Then turn around
Stick it out
Even white boys got to shout
Baby got back
- Sir Mix-A-Lot

As there are each year, multiple discussions of seat replacements and back rests are going on in the newsgroups and on the boards. I went through that experience a couple times myself. These days though I’m free of that stress. I’ve become a nudist. Yeah, the reality is that with most well designed kayak seats today and a bit of good posture a back rest is like your little toe, a lost remnant of evolution.

Really I sort of knew a couple years ago that back bands and back rests were generally more a hindrance than a help. It’s logical when you think about it. Good posture requires you to be upright in your seat. So unless your back band is pulled so taunt that it actually is over your seat pan, you’ll never actually touch it. The proviso of course is that the seat in your kayak has a nice lip on the back that provides the small bit of back support you actually need. Basically enough to keep you from slipping backwards when you press your feet against the peddles.

Right before I prepared for my big trip last year I found myself fiddling with the back-band in my Alaw Bach. For some reason I just couldn’t get it just the way I wanted. After spending more time than I want to admit to on that back band and never getting it to “feel” right I sort of sat there next to my kayak in frustration. Then while my eyes wandered over the seat of my kayak I suddenly had a vision. . . a vision of Homer Simpson wiggling away on his couch trying to mold the perfect ass-groove. Oh man, is this what I’m doing!?, I thought. Suddenly I could see all the hours I’d spent over many years fiddling with back-bands and foam backrests. I felt sort of silly. This had to be simpler. . and of course it is.

It all comes back to proper posture. We all have the tendency to lean a bit back, especially if you are built like me with a bit of extra pudge! However, the proper posture is of course sitting upright. Vertical. No leaning backwards or slumping shoulders. If anything you may tend to lean a bit forward as you reach for those strokes. Once you stop leaning back you’ll find you need very little support, just the tiniest bit, right at the lowest part of your back. Most seats will provide that. Most, maybe but not all. Of course to every rule there are exceptions!

Correcting your posture will also give you more power in your stroke. You will reach further ahead and dig deeper with your paddle. You will achieve better mobility and better torso rotation. Removing the back band also tends to help with rolling. You can twist around much easier and lean back much further. In addition you’ll find those recoveries to be a snap. No more crawling over or sitting on the back band.

In the end that day, I just removed the back band completely in my Alaw Bach. I paddled around Puerto Rico comfortably and have not replaced it since. Give it a try. Remember each person and each boat are different. However, in many cases just removing the back-band will feel like a bit of freedom. It’s worth a shot. After all, you can always put it right back on.

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