Just thought I post a mini review of my new harness. It's actually a climbing harness, the Black Diamond Momentum SA:



I have been deliberating about which harness to get for quite a while. I considered all the best ones recommended on this forum, mainly the Dakine Fusion and the Peter Lynn Divine. I also looked at the Ozone Access Base and SB.

But the specific requirement of wanting something that would pack up really small for travelling got me looking at climbing harnesses.

This Black Diamond is a fairly cheap one. Not very bottom of the range, but way off the top as far as the cost goes. I got this one because even though it's only mid-range, it's reviewed as being very comfortable, even for long periods hanging around on a cliff.

It's good points:

- I barely notice I'm wearing it
- Have got COMPLETE freedom of movement at all times
- Get a really positive connection from the kite, it pulls from lower down than my waist/seat Mystic Warrior
- Doesn't ride up AT ALL
- Really good quality, especially at the price
- Waistband has high density padding, keeping it comfy but still compact
- No straps dangling around. With the Ozone Access I had loads of strap dangling loose, especially on the leg straps. With this harness the "SA" stands for Speed Adjust, and you tighten the leg straps just by sliding a buckle across with one hand. There is no surplus strap to secure or risk getting caught anywhere.
- Folds up really small and light, perfect for travelling
- Perfectly adequate for cruising around on a board or buggy

And the negatives:

- Cannot unhook. Not a big deal if you're not interested in attempting unhooked tricks
- Much more lightweight than a "proper" kiting harness. Not sure if long kiting sessions doing big airs would get uncomfortable
- Had to buy a decent carabiner rather than having to undo chicken loop to hook into the belay loop

So all in all I'm well pleased with it!!

Like I said in the other thread, I've enjoyed using my climbing harness as well (same one as yours).

Yeah that was a great steer, thanks!!! The only one my store had in stock was the "SA" rather than the "AL" model...basically the same but it's got speed buckles on the leg loops rather than the usual double back webbing strap. They gave it to me at the same price as the AL which was good of them.

Oh and one other thing regarding the reach with a carabiner. I've got a Flysurfer Peak which has a fairly short throw, but with my carabiner through the belay loop, even though I could easily reach the bar when fully depowered it still felt a bit odd because it was a few inches further away than I was used to when hooked into a spreader bar. So I just hooked the carabiner directly through the leg and waist loop (you can see on the pic). Brought it in the same reach as with a spreader bar hook, and still has the convenience of not having to undo the chicken loop to hook in (not that that's a big pain really!)

Yeah I realized I could throw a biner through the small loops instead of the belay loop after I posted about that. I may give it a try but I kinda like having to undo the chicken loop as that basically serves as my safety check before I fly, every single time. Otherwise, I may forget about it and then let it get locked up (I read some horror stories on a different board about water guys who never checked and let salt/minerals build up and lock up the release, leading to nasty situations where they couldn't detach from the kite).

Oooo yeah, good point about checking your release systems before every flight!

I also use a climbing harness and I am happy with it for the same reasons. In addition it's lightweight and thus not HOT in the summer on the beach like a full harness is.

So without the spreader bar does the pull from the kite not put a squeeze on your hips? I have a climbing harness but never used it for kiting. Just curious. Even my Divine PL harness leaves bruises/red spots on a day of any combo of lots of miles, high speeds, or gusty winds, so I'd be interested in giving it a try to see how it feels.

I didn't notice any squeeze at the hips but I was only out for 1 hour.

Bobby, I originally had my hips really chewed up as well in those sorts of conditions using the harness. I can't say how it would have been with the traditional waist harness.

However the climbing harness seems to work much better once you make the adjustment to include the leg straps into the carabiner. The biner can slide across as the tack changes without leaving scars on my hips. robinsonpr shows a nice setup I think. You can customize the these rather easily and a little goes a long way. pbc as usual has a really sweet setup on his that looks comfortable and functional (safety leash, extra line, attachment points, etc).

Also, not flying overpower AND having to tack a lot helps That day left me a little hobbled, but hey kicking up so much sand is fun right?

My ozone harness loosens and the waist portion slides around to the kite. I'm trying to figure out if that's a negative or a positve now lol.

I'd be horrified of my harness spinning around. :barf: I don't want any variables beyond the kite and wind over 60. I'm willing to give my Black Diamond harness a go on a regular ride though. Depower hooked directly to the D ring should keep things close to the body.

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I'd be horrified of my harness spinning around. :barf: I don't want any variables beyond the kite and wind over 60. I'm willing to give my Black Diamond harness a go on a regular ride though. Depower hooked directly to the D ring should keep things close to the body.

That's why I picked that divine up on here that was for sale awhile back. I just haven't had the time to try it out in the buggy. I'm not going fast but that may very well be part of the problem I was having being hooked in with my foils. When it loosened, not only would it twist, but the hook was a little further away causing me to reach. Also, the spreader bar and pad would get goofed up where the pad would be flipped under the hook preventing me from unhooking. It still does all these things with the NS2's but it created worse problems with my foils. Either way, I'm hoping I'll be better served by the divine

Robinson, sorry for the thread drift. Hope the new harness works well for you.

No worries at all, always interested in other experiences!

I will probably end up getting a Divine myself if I ever see one come up used at a decent price.

The climbing harness is really just my lightweight solution. I already get enough grief from my wife about bringing kites on holiday whenever we go away. But I only ever used to take kites on handles as the arcs are too big and I'd never get ground clearance with big kites plus a big harness. Now I've got the Peak which packs down tiny I can finally get to bring a depower kite with me, and the climbing harness is perfect!