The backbands I made were of the hard-shell variety as seen below, and one of them ..... might've been the OI one ..... would just flat pinch the thunder out of my butt if I entered just the wrong way!! Needless to say, it got recalled pretty darn quickly.....

I got a Valley Nordkapp and promptly removed that backband from it, then had to put it back in. There's just something about that seating arrangement that doesn't work without it (I really need to follow Mr. Nystrom's lead and replace it with the homemade article), so it's probably fair to say that each kayak presents different "comfort challenges". I also firmly believe it's best to start with good posture! I too pitch slightly forward, and when I began paying close attention to posture is when I found comfort in kayaks.

The Texas Water Safari is coming up in a couple weeks -- you know, the 265-mile race that's billed as the "world's toughest" (mostly because of the portages)? I can't help but notice that none of the boats at the Finish Line have backbands in them. I actually see backbands as a counterproductive blind alley to finding comfort, but gotta remind myself that every boat and every paddler might have their own unique challenges.