hiya, i am interested in getting a new kitesurfing harness and liked the look of the dakine nitrous...does anyone have any opinions on this??

thanks will

The Nitrous is not really a harness but a pair of shorts that have the Dakine powerclip system installed into them. I personally use the Dakine Fusion but know of quite a few people who have the Nitrous shorts and they love them. They are a lot more mobile than the full seat harness's and a lot more stylish. You will probably want to get a spreader bar pad to go with the shorts as they dont have as much padding in the front as the Fusion does. The Nitrous shorts dont have very much back support either, not nearly as much as the Fusion. This may not be an issue with you at all tho. The leg straps inside of the shorts are padded very well and adjustable - they fit nicely and keep all the important stuff out of the way

The Powerclip system is awesome, fully adjustable on both sides and it makes the shorts very comfy to use. Another note....the Nitrous does NOT come with a cut-away knife. I would suggest picking one of those up as well as the pad.

The Powerclip system will work with nearly every spreader bar on the market except the Peter Lynn spreaders. You will need to file the top and bottom of the clip about 1/8" to get the Peter Lynn spreaders to clip in. Very minimal amount and it doesn't seem to weaken the clips at all. I know of several people who have done this with no problems.

Hope that helps!

Here in Hawaii I've only seen two guys wearing the Nitrous harness shorts and both of them have gone back to board shorts and harnesses. From what I gather, the biggest issue was that you're stuck walking around with your harness on all the time, unless you "drop trow" and put on another pair of shorts. I'm guessing they thought it was more of a hassle than it was worth.

For me, I've been real happy with my seat harness which has faithfully served me for 4+ years. It's nice to have an extra layer of protection down there sometimes...

I'm shopping seat harnesses now after getting such a good deal on one of the geurilla 2's. Can someone tell me if harnesses run big , small or true to the pant sizes they relate to? I'm as big as I've ever been & just on the edge of 40", but I've always had to buy loose fit pants to get my thighs & butt into the correct waist size. I can't help but think I'm gonna shed some weight with all of the traction kiting I've been doing lately, so I would rather barely fit in one now & have it fit better later than get one that may bo too loose. Thanks for any help.

If in doubt....buy a bigger harness rather than a smaller one. You can always cinch down a larger harness to fit but it is about impossible to stretch a smaller one. On the Dakine Fusion seat harness, you will want the largest one they have for your 40" waist. I am a 42 and can squeeze into the XL with the use of a 12" spreader bar and a little grunting. My friend can use the same harness and he is a 38. He has to switch out the spreader to a 10" but it works.

Another thing to consider is what you will be wearing underneath. If you are planning on using your kites in both the water and the snow you will need to take into consideration a large snow suit or overalls for the winter season. A little larger will be more comfy for both sports.

That brings up another argument between the Seat Harness and the Nitrous shorts. For snow the Nitrous shorts would be useless unless you wore them over your snowsuit.....which would look rather silly in my opinion. Might impress the chicks tho....well, on second thought it would be a strong force to keeping you single and dateless.....

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Originally posted by gene9999 I'm shopping seat harnesses now after getting such a good deal on one of the geurilla 2's. Can someone tell me if harnesses run big , small or true to the pant sizes they relate to? I'm as big as I've ever been & just on the edge of 40", but I've always had to buy loose fit pants to get my thighs & butt into the correct waist size. I can't help but think I'm gonna shed some weight with all of the traction kiting I've been doing lately, so I would rather barely fit in one now & have it fit better later than get one that may bo too loose. Thanks for any help.

Hey Gene,

My waist varies from 38" to 40" (depending on how much kiting / surfing I get) and my wife teases me about my non-existent butt. I use DaKine and Bump & Jump harnesses size "XL" and I've got plenty of room for the wife's cooking. I'd guess an XL would fit you fine also.

Be sure to get a bigger spreader bar than comes with the smaller harnesses.

Thanks for the help guys.
I've only been flying my 7m bullet for a month, but it's funny how quick one adjusts to being hoisted off the ground.:tumble: Cant wait for the 18m guerilla to arrive.