Hi everyone,

i've been lurking on this board for some time - thanks to everyone for the helpful advice on so many topics.

I'm looking for a harness recommendation for landboarding - mostly on hardpacked beach. what kind of features should i be considering... my riding will mostly be cruising, but who knows if some freestyling is in the future :-)

it would be ideal if it was suitable for snow as well... i have a feeling that this sport is habit forming.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Ozone Access harness is very light weight - like a climbing harness but they can prove to be uncomfy. Peter Lynn do an excellent range of harnesses too ... otherwise - the sky's the limit

And ... welcome!

Cruising and/or snow:
The Ozone Access Base or SB (depending on your preference) Harness. Low profile to reduce snow accumulation. One size fits most. Waist Harness with Leg Straps. Less padding that some of the more traditional harnesses, but cooler because of it. For 2010, the Base harness switched from a D ring to a webbing loop. They also moved the attachment points for the leg straps to more evenly distribute the load and to give some more room for "the boys."

FWIW: It could be (and I suspect it is) for the sake of removing the onus of liability, but I believe there is warning a label on the Ozone harness that it's not suitable for "boosting". Not a concern if you are just cruising. However, it does bother me that the info is on a label on the harness but nowhere on the product page on the Ozone website or the PDF documentation for the harness.

Freestyle:
Ocean Rodeo Session II harness (if you are on a budget the Session I Harness is available directly from OR for $110 shipped FedEx Ground.... Only XL size is left though). Waist Harness with Optional Leg Straps (they can be detached). Handlepass strap with emergency release. Pass through port for attaching safety leash to the spread bar. The attachment tab is generally not included as they come with OR leashes, but if you are using another leash, OR is good about sending them out on request.

Never tried it, but I have to admit that I am absolutely fascinated by the Mystic Code 1 harness because of the BOA tensioning system. Board Mag has posted a review >>here<<.

Final thought. Take everyone's recommendations with a boulder of salt. What's comfortable for someone else may not be for you. If there is any chance at all to try on the harness before purchase, you'll be doing yourself a favor by taking advantage of it.

ATB,
Sam

Thanks for the quick replies. Looking at the Ozone Access harnesses - what are the advantages/disadvantages of the spreader bar vs. the megatron loop? The spreader bar seems to be a little more flexible (easy to hook into and out of).. but I'm not sure what the benefits really are.

The Megatron loop is the chicken loop - it's part of the bar. You hook that into the spreader bar.

The other option is the D-ring or karabina IIRC and, IMHO, is for more advanced rider who are hooked into the kite more securely ...

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza The other option is the D-ring or karabina IIRC and, IMHO, is for more advanced rider who are hooked into the kite more securely ...

:puzzled: :puzzled:

Meh.... I kind of see where you're coming from, but still not sure I agree with it 100%.

Between the 2009 and 2010 Access Harnesses Ozone didn't change much to the connection point to the the Spreader Bar version. In 2009, the Base harness used a length of webbing with a two tier D-Ring. The had the unfortunate side effect of twist the Megatron Loop a full 90 degrees. In 2010, the got around this by removing the D-Ring and forming a loop at the end of the length of webbing.

Throughout the 2 years, Ozone kind of put the two options for the Access harness out there but kind of left it up to you to suss out why you might want one over the other.

From your comment, I expect that your take on it was that since the D-Ring/Webbing loop essentially had you always riding "hooked" that it was targeting for the "more advanced rider."

My take was (OK.... this is going to be heavily landboard biased) that without being able to switch from riding hooked/unhooked you couldn't do handle passes and such. In that respect, the Spreader Bar gave the rider more room to advance down the road. If all you're doing is cruising and carve turns, the Access Base Harness (no spreader bar) can happily putter along doing it's job of transfering kite power into forward motion.

In an bailout situation, you are no more "commited"/locked into the harness with either flavor. You still have the top hat release above the brake strap(primary safety), chicken loop release (secondary safety), and if all hell has broken loose the top hat release on the safety leash (tertiary safety).

