Women ´s Kitesurf Harnesses: The Ultimate Guide
The Ultimate Guide for Women Kitesurf Harnesses
There are many options in the market when it comes to women kitesurf harnesses and it’s always a difficult decision to make, wherever you are a beginner or experienced rider. This is why we have created this set of articles about kitesurfing harnesses for female kiters (Part 1, 2 & 3), to help you understand which ones are the key features that your kitesurf harness should have, what is important to consider at the time of choosing and the last technology available.
We want a functional, trustable, supportive and comfortable harness, that will let us enjoy our ride while we also push our level.
Part 1, 2 & 3: The Ultimate Guide
There is so much to explain about kiteboarding harnesses for women that, when I started to prepare one single article, I realised that there was plenty of share and, in order to keep it short and readable, I had to skip certain information…
As I wanted to avoid that and offer a full complete guide, I decided to divide it into 3 and have plenty of room and freedom to explain everything properly and, at the same time, avoid being too long and boring 🙂 Saying this, hope you enjoy this reading, learn a lot and give you some guidance and explanations about your kitesurfing harness, understand if you are having issues with it or helping you to get your new kitesurf harness.
On Part 1, we will explain Women Kitesurf Harnesses vs Men Kitesurfing Harnesses, everything about Waist and Seat Kitesurfing harnesses, including pros, cons and recommendations.
On Part 2 – How to choose the right Harness -, we will explore the “Triple S” on Kitesurfing Harnesses: Size, Shape and Support and how to find the most suitable option. Also, some tips on technique, that can help you to figure out if it´s your harness or your technique what is not helping you in progression.
Finally, Part 3 is about Hard Shell and Soft Shell, going deep into construction and technology developed around the ultimate Kitesurfing harnesses in the industry for women.
Why can your harness give you a glorious ride or a real nightmare?
When you kite, your back is the part of your body that can suffer the most and the harness can support or worsen that. Who haven’t had a terrible low back pain after a long session in the water?
Back in the days when I was usually teaching overpower to big guys (2009, I was 115 lb and my students were, sometimes, double), one time I had to spend 2 days laying on my bed with a horrible back pain… I learned the worst way that the right harness for the right situation is the way to go and how you can get injured if you don´t choose wisely.
Since then, I have always put meticulous attention on Kitesurfing harnesses and, since Kite Sisters born, on women specific Kitesurf harnesses.
Riding with the correct harness will not only avoid you from a horrible back pain (or torso, breast and bruises), but it will be a game changer at the moment of improving your riding and be comfortable while you do it.
If your harness rides up all the time – that it’s one of the main issues that I have seen and discussed with female riders – you cannot properly lean back, sink your heels on the water and control your speed by edging, to achieve your upwind tack.*
If your harness doesn´t fit properly, for reasons such as shape or size, and it´s moving all the time, pressing your breasts, hurting your skin, you will have an unpleasant ride that can cause rashes, bruises and even a permanent injury after a few – or even a single – sessions.
Who haven´t had – unless with your first gear -, your harness riding up, over and above your breast, feeling that you are just holding your kite with your armpits? I had times with my first waist harness when I felt that if I put my kite at 12, everything was going to fly away 🙂
* There are sometimes mistakes in our kitesurfing technique that might seem a harness problem. We will talk about this on Part 2 of this set of articles.
Women Kitesurf Harness vs. Men Kitesurf Harness
There are no doubts about this but it´s always good to clarify: choose a women harness.
Men harnesses are for men, developed and designed for men. Men and women, we have different bodies, so we need different harnesses. Did you know that, on average, women commonly have an 8 – 15% lower longitudinal center of gravity (COG or center of mass relative to height) than men?
The days when developing a female product was just adding pink and some flowers, are long ago. Nowadays, brands have understood – and female users have learned and given their feedback – what we need as a kitesurfing harness and have developed high-professional designs and technology, to fit women’s shape, budgets and needs.
The difficult choice: Waist harness vs Seat harness
There are many differences between these 2 options, but it gives a whole scenario of opportunities, making kiteboarding accessible for everybody, as each harness supports and helps all diverse necessities in the water.
A Kitesurf Waist Harness fits around your waist and pulls where your belly button is; being the most popular option right now, not meaning that it´s the harness that you need.
The last few years there has been a massive jump on products design and technology, allowing waist harnesses to overcome some of the disadvantages that were making many riders to move to the seat option (we will explain this on detail on Part 3 of this set of articles, about Waist harness and Soft and Hard shells).
On the other hand, a Kitesurf Seat Harness fits around the hips and comes with straps (similar to a climbing harness) that go around your legs.
Even if the seat harnesses are wrongly known as “beginners or school harnesses”* and are sometimes avoided because of how you look on them (big diaper); they can offer great support, comfort and endless sessions to riders who suffers from low back pain, had back surgery, fracture ribs, cannot apply pressure on their abdomen or rib cage or cannot find a waist harness that doesn’t ride up.
* I´m not saying that seat harnesses are not great for beginners, but this popular way of knowing them makes a lot of riders of all levels to stay back of enjoying their advantages because they don´t want to feel or be seen as beginners.
Pros and Cons of Kitesurf Waist Harnesses
PROs of Waist Harnesses
- Offers a lot of flexibility, maneuverability, riding freedom and full leg movement; being the harness that will suit you in all Kitesurfing disciplines.
- In most of the brands and models, you can adjust any Spreader bar that goes with your riding style.
