Review: Badfish Re’Leash
Summary: The Badfish Re’Leash is an excellent releasable leash that connects to your PFD. Continue reading for the full review…
First off: I’m not going to debate whether leashes, releasable leashes, or other safety gear are a good/bad idea for the river. If you’re trying to decide whether you should be using an ankle leash, releasable leash, or no leash at all, there are plenty of debates on the topic on the internet and social media. If you’ve decided for yourself that you want to use a releasable leash connected via a carabiner, then keep reading!
The Badfish Re’Leash, simply put, is a great releasable leash for the river. It is easy to use, easy to double check, and is reliable. I’ve been using them for the past 6 years, and love them.
The Re’Leash attaches to your board’s leash plug string via two layers of Velcro. On the other end, it connects to your PFD, waist belt, or other gear loop via a small carabiner.
Next to the carabiner, is the quick release mechanism: a spring loaded quick release shackle activated by pulling on a red plastic ball. The quick release is easy to test, simply pull the red ball and the leash falls away. Reattaching the leash after releasing is easy too; simply pull the ball again and thread the shackle arm through a metal ring at the end of the leash. It is easy enough to test that you can make it part of your pre-surf ritual.
While surfing and swimming the quick release ball is easy to find/feel without looking. This is very important because when you need to pull the release, there is a good chance you’ll be underwater and unable to see anything. It is important that you connect the leash to a point on your body where it cannot move/slide. If you use a belt, and the leash can slide along the belt from one side to the other, it could become more difficult to locate the release ball.
One issue that is fairly common with this leash, is accidentally releasing it during a popup. If you connect the Re’Leash to the side of your PFD, the release ball can get caught under your hand while popping up. I usually immediately check my leash once I’ve popped up to verify that I haven’t released it.
The leash itself comes in two lengths: 6 foot straight and 8 foot coiled. I prefer keeping my board as close to me as possible, so I’ll use the 6′ version, unless I’m surfing a longer board. I also find that the coiled version gets tangled much easier than the straight version.
Over the years, Badfish has changed the color of the Re’Leash. The original version was black, then they made an orange version for a few years, and starting in 2019 they switched to red.
As with most gear that gets put under a large amount of stress, the Re’Leash doesn’t last forever. My first straight (black) Re’Leash lasted me 3+ years before eventually breaking. I’m on my second straight (orange) Re’Leash now. I’m still using a black coiled Re’Leash from 2013, but it has seen far fewer days of use than my straight leashes.
The one criticism I have for the Re’Leash is the “carabiner”. I put it in quotes because it’s nothing more than a cheap, fake, non-locking carabiner. The fact that it’s cheap and fake is ok, but traditional river safety says to always use locking carabiners in the river. Non-locking carabiners can become accidentally clipped to ropes or lines and create a bad situation. Imagine you’re using a rope to catch a wave, the rope gets accidentally clipped to the carabiner, then you fall and are attached to the rope via a carabiner that you cannot release. It’s possible that since the carabiner is cheap, it might be weak enough to break, but I’d rather avoid that situation altogether. I’ve replaced all the carabiners on my Re’Leashes with real, locking carabiners. It’s a simple fix, but it would be nice if the Re’Leash came with a better carabiner.
The Re’Leash is a great leash for the river. If you’re wearing a PFD and are looking for a releasable leash to keep you attached to your board, then the Re’Leash is a great option!