Breaking-In Viper-RS

The just released Viper-RS is a special bag. Viper-RS is packed with innovation. Inside you’ll find our new Tribrid™ fill and Seam-Lok™ technology. This new bag is not just a smaller Viper-R, it’s an all-new model packing a unique punch. To get there, we need to get the Viper-RS ready first. Here are some tips for breaking-in Viper RS.

What are the Levels of Break-In and When to Measure:

Pre-Conditioned:

When you get your fresh set of Viper-RS in the mail, you may be tempted to immediately test it with the Ultra Min. Checker Tool. You can, but you will find that it is probably too small in width. The bags are shipped in what many call “New in Wrapper”. In this state, the bags are brand new and require some break-in prior to size verification.

To provide a little more insight, let’s discuss how bags are made.  After stitching the two sides together and the new Seam-Lok™ technology is applied, the bag is inverted, filled and final stitched. Bags are then checked for quality, packaged and shipped.  Basically nothing is done to bring the bag into shape.  The fabric near the stitching needs to be flexed, bent and distorted in order for the bag to develop its shape.

This is where the Pre-Conditioning comes into play.  This process involves working the bags by hand only and just for a few minutes each. To get the bags into shape: hold half the bag and flex, fold, and shake them.  Twist, squeeze, and bang the corners against a smooth hard surface like a granite kitchen countertop.  You should spend about 5 minutes per bag.  This process gets them feeling looser as it starts to develop the corners and seams.  At this point, the bags are far from fully broken-in, but a bag check can be done to verify size.  This is the condition Ultra sends bags to the ACL for approval.

Conditioned:

Want to get those Viper-RS bags fully ready? Try our 1hr Break-In Kit. The Kit has everything you need to get your bags ready for play saving you many, many rounds of throwing in order to get them broken-in and feeling right. Step 1 is a good soak in warm water. Don’t use water that is too hot. That will shrink your bags. A warm soak loosens up the fabrics’ binders. Step 2 is conditioner which will help further to loosen those fibers. The next step is Soap. Soap helps to clean off any remaining binder material and will get any residue from the Conditioner off your bags. The last step is to toss them in your dryer on no heat. Throw a couple towels in to help with the noise and add some friction. Your bags will come out soft and ready for play.

Broken-In:

Nothing fully replaces actual game play. Go outside and practice! Get those bags into the air and hitting the hole. Throw a mixture of shots. We especially like airmails to finish off the break-in. It takes between 100-200 rounds a conditioned set feeling perfect and the fabrics flexing. The fibers will open up after some throwing and the bag will slow down a little. Now is the time to throw the Min. Checker Tool on. The RS should be perfectly ready for your next event.

The Best of Both Worlds:

When you are done breaking-in your Viper-RS, it is going to perform like the venerable Viper-R. The hybrid carpet slow-side is going to do everything you know and love. Our Seam-Lok™ technology is going to keep the bag from stretching out too much. This results in a slightly fuller feel while retaining the more compact feeling of the smaller template. The new Tribrid™ fill is going to give the bag that same Viper-R flex and hole friendliness. The combination makes for a great bag. The Viper-RS tends to be a little more reactive on the board than the regular Viper-R. It’s combination tends to have a little more action, making cutting and rolling a little easier. Early feedback is great and we expect to see some great results for players.