The harness happens to be one of the mandatory gear which provides comfort and a great deal of safety. It’s an individual decision to choose it according to the comfort level, yet advisable to go through features for both harnesses and uses. And just so you know, when it comes to selecting harness for kiteboarding, there are two types of harnesses that you can choose from, namely the waist harness and the seat harness.
Let’s talk about some key points for both waist and seat harnesses and the level of kiteboarding they can support.
Seat Harness
With a spreader bar and a low tow point, these harnesses tend to give greater stability and easy water launches. Like the name suggests, the seat harness allows the kiteboard to sit on it, hence giving the user much more comfort than the waist harness. It is really the best option if you are heavy, as the force distribution is equally distributed through the legs. With this, users will get to have more comfort than usual.
The seat harness is popular among beginners as it is easy to operate and there is less discomfort than the waist harness. Of course, it might restrict movement a little on the legs, but that itself shouldn’t affect you, especially if you are new to the sport.
Pros
- The harness arrangement is beneficial for heavy set riders and people with back sensitiveness.
- The leg straps do not get looped in the harness, hence allows beginners to control the kite easily.
- Low cost of the product
Cons
- The design is bulkier as compared to waist harness, hence might be uncomfortable to some riders
- Kiteboarders, especially large riders experience discomfort in the legs and the movement is restricted due to the bulky nature of the harness
Waist Harness
Waist harnesses are the ones preferred mostly by experienced surfers and freestyle riders. Perfect fit on the upper abdomen allows smooth movement of legs and torso, hence attributing to the fact that they are popular with freeride kiteboarders. It is indeed easier to wear the waist harness than the seat harness. However, in terms of slipping, it does have a higher chance of slipping up the rider’s waist. If this occurs, it will cause much discomfort as well as safety issues for the kiteboarder itself.
Pros
- Easy to wear and take off design
- Pulls of prolonged swims in self rescue situations
- Meant for protection of lower rib portions in heavy crashes
Cons
- Harness can slip up
- Need experienced kiteboarder to operate this effectively
- Can cause backpains as there a pull force on the back while riding
So, these were some of the things to consider while choosing your harness. As a suggestion, it is always ideal to choose a harness which fits and sits well on your body. Experienced riders do prefer waist harness as it allows complete leg movement, but seat harness will always remain a safe choice to begin in the sport.
When we have two choices on the platter, both with their own perks, we often tend to wonder if both features could be in one. Now, that wish has been fulfilled in case of a kiteboarding harness.
Of course, with the advancement in technology, there is a new type of harness called the boardshorts harness. The boardshorts harness combines the effectiveness of both the seat and waist harness. So you can imagine comfort as well as full range of mobility. But it may not be that sightly.
For beginners, we will always recommend the seat harness. For experienced kiteboarders who wants to go into freestyle kiteboarding, you might want to choose the waist harness for its mobility. Of course, since we are into freestyling and we do not really care about aesthetics, our natural choice will be the kiteboarding broadshorts harness. With that, let us do a quick review of the Dakine Men’s Nitrous HD Kiteboard Harness, which is our top choice for the best kiteboarding harness!
Dakine Men’s Nitrous HD Kiteboard Harness
This kiteboarding boardshort harness is one of the newest addition to the kiteboarding scene. As mentioned, it is the perfect embodiment of safety during kiteboarding itself.
The Dakine Men’s Nitrous HD Kiteboard Harness combines the safety of both the seat harness and the waist harness together as well as allowing you to have the full range of movement, perfect for free styling!
This harness comes as a great choice for beginners and for professionals as well, because of its light weight arrangement and comfortable leg straps, providing good fit to the body.
Pros
- Light weight and quick dry fabric
- Push button hammer spreader bar helps in easy connects and disconnects
- Freedom shape spreader bar pad feature enables comfort along with safety
Cons
- The leg straps might cut in to become uncomfortable at times
- Due to limitations and tricky situations in freestyles, expert riders usually prefer waist harness over this one
- Provided support is less as compared to a seat harness
