: I did the same with my (looks around furtively) new plastic kayak.

Ha ha -- I always love catching glimpses of Mr. Savage's view of the world!!

I removed the back band from my (ducking behind breastworks) Valley Nordkapp, but quickly had to stick it back in because the way the seat's configured you gotta have it to keep from scooting backwards off the foot braces. But whether you remove the back band or swap it out and try a different one, I guess the best point is to think about it more. I suspect backbands tend to fall into the ol' "afterthought" category when there are so many other details to attend to. And as was said, it's too simple a thing not to try.

Thanks for the post, Clayton .... it's always nice to hear when I accidentally make a suggestion that actually works for somebody. :-)