- Depending on the model, it can be small and adjustable on your body, being a real extension of it.
- Not bulky and with cool designs and colors.
- Easy to put it in and out.
- Many options available in the market that adapts to all budgets.
- It´s popularly “accepted” in the kitesurfing world: it´s what the pros use.
- Constant industry design, technology and development to overcome the disadvantages that users argue: this is how Hardshell technology was born.
CONs of Waist Harnesses
- Can increase low back pain and injure your back if the pull from the kite is not well supported and / or distributed by the harness.
- If it´s not properly adjusted to your size and shape, it can ride up all the time and stay loose when you are riding or flying your kite.
- Not recommended for riders with certain physical limitations, such as: back pain, back surgery, fracture ribs, musculoskeletal injuries.
- It needs to be used tight enough to offer the necessary support, which can squeeze your ribs and be really uncomfortable.
- Combination with other accessories: you can only pair it with a Kitesurf impact vest (which is bulkier on the chest and slim on the waist area) but it may not fit well if you want to use a life jacket.*
My recommendation on Waist Harnesses: Mystic Gem Model.
* A life jacket (also known as flotation vest) is Coast Guard Approved and sometimes referred to as a CGA vest. CGA vests are required and tested to turn you over and keep your head above the water in all situations. Life Jackets have one purpose and that is to keep you afloat, they do an excellent job at this.
An impact vest is sometimes called a comp or competition vest. These vests are not certified by the Coast Guard and are not required to turn you around and keep your head above water. Although impact vests don’t meet the standards for a life jacket, they still can provide flotation. It really depends on the brand of impact vest that you have with how much it will float.
Pros and Cons of KITESURF Seat harnesses
Pros of Seat Harnesses
- Good support and comfort
- Great option for riders who suffer from low back pain, had back surgery, ribs surgery or cannot apply pressure on their abdomen or rib cage area.
- Doesn´t ride up as it sits low on your hips.
- Good for gusty or strong wind spots: due to it´s lower pull point (as it sits on your hips instead of your waist), you can keep your central gravity lower and really “sit” into the harness with all your weight and bump against the kite, allowing to hold much more power.
- Popular in foiling, due to the same reason above.
- Riders profile: Why is good for certain type of rider (body shape, age, weight):
- Kids, smaller riders and women with big breasts: as it doesn´t ride up and stays in one place, it does not press your breasts or push them up (as some waist harnesses do), which can be extremely painful and uncomfortable.
- Riders with short arms – frequent in women -: bar comes lower, so all the system is more accessible (including the depower).
- Riders with small torso: sometimes waist harnesses can be too bulky or big on your back, which can be incredibly uncomfortable and not distribute the kite power properly.
- Combination with other accessories: excellent at the time of combining it with a vest, whatever it´s a flotation or impact. If you use a life jacket (flotation) when you kite, you know that there is so much going on between your harnesses, your vest (and, of course, in cold weather) your wetsuit! I like the good combination of a seat harness with a flotation device: leaves room for everything. Of course, things are easier with an Impact vest (less bulky and slim) but it won´t provide the flotation that some riders need and prefer.
Con´s of Seat Harnesses
- Attention to leg’s straps: even if they are adjustable, you need to verify that you are comfortable with them and not too tight. This can be an issue for ladies with bigger thighs.
- Popularly seen as beginners or school harnesses: if you care a lot about how you look at your spot, go for the waist.
- It might feel “bulky” and some users have complained about the feeling of less room and legs movement.
- There are generally not many options in the market and each brand only have one model available (compare to waist harnesses, when you can find 2 to 4 models for the same brand)
- It might take a few sessions to find the correct balance between your kite and a proper body position (lean back). Beginners can tent to stay “too seated” on the harness (that it´s actually one of it´s Pros too because allows to hold more power), but it´s a technical detail than can be corrected with practice.
My recommendation on the Waist Harness that ALL our Kite Sisters love: MYSTIC PASSION
I´m a real fan of seat harnesses and we have chosen the Mystic Women Passion seat harness for our Kite Sisters Camps because it has everything that a seat harness needs and our Sisters absolutely love it! But, I personally use a waist harness, the Mystic Gem Bruna Hardshell with Kite or Surf Bar, depending what I´m riding or if I´m coaching. I have founded the right harness that balances everything from both worlds: support, comfort, no more low back pain and safety.
Loving the Mystic Women Accessories
Last year, Kite Sisters signed a partnership with Mystic and we couldn´t be happier!
Since we started, in 2010, it has always been an issue for us to find proper accessories for women, because there was not a lot of attention among the Kitesurfing industry regarding women equipment.
Mystic was one of the first brands to take that seriously and, last year, has completely equipped our Camps and Sisters with all their brand new models (from harnesses to vest and water wear). Now, at our new Kite Sisters Online Store, you can find all the Kitesurf accessories and water wear available… and all the new gear that is coming for this 2021 season!
Stay tuned for Parts 2 & 3
There is still so much more about Kitesurfing harnesses so stay tuned as we will be sharing Part 2 – How to choose the right Harness – in a few days, where we will explore the “Triple S” on Kitesurfing Harnesses: Size, Shape and Support and how to find the most suitable option.
Also, some tips on technique, that can help you to figure out if it´s your harness or your technique what is not helping you in progression. See you later!
Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Keep Kiting.
Chelu, from Kite Sisters Crew
