Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 Niviuk PrePWC in Roldanillo, where I crossed paths with Volodimir Perevalov, the designer of Nearbirds harnesses. During our encounter, Volodimir showcased his latest innovation: the ATACMS submarine-style harness, equipped with a range of intriguing features. One standout feature was the magnetic zipper integrated into the speed bag.

Throughout the competition, I piloted my new GR5, marking my first experience with a submarine style harness. It quickly became apparent that pulling a line for zipping and unzipping the speed bag presented safety concerns and lacked elegance. I found it cumbersome, especially when the unzip line snagged on my foot during flight, inadvertently undoing the zipper when pressing bar.

Volodimir's magnetic zipper solution struck me as a simple yet ingenious remedy to this problem. I couldn't help but wonder why such a feature wasn't already standard. Especially when considering stories of pilots forgetting to unzip for emergency landings. The convenience and safety afforded by a hands-free magnetic closure and opening mechanism, reminiscent of pre-submarine-style harnesses, seemed like an essential feature not worth sacrificing. I wondered why other companies hadn't adopted similar solutions.

Curious, annoyed, and impatient, I bought a magnetic zipper as well as a sewing machine to start experimenting myself. Admittedly, it was my first time sewing. Nevertheless, the initial results show promise, albeit with room for improvement. Test flights will undoubtedly provide valuable insights, and I anticipate refining the stitching as needed.

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Here are the results so far:

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