jumptheshark wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 7:39 pm
First production version of ride engine. Have both, slider and hook. The footprint is nice and small. It just feels compact and has a great fit for me. No squeezing when really loaded and it stays put better than previous harnesses.
I wrote:
Matteo V wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 4:27 pm
The biggest piece of evidence that a waist is the least comfortable of the two, is that EVERY YEAR we hear that "this new model is finally comfortable enough to not ride up, or crush your ribs".
To which you replied:
jumptheshark wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 6:23 pm
Hey now, thats pretty weak evidentiary criteria there. You gotta consider that seat harnesses don't sell well enough to warrant any marketing!
So again specifically, do you believe the newer harnesses are waaaayyyy better than the previous waist harnesses you used before the RE V1 you use now? Or rather, how would you rate the RE V1 vs the previous waist harnesses you used?
I am asking because you think my "evidentiary criteria" is "weak" in my above statement. Almost all kiters who have been kiting for long enough to have started out with "converted" windsurf style waist harnesses know the disaster those were. The realization that the time limiting factor of a session was the time you could stand to spend in a waist harness, not your endurance capability for actually kiting. And again, every year companies said they had a "solution" to the problem with a new design. But you still hear of problems and complaints from those who wish to use a waist harness, but can't get comfortable in them.
With respect to waist harnesses being marketed so forcefully, I would posit that is due to the ongoing trend of "finally fixing" them so that people will want to try them again after they switched back to a seat due to comfort/performance issues. Seat harnesses are not marketed as vigorously because they can't be made to sell based on hype. Seat harness users just have to use them because that is the best alternative to a waist harness design that is not perfected yet (or may never be for everyone).
Think of it this way:
1. Lots of kiters with lots of experience have been through the washing machine of trying to get a workable waist harness and have settled on a seat harness. Those kiters have just decided to give up on trying a new harness every year, and instead just go with the tried and true seat harnesses.
2. Lots of kiters have settled on a waist harness because they like the "style" or "look" of them and deal with the problems and discomfort they present.
3. Some kiters actually do have a good orthopedic fit for a waist harness and have found that the newest versions are more usable than previous models.
Would you think that people who are still up for the "newest" and "improved" style are more easily marketed to as opposed to those who have already found what actually works for them?