Moving from seat harness to chest... which one is the best?

[Wawando]

Hi,

I am thinking to change from my beloved Dakine Fusion seat harness to a chest one. The reason is that after a kite trip i got my balls aiking for a few weeks (and yes i was only kiting :D )...

So which one is the best? What i am looking for is:
- One that doesn't go up
- One with ribb protection (something that keeps the bar from hurting the ribbs directly)

Has anyone got good/bad experiences that can help me choosing?

Thank you!

[Kitedude]

i'm sure you mean waist harness

i use the takoon one and find it quite good. its got plenty of protection and goes all the way around you to cover the spreader bar aswell.

as regards riding up, all waist harnesses will ride up if you keep the kite high, so the key to not having it ride up is to keep the kite low.

[andy T]

Takoon, kitedude......... you mean OR don't make the best harness!?? see you on the beach, dude....... Andy

[Kitedude]

no not yet,

they should have one in a few months, i'm off to donegal for the weekend. but planning on a early session tuesday morning on dollymount, there was lovley steady wind and the place was like an ice rink last week. the more the merrier

[Eraser]

What about the new Dakine Tabu waist harness with the pad protection for your ribs?

[dereck]

here is my take.. I learned on a seat. Got quite comfortable with it. However, many years of windsurfing with a waist I thought it was time to change to a waist harness...after all, all the good guys are using them.. Well, till now I can not find one that does not ride up around my tits and squeeze my rib cage something bad ( I tried many top brands) .. I agree, keep the kite low and it will stay down, but stop once to grab your board and it is up under your arm pits again. I gave it some time and still I can not get used to it. So I am back to my seat and it fits like a glove, so snug and comfortable.. My question, is there an advantege in going to a waist harness? Why is everybody using one? I found once you get used to the sure fit of a seat nothing else will do... I even see pros coming out of the water with the harness high up on their body and the hook twisted off to the side...
what gives?

dereck

[Dwight]

My question, is there an advantege in going to a waist harness? Why is everybody using one?
dereck

I ride a waist. I tried a seat and had a bad day of kiting. I decided to put the waist harness back on. I immediately kited better.

My wife went through something similar. She rides a seat, but a high hook height seat. She tested a new seat harness with lower hook. She had a bad day of kiting. She put her higher hook harness back on and kited better immediately.

I think when the hook is too low your balance is worse. This didn't seem to apply to windsurfing.

[Rhode Island kite freak]

I learned on a seat and am comfortable with it. I tried a waist and found I couldn't reach the depower strap, not a problem with it riding up tho.

Anybody else have this same problem with a waist harness? I'm using a standard Cabrinha powerlock bar.

[windshreder]

look at the Wipika website, they have a high hook seat/waist harness, the Inferno and Pilot. I may try one out.

[bragnouff]

My question, is there an advantege in going to a waist harness? Why is everybody using one?
.... I even see pros coming out of the water with the harness high up on their body and the hook twisted off to the side...
what gives?

The point of the waist harness is that you have your legs free, and this is a great advantage.
As for the twisted hook on the side, it is really nice to let your waist harness quite loose so that it can turn and give you a really comfortable feel when riding TOESIDE or blind. Even if you have sometimes to re-adjust it or lower it when riding, this is quite natural.

As far as I'm concerned, I always used a waist harness for kitesurfing, until late... when I broke a rib and couldn't use anymore a waist harness that would have made the things worse. But I've now real troubles to ride toeside for a long time with my new seat harness, and do not feel as comfortable, even if I really think I can handle bigger power with the seat harness. Just a question of habit, for sure... but annoying.


Anyway, the waist harness I had was the Pro Limit Felix Pro model, that is really big and comfortable and doesn't hurt your back. Very solid, It has a inner belt, and doesn't go up too much unless you are shaped like a bottle I guess... On the other side, it is sooooo heavy when wet!

Heard some good things about the Takoon too but never tried it.