ichabod Posted February 25, 2014 Report Posted February 25, 2014 I have only ever used the one harness - a North Airstyler - but after a week of kiting with no wesuit (not in the UK in case you were wondering), it was giving me sore ribs and hips. I am interested in trying some different ones out but don't really know what to look for when it comes to getting the right fit. How high/low do most of you wear the harness? With mine the hook tends to be at the same level as my belly button which means the top of the harness touches my ribs and the bottom touches my hips. I don't seem to suffer from the harness riding up too much, in fact the anti-ride up strap is broken so I don't even use it. Is it better to wear a harness lower so it is tightened up around the hips more and pretty much clear of the ribs? This seems like a good idea as it should make it easier to lean against the kite more like a seat harness. On the downside the harness can't rotate at all when riding toeside. I have had several accidental unhooks when riding toeside which I reckon would not have happened if the harness had been looser and able to rotate! Quote
mick Posted February 25, 2014 Report Posted February 25, 2014 I guess its going to be a wholly personal thing and all will come back telling you which harness is the best and how to wear it. Which of course is fine but I reckon there is no best. Its what suits each of us. Personally I ride with a cheap sh1tty seat harness which hurts my hips after 6 or 7 hrs on the water and is pants for riding toe side but its what nearly works for me. Quote
Pippi Langsamer Posted February 25, 2014 Report Posted February 25, 2014 I used to try keep my harness right on my hips, but soon realised this is almost impossible in practice. My harness almost always ends up now with the top edge above my lowest ribs. Trying to adhere to the first principle left me with ruptured intercostals few years back when an unintentional kiteloop pulled my harness up under my ribcage and “popped”, my lowest two ribs on the left-hand-side. I’ve now got an unsightly golf ball sized lump there, and this gets sore after a while if the harness rubs up against it. I’d now rather ride with the harness free to move up above the bottom of my ribcage. I’ve also gotten into the habit of dunking my harness in the water before I put it on to wet the webbing straps. This seems to help me tighten the straps better and minimise stretching once the dry webbing gets wet without the pre-soak. If I didn’t have my lumpy ribcage and had the money to splosh (and kited enough to justify it), I’d definitely be looking at those custom molded Engine harnesses https://shop.ride-engine.com/harnesses/ Quote
SonnyRider Posted February 25, 2014 Report Posted February 25, 2014 Like Mick says, it's a personal thing. We can all give our experiences, but at the end of the day. No-one is exactly the same. As Pippi L says, that option is covered by the Engine Harness. Which is not that cheap, but I hear they are good You struggle more and get more bruising if you're toeside? Have you thought about the Jay Dyna Bar? These are really, really good and the do make your harness more comfortable. Again, these are not cheap, but I would never go back to a fixed hook harness Quote
Maro Posted February 25, 2014 Report Posted February 25, 2014 With harnesses its best to try as many as you can and buy the one that's most comfortable, most shops have something to hang from to get a feel for it too. Quote
andrew pattullo Posted March 2, 2014 Report Posted March 2, 2014 a top end harness is a Dakine Pyro a suberb back brace , very wide covering your pelvis all the way up to mid back , spreading the load minimizing back strain and does not ride up also has spreader hook strap to stop the spreader pulling up Quote
g0nz01599968659 Posted March 2, 2014 Report Posted March 2, 2014 Get thee unto a good kite shop and try some harnesses on and have a hang in them... The right place for a waist harness is between hips an ribs, so the shaping of the harness fits into the curve of your lower back. Shouldn't be any big gaps at the top or bottom of the harness. After that it's a personal choice as to stiffness v flexibility, grip to hold it in place v slip to allow it to rotate a bit. Go for soft edges so it doesn't rub you up. Have a look at the shape of the hook, some retain the chicken loop my better than others, although this makes it a little harder to hook in and out. Quote
paulie_amoose Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 a top end harness is a Dakine Pyro a suberb back brace , very wide covering your pelvis all the way up to mid back , spreading the load minimizing back strain and does not ride up also has spreader hook strap to stop the spreader pulling up To be fair, recommending a harness is like recommending a pair of pants.. A pair that would be a nice fit for say Mick, would be way too tight around the crotch for me..... Quote
mick Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 To be fair, recommending a harness is like recommending a pair of pants.. A pair that would be a nice fit for say Mick, would be way too tight around the crotch for me..... Liking it moose. Quote
andrew pattullo Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 mm that's cos mick always rolls up a sock and stuffs it down his Y-fronts Quote
Monkey Nuts Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 Apart from the usual rubbish comments about undies, I like you have had the North Airstyler and whilst thats a good harness the Dakine Pyro is a top comfy harness and well made! Bad hips/ribs/backs are all part of it.....tried many mystics, ION, North however the Dakine is great..... Quote
andrew pattullo Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 yer monkeynuts dakine pyro harness is a cut above the rest , as I have a bad lower back and the harness actually helps my back and I can kitesurf all day in comfort Quote
Andy-j Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 My dakine pyro hurts my lower back so much so i want rid, it was a warranty replacement for an older one which fitted perfectly but the new one not so good. try before you buy. Quote
paulie_amoose Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 Apart from the usual rubbish comments about undies, I like you have had the North Airstyler and whilst thats a good harness the Dakine Pyro is a top comfy harness and well made! Bad hips/ribs/backs are all part of it.....tried many mystics, ION, North however the Dakine is great..... I had a Pyro and it killed my lower back by digging in but I replaced it with a Mystic Warrior that gives me no problem's whatever, I am on my second one now. This doesn't make the Pyro a bad harness or the Mystic a better one, the Pyro just didn't work for me... So as stated earlier, recommending a harness is like recommending a pair of......... Quote
Sammy1599968740 Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 What Gonzo said.. All down to the fit. As an aside, I wear my harness pretty loose so it moves around a lot. Yes it rides up a bit on the beach but not on the water as the kite is normally at the right angle to avoid that. All personal preference really! Never had a pyro but certainly like most offerings from Mystic and Ion. Quote
creed Posted March 3, 2014 Report Posted March 3, 2014 Doesn't Dakine have a spreader bar that snaps? Quote
Andy-j Posted March 4, 2014 Report Posted March 4, 2014 Doesn't Dakine have a spreader bar that snaps? Nope. Mystic has one that you cant unclip though.. took my brother an hour to get out of his one day. lol Quote
Pippi Langsamer Posted March 4, 2014 Report Posted March 4, 2014 Only ones I've had are Mystic and ION. I liked my Mystic Firestarter- til it mangled my ribs (not the fault of the harness). It did however give me a pant-soiling episode some years ago in Cake Town when it unintentially "unhooked", me whilst at the far side of the lagoon! They aren't the "hookiest", of hooks, so something to bare in mind- may be an advantage if you unhook lots. Clicker Bar can be a PITA too as mentioned if you get sand n merde in there. Im put off Dakine by that shoddy welding. I dont think catastrophic failure of spreader bar hooks is very common, but every incident I've seen/ heard of has been Dakine. Currently on ION Apex- seems to suit me well and is very robust with good build quality. Quote
creed Posted March 4, 2014 Report Posted March 4, 2014 That's what I've read numerous times about the dakine spreader bar hook breaking on the welds. Quote
JeyJey Posted March 8, 2014 Report Posted March 8, 2014 To be fair, recommending a harness is like recommending a pair of pants.. A pair that would be a nice fit for say Mick, would be way too tight around the crotch for me..... Exactly... I have the biggest possible harness you can buy because I need it to swing around my waist when riding waves so buy something for your riding style Quote
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