Gimbal/fighting belts

[Jay Peterson]

Hi All,

I'm wanting to purchase a Gimbal belt and was keen to get some recommendations. The fishing i do is predominantly land based popping for kings. I'm after something that is small and light and comfy enough that you forget your wearing it (if there is such a thing). I know good belts can be expensive and am open to paying the price for the right one.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jay

[Andre van Wyk]

Hi Jay,

Check out the Jigging Master GT Compact Belt.... defintely comfy to wear all day and forget about it... nice and small, but just the right size...

Other similar options would be the FISHERMAN Flat harness, and HOTS lite...

some of the others like the Seven Seas and MC Works belts are amazing, but you need to be the exact right size for them I've found... the curve of the plate itself is a bit limiting if you not the exact size to fit the curve...

Personally I prefer a flatter more versatile plate...

[Mark Harris]

I really like the injection moulded belts like SevenSeas and MC Works, but if weight is a key consideration then as Andre says, an aluminium plate belt (JM, Fisherman, Hots etc) or a soft belt like an MC Works Light Pad would probably suit better.

[Gavin Ng]

You can go past the fisherman flat harness for landbased work.

the reason is you dont really want the gimble in the harness like on a boat which is more of a controlled environment. You need to be on your toes running up and down ready to chase the fish. the flat harness provides this flexibility.

i used to use a daiwa popping pad and even found that it was too much of a hassle to focus on putting the gimble in the pad...I found that when the fish hit the deck, i had bruising all on my groin region and the daiwa pad was not used at all!!! all you really need is a bit of padding for leverage and to protect your thigh/groin area. the fisherman it best for this scenario.

[Jeffry Chai]

I use this: http://www.cb-one.co.jp/goods/belt/index.htm
Quite comfort, lightweight, & simple.
Jeff

[Jay Peterson]

Thanks for your advice guys. I have the jigging master belt which is great but was looking for something smaller. I do like the look of the CB one Gimbal and is well priced. Think i'll give that a go.

Thanks again,
Jay

[Dan Wulf]

If you opt for a flat, soft belt, this one from Fisherman may be an option (not sure whether this is the one that Andre refers to):

After I have seen Luke using this for larger fish, I purchased one myself. The rear part of the pad needs an extra layer of support (use glue). Though, I haven't tested it yet. 

[Ben Furness]

http://gara-proshop.com/cscart/carbon-fibre-gimbal-w-back-support.html

Most comfortable belt I've ever used, so small and light you WILL forget you are wearing it. Well worth every penny.

Carbon fiber makes it extra light and it has great back support as well. One of my best fishing purchases to date.

I wore it for four days straight at Easter and forgot it was on every day, I even fought a couple of fish from my armpit as I forgot I was wearing it!

[Ben Rivers]

http://gara-proshop.com/cscart/carbon-fibre-gimbal-w-back-support.html

Most comfortable belt I've ever used, so small and light you WILL forget you are wearing it. Well worth every penny.

Carbon fiber makes it extra light and it has great back support as well. One of my best fishing purchases to date.

Mate

Does it allow you to attach a trolling reel to the back support?

Cheers Ben

[Ben Furness]

Mate

Does it allow you to attach a trolling reel to the back support?

Cheers Ben

I never checked to tell you the truth, Luke may be able to answer that one pretty quickly?

[Wan Izhan]

currently i have the old sevenseas tuna belt but felt that it is too heavy and consume more space in the baggage.
thinking to buy the Fisherman gimbal due to its lightness but found out that the butt-rest hole is too shallow to my liking and keep slipping during fighting big mama GTs.
now searching for Hots Lt.Metal Lightbelt Type-2
http://www.hots.co.jp/j/products/goods/lightbelt.html

cheers
izhan

[Mark Harris]

If light and small is the desire, then I think you will struggle to beat the MC Works Light Pad as mentioned earlier.