Hi all I've got a Mystic Warrior waist/seat harness which I got when I was doing some lessons on water. I've been using it now I've started to learn how to landboard. It's OK, but not ideal. Very big and bulky, and because the kite is quite high as I'm just getting started it's riding up, even with the leg straps in (the spreader bar isn't attached to the leg straps).

I've been looking at a few harnesses that people recommend and the Ozone Access seem quite popular.

Thing is there's 2 flavours of them. The "Base" which just has a webbing loop to attach the chicken loop to:




And the "SB" which has a spreader bar:



I was going to get the one with the spreader bar until I realised my supplier is out of stock of those at the moment. I could probably get one elsewhere but in the meantime I was looking at the Base version and there are a few things about it that I really like:

1. Less bulk to carry around
2. No big spreader pad might mean I can bend over to tie my shoelaces! I'm not a big lad but when I've got my Mystic harness on and done up tight it's a real struggle to bend over.
3. $20 cheaper (though cost doesn't really come into it)
4. No spreader bar to pull upwards when kite is high.
5. Is this a better option if I ever buggy?

And the negatives of the Base I can think of:

i) Can't just hook in and go. Need to faff around getting the chicken loop through the webbing (or I guess could put a carabiner through the webbing and then just snap the chicken loop into that?)
ii) Can't do unhooked tricks

I have no intention of EVER doing unhooked stuff, I'm way too old getting into this. I'll be very happy to cruise around on my board. May get a buggy at some point.

Anyone had experience of both that could offer some advice?

I personally am not a fan of the ozone harness (I might be the only one). If you are on the slim side I found it difficult to properly cinch the waist straps for a proper fit. I could never get it tight enough, and I'm not too slim by any means. I always feel like my pants are falling off when I wear mine. I also find the leg straps kind of annoying to get in and out of. I think the HQ or Peter Lynn harnesses are a bit more practical. But again I might be the only person who feels that way about the Ozone harness. The upside though is it will easily fit over snow pants.

The problem with those harnesses is simple ... look at the picture. Does that look comfortable between your legs? Especially when the kite is pulling up! They work and do the job well but simply not very comfortable.

If your looking for a seat harness and may get into a buggy the peter lynn divine is your best option in my opinion. It has leg straps to keep the harness from riding up but they do not go between your legs. So you stay comfortable.

Cheezy, you are not the only one. I have the ozone sb harness and I think it's a piece of garbage. I thought I was the only one. However, I do see a lot of videos of experienced riders using them so maybe it's just us.

Cheezy I'm not a beanpole, about a 32 inch waist.

And ha Dakitez no it doesn't look too comfy around the crown jewels!!!

So a few votes against the Ozone harness already, so much for my first round of research

How about a regular climbing harness? With something like a carabiner to hook into? Do any of you guys go that route?

One thing that really annoys me about my Mystic waist harness is having the big spreader pad on my gut, and when it's done up tight I can barely reach my feet so is pretty restrictive. That's why a climbing harness or the Ozone Access Base seemed attractive, because I'd be able to move some.

Still a beginner myself, but I've used my climbing harness a couple of times and didn't find it that uncomfortable - however I'm used to it having climbed in it (and since I wasn't a great climber I spent plenty of time just hanging in it lol). My plan is to pick up an actual kiting harness once I get into the water, but for now it seems to work fine. Caveat: have no idea what it will be like with bar. I rigged a quick release shackle and a strop line for my handles. Hopefully I'll be able to hook in with my new Apex soon.

Might not be an expensive experiment either, I'd imagine a used climbing harness is pretty cheap (FYI - NEVER climb in a used harness unless you've inspected the crap out of it and know what to look for).

We use the Ozone SB harness for our students. The one size fits and low profile makes it an easy option for our needs. It is also the most common harness we sell with the Flysurfer Peak owners.

I would agree that the non-SB (spreader bar) option is probably not very comfortable, more so than a climbing harness but still not as good as the SB version.

The SB is extremely comfortable. As a huge proponent of the Dakine Fusion series I initially felt that the Ozone SB was not a viable option for most of my personal needs. But over the course of the last winter I found it very good for touring and general riding. For speed sessions and really high wind days my Dakine is a better option but for most riders I imagine the Ozone SB is a perfectly good choice.

There have been some students that are on the thinner side that if we were operating in a summer environment and they didn't have snow gear on they would have had a hard time filling the harness effectively. But have had no issues with fit.

