned. The parachute handle is easy to grip thanks to a spacer.
My tester did not yet have an anti-forget system, but newer production batches, including my harness, are fitted with such a system ex works. There was a fatality caused by leg straps that were forgotten to be closed. The leg straps are closed by a get-up system, but this does not cause any pain when walking or taking off.
One outstanding feature is the really large cockpit, which leaves hardly anything to be desired. It’s hard to imagine that a pilot would manage to fill the entire cockpit with everything he needs during the flight. The cockpit is held shut with a magnet, which is ingenious on the one hand, but on the other hand raises the question of whether the vario or smartphone with their magnetic sensors might be disturbed. Unfortunately, the instrument panel cannot be removed, which is a drawback, especially for competition pilots.
The settings are adjusted using knots in the lines. The disadvantage of this method is that adjustment is only possible in stages. The advantage is that it does not adjust itself. This can happen with buckles. The closing system for the leg bag is not easy to understand, it takes a few attempts until you have adjusted it correctly according to your wishes.
Get in and start
Walking like a duck on the ground, as comfortable as an armchair in the air – that’s the harness in a nutshell. The pre-shaped seat makes it difficult to walk on the ground and probably looks like a duck walk from the outside. The lower end of the seat presses into the back of the knees when walking, but is not painful. On the other hand, the seat feels great in the air. You always have to die a death. Sitting in the seat is easy, the leg bag has to be pulled forwards with the help of the rubber cord that you have previously attached to your shoe. I attached a carabiner to the elasticated rope to make it easy to attach and detach. Tip: Guide the elastic cord past the outside of the leg so that it doesn’t get in the way when accelerating.
The leg bag closes well and completely after insertion, I could not detect any draughts in flight.
Flying
The Arrow is very quiet in the air, which was also the decisive argument for me to buy the harness. The three-stage accelerator is easy to pick up and the accelerator system is smooth-running. The tail fin is quickly deployed thanks to the large air intakes.
The design of the Arrow lives up to its name: the harness is like an arrow in the air. The fact that the tail fin is almost behind the pilot’s helmet does the rest. I have not noticed any tendency to yaw. The fact that the shoulder straps can be easily adjusted makes it possible to release them in accelerated flight and assume a horizontal position. The distance between the carabiners can also be easily changed in flight.
Steering with weight shifting works very well.
Landing
It is easy to get out of the leg bag and stand up from the harness, so landing is largely problem-free. Only the duck walk to the folding area may make one or two spectators smile.
Packing
The pre-shaped seat and the foam protector mean that the pack size is quite large. However, by opening the cockpit and pushing it as far as possible into the seat and then placing the paraglider on top, the pack size is not excessive.
I have seen the following variation from a club colleague. He wrapped the cockpit in the paraglider, a method that protects the paraglider, especially with longer sticks.
Packing into the rucksack seems a bit strange. First you put the rucksack over the harness, turn it 180° and then close the rucksack with the zips. Due to the elongated shape, you probably won’t be able to avoid buying the Cargo harness from Niviuk. On the Niviuk website you can see which harness size fits which rucksack. In my case, this is a 130 litre rucksack. Nevertheless, if possible, you should test the packing beforehand, as the pack size also depends on the paraglider and the packing method.
Quality
So far I have not been able to find any quality defects. The designers at Niviuk have used the right material in the right places and designed cleverly. For example, the guide eyelets of the accelerator and the leather-reinforced outlets of the accelerator cables.
Conclusion
Positive:
- Very good workmanship and materials
- Very good seating comfort
- Good aerodynamics
- with seat board and foam protector
Negative:
- Instrument panel not removable
- Rescue compartment too large (fixed with the foam insert)
- Large pack size (unavoidable due to design)
All in all, the Arrow is a top harness that I would buy again at any time. I think the harness will certainly be a faithful companion for many years to come.
Further links
Information about Parachute Containers: Arrow P, Arrow & Hawk
