Do you get discomfort or pain while sitting in your kayak? “Pins and needles” in your legs? Cramps in your hips and/or calves? Essentially, all these symptoms can be traced to two things. 1) The balls of your feet are on the footrest, not your heels This puts undue pressure on several nerves running through the legs, and is a major contributor to both foot discomfort, lower leg cramps, and even foot blisters. Ball-of-the-foot type footrests push the foot towards the rail (smallest part of the boat) and at the same time "spreads" the foot open making it bigger than normal. The combined effect is more rubbing and less room. 2) Hip pads/Over-tight back-bands Hip pads can cut off circulation in the thighs and hips, causing cramping. This, combined with ball-of-the-foot footrests, can cause legs to go to sleep, get that “pins and needles” feeling, cramp, and hurt. Overly tight back-bands can accentuate the two problems mentioned above. Each of the above are major contributors to discomfort. Combined, they are the major contributor to poor circulation, bad posture, cramping, and in the end – discomfort and pain. This was a MAJOR reason for all the research done in the development of the seating system in Dragorossi kayaks. The combination of the materials used and the position of the bracing system means that most (not all of course, but most) of these pain factors have been eliminated. A downward angled, “gummy” back-band allows for a more comfortable fit – it doesn’t need to be super tight to work. In fact, 99% of people over-tighten our back band because that is “how it has always been done.” Then they find it uncomfortable. With our back-band light pressure against you is all that’s needed. The angle of the band and the material literally pin you into your seat. Combine this with the thigh wings that pin your ass into the seat (and having the right seat size to begin with) and hip pads are totally unnecessary. Removing hip pads removes 90% of pain and cramps associated with legs and feet. The ONLY purpose for hip pads is to keep you in your seat, and frankly, they are ill suited to the job. Thigh wings and a downward tilt to the back band are far more effective, and don’t have the unwanted side effect of creating pain. Heel blocks as foot braces are the other major contributor to increased comfort. While it may take a few days to get used to them, pushing from your heel eliminates pressure that cuts off circulation in your legs. Calf cramps are a thing of the past. So are foot blisters as your feet remain in the center of the kayak where its biggest minimizing chaffing.. With DR outfitting, a low-pressure, snug fit is all that is needed to totally lock you into the boat. Its simply not necessary to jam yourself in as tight as possible to stay in the boat, and this alone eliminates a major part of the discomfort associated with the position that our sport demands we be in - seated and hunched over in overly small kayaks. It’s amazing that nobody (including myself) never really looked into this before, but man, what a difference. I suffer now anytime I test other kayaks because in order to stay in I have to be so tight it causes cramps and pain. Of course, as with anything new, it takes a few days to get used to the feel of a totally new way of bracing in, but once you do, there is no going back.