There is a certain level of "puzzle work" when it comes to putting the harness on. With practice it's a lot easier but initially the leg loops can twist and it gets a little ridiculous sometimes if you think too hard about it.

I think for the money it's a decent harness. If you want to compare it to the HQ, or Dakine or basically any other seat harness it's not even close to the same thing in my opinion. Different animal. Geared more toward comfort than performance. You can ski down in it after you've kited up and you don't even notice it on you.

Like skiing naked. :D

Gah was hoping the non spreader bar version was gonna get some love as that's the one in stock and I really liked the idea of not having the bulk of a spreader bar on my waist. What is it that makes it not as comfortable? The way the pull through the loop pulls the straps?

Robinson- I have the one without the spreader and like it a lot. I have a 34 inch waist and i have it cinched down just as far as it goes, though. Would not recommend for any smaller waist, would recommend the PL Divine harness instead as it's a much better fit for smaller people.

I put a nice big locking carabiner on the nylon loop, and I attach chicken loop to that. Easy, but this moves whole bar 3 more inches away which can be a problem for shorter people.

The local snowkite school uses the mystic blazer harness for smaller students and ozone access SB for larger ones.

Having a spreader bar or not on landkite harness is personal preference/riding style dependent. If I was gonna get a spreader bar harness, I would want one with the pivot or the slide, as toeside can be tough...

Feyd, I have never been able to keep the straps tight on the ozone sb harness and I'm definitely not skinny. I have tried everything I can think of and the second a little pull is applied to the spreader bar, the straps begin to loosen. The only other thing I can think to try is duct tape or rope to tie the loops together to keep them from loosening. Other than that major problem it's a fine harness.

Before the "Base" harness, Ozone had the "SD" harness which is essentially the Base harness with a "D" ring where the loop is. I own both the SD and the SB harness' and find both to be comfortable and useable. I did use the SD harness with a climbing 'biner to make hooking in easier, but found that the arm reach was a bit too long for my taste. I found if I hooked the 'biner around the webbing of the harness, rather than through the D ring, it brought the bar a little closer. I find the SB harness a little easier to use, as both the chicken loop and or a strop are easily connected. Issues with adjusting the fit of both seemed to go away with use, it was kind of hard to adjust when new, but became easier over time. As far as bending over with the SB, I can still tie my shoes with it on.

Quote: Originally posted by bobalooie57

Before the "Base" harness, Ozone had the "SD" harness which is essentially the Base harness with a "D" ring where the loop is. I own both the SD and the SB harness' and find both to be comfortable and useable.

Still have a difficult trying to assign any description even slightly implying comfort where the SD harness is concerned.

Maybe people are using it in the buggy or with thick winter pants, but in warm weather gear, the SD version leans more than a little bit towards....





Ozone was supposed to have have addressed in the SB version as one of the selling points:

"Leg straps attached at a more ergonomic angle. Distributes vertical loads between the attachment point and leg padding without squashing the family jewels."

But one tends to hold a bit of a grudge against them for the design flaw that the let through on the initial version.

ATB,
Sam

The SB harness is great until you get really aggressive and the hook rotates up and away, allowing the loop to escape. It seems to be an issue for me with Ozone's own chicken loop (somewhat ironically). There's nothing really resisting torque on the hook, and I've had the kite pull the loop right off the spreader bar (instant unintentional safety deployment) because the stick on the Ozone loop is so flimsy. Never happened with my HQ or flysurfer kites, but the problem is still there.

One solution is to make the waist adjustment uncomfortably tight. The other solution I'm considering is maybe throwing the hook into a vice and adding a little more curl this winter. Or maybe injecting something like a flexible epoxy into the hollow ozone chicken finger to stiffen it up.

The SB harness is definitely comfortable, but it could be a lot more comfortable if it wasn't a one-size-fits-all solution. There's a lot of extra bulk when you cinch that stuff up, even when you're wearing it over winter gear. With a 32 waist I can't even understand how it would fit when you're not wearing at least a few layers.

So those are my complaints. Definitely works but I think it could be improved.

Guess this is a separate issue - not really harness related, but after searching google for a few minutes, I found I'm not the only one to have a problem with the ozone chicken loops:
http://www.extremekites.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17269

The slipping off the hook issue is similar, I think. As a skier, you can put a lot of sideways pull on the hook/loop, and leaned over to one side it isn't really directing the pull of the loop into the curve of the hook, so you need a stick that's much stiffer (relative to the stiffness of the loop itself) to prevent the accidental slip off.