The last part comes into play when you are the the wobbly knees, sputter start, sudden ramps in power and getting highsided (getting pulled forward over the toe side of the landboard) stage. The Access Base harness takes the fear of landing on the spreader bar out of the equation. In a belly flop, the chicken loop can move out of the way and the webbing loop will fold back against the rider's body. With the spreader bar model, if you highside and don't twist or get your forearms/elbows down fast enough. you can still have the wind knocked out of you when the spreader bar plants into the ground with you coming up behind it real fast. I can see that being attractive to someone with their first harness.

Of course I could have misunderstood the whole thing.

ATB,
Sam

You'd have to make/buy? a QR and pulley for the D-ring Ozone harness ... assuming it's a kite on handles and not a depower I was in a hurry to get out the door

I can ride with no problems non stop 2 hrs..... and very confy with Ozone Access Harness the best for land

So if i understand, it sounds like the main point to the spreader bar version is to allow riding unhooked? And for first year snowkiting / cruising along i can do without?

This is a DIY climbing harness set-up for flying with handle strops, (image lifted off the net)...does it look ok to you guys?



And for depower I can clip the chicken loop right into a climbing harness because there are already enough safeties? Webbing loop or biner, just so that the chicken loop isn't twisted?

(I have to ask 'cause the standard access harness looks way too much like all my other harnesses and there's a budget...)

Peter lynn radical seat harness that is comfy for boarding. Highly recomended them

Quote:

Originally posted by muklukSo if i understand, it sounds like the main point to the spreader bar version is to allow riding unhooked? And for first year snowkiting / cruising along i can do without?

There are a bunch of threads about using a climbing harness for kiting activities. Here are 3 that cover most of the highlights.:

• Why not ? climbing harness for de-power
  
  
• Climbing Harness?
  
  
• harness

In the end, it's going to come down to personal preferences, comfort level/pain threshold.

Quote:

Originally posted by mukluk This is a DIY climbing harness set-up for flying with handle strops, (image lifted off the net)...does it look ok to you guys?

It's hard to say without knowing more about the details of the components being used.... lots of things look similar but aren't. From the photo alone, two things bother the bejeebers out of me.

1. Strop lines usually run back and forth across the x-axis. In the picture, the strop line is running along the y-axis. That would seem clumsy and the strop be be continally abraded against the frame of the pulley block. Now it is possible that the snap shackle (the component between the carabiner and pulley block) has a spinning bale and the photo doesn't show that clearly.
   
   
2. Again, it's hard to tell from the pic, but I really question if there is enough clearance at the back connection of the pulley block for the "finger" on the snap shackle to fully clear without getting hooked up 100% of the time regardless of load or release angle. Maybe paranoia, but some things are good to be paranoid about.

Quote:

Originally posted by mukluk And for depower I can clip the chicken loop right into a climbing harness because there are already enough safeties? Webbing loop or biner, just so that the chicken loop isn't twisted? (I have to ask 'cause the standard access harness looks way too much like all my other harnesses and there's a budget...)

Carabiner should be OK, as they tend to be large enough to allow the Chicken Loop and release pin to pass through without hindrance. If you are using a carabiner, make sure to get the smoothest one possible. Some have flat/angled planes that are going to be a bit rougher on the PU coating on the chicken loop than they need to be. If you go with a webbing loop, make absolutley positive that it will also about the chicken loop and release pin to pass through freely.

When choosing a snap-shackle make sure it is not one of the side release ones which tend to develop stiction over time and don't always release freely under load.

Whatever Quick release system you use... make sure to test them under load.

Snap shackles similar to the Wichard 26xx or 27xx are generally what works best for kiting.

ATB,
Sam

Good threads Indigo, I'm rapping myself on the knuckles for not searching for those myself...of course someone has asked that already..:embarrased:

Also good analysis on the photo I posted, I agree with you on both points but might not have thought about them until i actually put the thing together.

I'm going to try some alpine SRT / caving harnesses, i think they will be much more comfortable than sport rock harness...if you notice me talking an octave higher i'll save up for the real thing..

Just speaking from experience the kite harness especially a seat is going to be way more comfy I sang the host key when I was trying to be on a thin budget well worth the money

Ocean Rodeo Sessions II - can be set up with or without leg straps.
Dino has good things to say about the PL divine harness which also has leg straps.