so im not rushing to spend $100+ on a harness so im thinking of making a home made one any idea's? im thinking of like a kidney belt and like a ratchet hook and just a rope for a handel strop what do you think?

:piggy:

just make sure you are able to unhook from the kite in an emergency.
The harness its self doesn't have to be very extravagant, but your rigging to unhook from the kite should be.

Or you can maybe find one cheap. What size are you? I've got a small to medium Dakine waist harness that I can only dream of fitting ; )

The main thing you want from a harness besides strength (most be able to lift your weight + another 150 or so pounds - to be able to take the stress that the kite is going to put on it) is comfort - if its not comfortable after five minutes of flying you could ruin a good day and end up buying a harness anyway. Anything above the waist support will become uncomfortable as the harness digs into your ribs - Anything below the waist needs to consider your jewels - an ill fitting in this area will have you walking funny for a week - or longer. I remember seeing an old wrap around rig that fit around the upper back and under the armpits - the problem with these is that your center of pull is now on your upper body which can result in face plants and/or a worked over back. My suggestion is to not skimp on a harness - save up and buy a proper one - I have a dakine fusion - I'm 180lbs with a 35" waist - the large size of this harness fits very snug. If your planning on doing any snow kiting in the future you may also want to price a second spreader bar that is longer (to accommodate any any extra layers you may want to wear. A friend of mine tried using a climbing harness but ended up switching to a regular harness after a while because of comfort concerns and also lacking a spreader bar to be able to hook in and evenly disperse the pull of the kite to his body.

Sorry I don't think this is what you wanted but better to be informed and bummed than misled and psyched.

a used harness shouldn't cost you more then $50 on ebay or in a local kite shop. look for windsurfing harnesses too since the only real difference is they don't have a handle on the back.

also rock climbing harnesses work in a pinch as long as you have some way of using a quick release from the chicken loop

I have to agree with Flexiblade don't skimp on a harness.
I use a Dakine XL full seat and its worth every penny for comfort and the stress that it doesn't put on my body. A friend tried mine uses the waist style and when he got in mine was shocked at the difference, pulls evenly and as he said like sitting in a hammock chair...lol
I spend a lot of time in the buggy and on ski's and being able to lay back in control and comfort is the best

Flexiblade and Wolfee are right on. Everybody I know that tried your approach has caved and bought a proper harness. Safety, comfort and preserving your reproductive system. There are deals out there.

ya well i just spent all my money on a kite for this snow season

but if any of you have a cheap used small harness ill glady buy it if it is cheap

Lets us know your waist size and well see what we can do.

Cheers

:shocked2:wow man im skinny!:shocked2: ha ha 27 to 30 inch.

Dakine like the one macboy have are a great brand, good one to start off. Give him a U2U

yeah, I've done lots of rock climbing so i've used that several times, and will again until I get a proper harness -- it gets hard to control the kitelust and think of the stuff that will let me fly them well!

A properly fitted rock harness is plenty strong enough but not comfortable in the long run, but the biggest problem for me is that w/o a spreader bar set up it is impossible to avoid having the harness ... erm ... stand proud from my belly 6 or 7 inches or so under load... :wink2:

I fly handles with a strop when I'm strapped in so that is at least four or five inches (double that actually) I can't have in the strop. Can work around a short strop with lots of brake input, but that extra range would sure be nice.

if i cant get a good deal on a harness i will just use the hook from tie downs for the trailer and hook it to my belt

NEWS I NEED A GOOD DEAL ON A SMALL HARNESS IM PRETTY MUCH BROKE A HAMY-DOWN WILL WORK BUT IF IT IS CHEAP ILL BUY IT

start a new thread in the "wanted" area of the forum, link to this one if you don't want to repeat yourself...

that harness that macboy was posting earlier in this thread sounds like it would fit you - a medium is pretty small - again the large that I have barely fits me -

Quote:

Originally posted by logantheninja if i cant get a good deal on a harness i will just use the hook from tie downs for the trailer and hook it to my belt

This would be a bad idea. I hate to even say it, but I have done this before. Lucky for me, I got kicked out of the park before I could get the kite in the air. The lady that booted me probably saved me from really hurting myself.

You can get a radsails harness for around $50 from cobrakites... maybe some others have these, also. Its about 1/10th of the cost of going to the emergency room, to say nothing of any procedures.

I consider myself lucky having been kicked out of the park that day.

i have an idea ill get a trapeze harness when i go there ill buy one off them and a spreader bar will fit on it:bouncy:

Is the kite that you're planning on skiing with the 3m beamer - if so you may want to reconsider - depends on where you're going to use it - if the area is nice and flat with clean winds - no problem - if the area is on a mountain or is surrounded by trees the wind is going to be a bit bumpy and gusty - not a good thing for a fixed bridled kite - I've done this in the past and was seriously disappointed - a lot of time getting yanked over - having to reset the kite and reset my skiis in their bindings - if you do get a good run will have you wanting to get a depower which will make the money that you don't want to spend on a harness look like chicken feed. I know the feeling of wanting to rush out and kick a$$ with your kite - they do have limits and can disappoint from time to time. It's all part of the game of kiting - look at most of the people on here and how many kites are listed under their names - there is a commitment to cost with these things - you can save some money on kites if you look at design for NPW's - you can make these yourself, as long as you can sew.

ya we have nice big frozen lake where every body kites

Is it in California?

colorado

That sounds great - besides trying to acquire a harness - do have already or are looking into getting a helmet? A brain bucket will help you stay smart and not get broken in your nut.

Try and get out flying with the locals. When they meet you and see how hard you are trying odds are they will give you a hand up ! Loaning you proper, safe gear until you can afford your own or just giving you a sweet deal.
Try to think safety 1st and it will get you a lot farther when it comes to getting help.

ya i got safety gear

and i have found a tie down rope put it like a rock climbing harness and im going to stitch it in place
and it works i have been hanging on a lader and the hook on it is stationary and have been practising unhooking the strop and it will do till a have enough money to buy somthing good

Just dont go flying anything big in big winds with it.

Stay under 15 mph with the 3m, and you probably wont get hurt... too badly

ill tell you on the kitemare