I'm looking at buying my first windsurf harness and have no idea what to look for.

Any idea?

I've tried a few on but I still don't know what to look for.

What are other people wearing and how are you finding it?


Any recomendations?

If ya got lower back problems like me, the da kine XT seat harness, has proved fantastic for me.

i learnt in a da kine seat harness.
love the thing.
it has enough back support to be comfortable but not enough to restrict you and its light!
i cant recomend one enough

I learnt and used a seat harness for years, left and came back to the sport this season, and started with a NP racing seat but when I upgraded all my gear, i figured to upgrade my harness also, I was skeptical about the waist harness at first after sailing in a seat for 8 years and the first gen of waist harnesses were not the best in terms of back support.

BUT NOW.... things have changed and I wouldn't go back to my seat harness. My stance, support and ease of hooking in/out is improved (as hook tends to be a little higher positioned), but it did take time to adjust from seat to waist at first - 2-3 sessions.

One issue I did find with the selection of waists harness' is the kidney belt strap, the first few i tried had a poor overlap and grip and thus I couldn't get the locked in feel around my waist. Also a bar release makes jumping in and out quicker but isn't essential. I ended up with the the Pro-Limit Team Wave Waist and give it 3 shinny teeth....

If your on flat water and thinking of mainly slalom/flat water bump and jump, then a seat harness would be fine but wavesailing/ or thinking of getting into it at any stage, a seat does limit your ability to progress, as hooking in/out becomes a frequent thing, and with the stance that you end up in when transitioning between moves, the waist harness comes up on top.... that being said, Robby Naish can still be seen wearing a seat harness every now and then in the maui surf....

Get into your local store and try as many on and lean off the rope they usually have attached to a wall somewhere to see how the support feels in your back and when you bring it home try it on again over the top of waterever you sail in to be sure it fits a sits right. Not sure on your budget but you'll probably need to spend about $200 on one and it will be worth it for a harness as it will become the most used piece of equipment you have, the entry price ones at $140ish seem to have the ergonomic problems with them I mentioned earlier.

It looks like it's a toss up between the Dakine Nexus or the NP. They both feel comfortable hanging off a harness line attached to a wall in SHQ (while wearing jeans, not a wetsuit) and look the part.


As I've never used a harness before, what's the advantage of the quick release over the standard buckle? When do you use it?

The other advantage of a quick release system is if you have a bad crash and your harness lines get tangled with your hook. Its a bit scary getting stuck under the sail, its happened to me a few times.

I received a Neil Pryde impact vest harness with quick release buckle system for Christmas. Its a similar system to what ski boots use, with a ratchet mechanism. Its a good system and the harness gives you a fair bit of floatation and keeps your innards tight. Its more a chest harness and I find it quite comfortable when I used it.

Another thing to look at...

My NP harness gets very waterlogged (I tend to spend a bit of time in the water). Anyways, I reckon it's a tad heavy, it would have to weigh about 2-2.5kgs wet, not that it makes a difference with the amount I weigh, but as far as performance goes, prob look at one that doesn't become a 'sponge'.

Definitely go the safety release though, I haven't needed to use it yet, but sailed with a guy a couple of months ago who went through his sail, only to be pinned upside-down with feet in air, and hooked in (twisted lines). After a brief struggle, he calmed down (he's a lifeguard) and used the release, enabling him to swim through the sail, and re-surface...scary stuff!

For what it's worth - and I was in precisely the same spot as you a couple of months ago - I went with the NP Wave from SHQ. Think it was about $170. I've been really pleased with it for the following reasonsble
1. Its comfortable - 3D moulding and I've regularly sailed for hours at Inver and barely noticed I had it on
2. I HAVE used the quick release very recently when stuck under the board in the Bay. It works - and as a beginner moving towards intermediate, it gives me a bit more confidence. This rarely happens of course - but I suppose the quick release was designed for a reason
3. It suits my dour personality - no frilly logos, camouflage prints or tropical swaying palms to be seen. Black logo on black plastic - no chance of being mistaken for a kiter...

I can't comment on any other harness

echunda said...

If quick release is a grat saftey feature, why aren't the other brands picking it up?

It is something new that NP has released with their 2009 products. As for why no other brands have it. Don't know.
When you are learning to use a harness it's pretty well a given that you can get catapulted with your sail in gusts and maybe end up under your sail with your harness line twisted around the hook. The few times I've been in this situation managed to just slide the harness line off the hook and swim from under my gear. Just nice to know that I have a second option.
I have sailed with the new spreader bar several times now & in my opinion think it's pretty durable, only time will tell. The buckle part is a hard nylon like snowboard bindings. Anyhow if it ever failed I have my spare standard spreader bar.

I have a quick release on my NP seat harness. It's probably a good idea, since you can't really be too safe but mine always seems to come undone after a catapult in wavey conditions. It's does get frustrating to putting it back together while holding my rig or occassionally I waterstart and attempt to hook in only to find it is still in the release position. Anyway like someone else said SHQ or RPS will steer you right. Purchase your lines at the same time so they give you the right length based on using seat or waist