Anyway just thought I'd try to qualify my other comments in case anyone was wondering exactly what I was complaining for.

Sounds like the one-size-fits-all of the Ozone harnesses rules it out for me. I'm a 32 inch waist and haven't got chunky legs. I won't be wearing winter gear, just jeans or cargo pants, so sounds like I just wouldn't be able to get it tight enough.

Shame as I really want something lightweight rather than a full seat harness like the PL Divine. :barf:

I have been using the Access Base harness on snow for 2 winters. I'm about the same size as you and it fits fine although I had to make it almost as small as possible. (You can make it ridiculously big... :D)
The best thing about it is definitly that it does NOT have a hook. I wish all harnesses were like that. All the usual spreader bar related problems are gone, including the skier specific one...
Leg loops are never too comfortable but these are the the best ones I've tried and they have good padding compared to other harnesses. The only negative thing I can say is that the straps get loose quickly and you have to retighten them constantly, the harness often simply falls down when I stop and land the kite. :o

Having said that, I don't know what the harness would be like without all the thick winter clothes, I usually wear 2-3 pants and a thick jacket under it. I imagine it could lack some support (it basically has none) and it might move around a lot.

Thanks for that UnknownAX. I'm still in 2 minds due to the size.

Do you put your chicken loop through the loop on the harness or use a carabiner between the chicken loop and the harness?

I bought a nice, oval shaped climbing carabiner when I got the harness but ended up never using it. The (old) Ozone megatron is very simple to put together even with gloves on and I don't use ice screws so there's no real reason for me to use the carabiner.

Yeah the chicken loop on my Flysurfer Peak is easy to reset. Tempting....

I know I used to have the Ozone Access, with SB, and after carefully reading inside the harness, decided that it wasn't for me. I read that the harness wasn't designed for any lifting at all aka, jumping and being supported by the harness. I use the divine in the buggy and on the board and love it. So comfortable and easy to get in and out of.

I don't know if they changed that and I am sure that people have worn them while jumping and been fine, but Im not one to test items and see if they will break, especially if I am in the air. Just sayin.

My ozone harness said that as well. I just figured it was a legal thing and that it was made strong enough to jump with. I hadn't considered that it actually wasn't made for jumping. I figured all were made for that more or less. I'm pretty heavy and jumped with it when I had a arc and it didn't show any signs of wear. The only real problem that I could see was the straps loosening which seems like it would be really easy for ozone to correct that. I suppose some simple modifications would probably help but I haven't got around to tinkering with it.

4 words:

Peter. Lynn. Divine. Harness.

There... Done

Wow, I hate when I post at 3am!

Yeah seems like most people really rate the divine. I don't think I've ever read a bad word about it.

Here in the UK I've only seen it for sale with a pulley spreader bar. What hook spreader bar fits it?

Is there a way to not have a spreader but a fabric loop instead like the Ozone base harness? Or a carabiner maybe?

Also would the divine be suitable for kitesurfing on water too or should I hold onto my Mystic Warrior for that?

I actually saw a guy kitesurf with the ozone once. He was wearing a drysuit, though.
I bought a Mystic for kitesurfing and didn't even consider using the Ozone Access with a wetsuit on as I was afraid it would move around a lot and it's not really meant for water use anyway.

Quote:

4 words: Peter. Lynn. Divine. Harness. There... Done

I've got one on its way Spencer. :D

Quote: Originally posted by shehatesmyhobbies

Ozone makes harnesses for climbing

can you link me an ozone climbing harness? my googlin' doesn't turn up anything like that, closest would be that Black Diamond makes a model named "Ozone"....

Just surprised to learn another facet of the company if it's true...

I run a divine with a standard spreader bar.

My son runs a divine with standard spreader bar.

They are just so comfy. They also work great for skijoring!

Quote: Originally posted by erratic winds

Quote: Originally posted by shehatesmyhobbies   Ozone makes harnesses for climbing can you link me an ozone climbing harness? my googlin' doesn't turn up anything like that, closest would be that Black Diamond makes a model named "Ozone".... Just surprised to learn another facet of the company if it's true...

Yea I have got to stop posting when I wake up in the middle of the night, I don't even remember posting at all! Post edited to just a smile.

I hope their paragliding harness straps stay tighter then their kite harness. :P