Windsurfing Harness

Windsurfing Harnesses, Seat Harnesses, Waist Harnesses

The days when a harness consisted of a few straps and a hook are long gone.

Modern harnesses are designed for an optimal surfing experience.

Since every manufacturer now offers a variety of different models, we have summarized the most important features for you here.

First, you have to decide between a waist and a seat harness. The argument that waist harnesses quickly ride up is hardly true anymore.

Whether waist or seat is therefore a question of personal style. Seat harnesses have the hook lower. This makes it easier to exert pressure on the mast foot via the harness, which especially helps with passive planing.

A seat harness also helps to get the last bit of speed out of the equipment when blasting on flat water.

A waist harness has the hook higher. This makes hooking in and out easier for beginners, which is why maneuver-oriented surfers also tend to choose a waist harness. In addition, you automatically adopt a more upright position while surfing.

This also helps in choppy water and strong winds, as you can easily correct the sail position with small body movements. We now recommend a waist harness to most surfers, but we can of course also advise you on seat harnesses. For seat harnesses, most manufacturers only offer one model, but a variety of waist harnesses. Each manufacturer has its own closure system. The systems from Mystic and Prolimit are particularly popular,

as these systems close simply by plugging them together and only require one hand movement to release. Most other brands rely on a classic principle in which a metal piece is hooked in.

No matter what system your current system has, after your first surfing vacation, you will be able to operate any new system blindly and within seconds.

The closure system should therefore not be a buying criterion. The individual models differ primarily in their cut. A harness with a large back area distributes the force more evenly, making it more comfortable.

Narrower harnesses, on the other hand, offer greater freedom of movement, which especially appeals to maneuver freaks. The side area also varies in width.

Since a harness contracts forward when pulled, pressure is also exerted on the body via the side areas, so the same principle applies here as to the back area. At this point, a harness should not press on the hip bones.

Especially women therefore often choose narrowly cut harnesses. The hardness of a harness allows either a very direct power transmission and thus a lot of control with hard harnesses, or a very even, soft riding feel with soft harnesses.

Some also vary the hardness in different areas. When first tried on, hard harnesses usually appear significantly more uncomfortable than soft ones, but they adapt to the rider over time and thus gain in comfort.

By the way: if you are looking for a harness for both kiting and windsurfing, it is best to look at harnesses that are labeled as combi-harnesses or multi-use.

If you don't find a suitable model there, you can also choose a kite harness. Pure windsurfing harnesses are not designed for the stress of kitesurfing.