Chosing the harness that works for you

The wedgie is real.
I understand the struggle.
I hear it over and over again, people that are uncomfortable in a harness.
Sometimes people are given poor advice that you can expect to be uncomfortable in a harness, and that “is just the way it is”.
This does not have to be true. But the struggle is real because it may take some trial and error to find the harness that works for you.

This is especially true for women. Ladies, we all know we come in different shapes and sizes and the sports industry designers do not always account for our differences.

There are essentially three different harness options

• waist harness
• seat harness
• boardshort harness

My first bit of advice for you is to try as many different styles as you can before you buy. Harnesses can be very expensive, ranging anywhere from $150 - 300+ (USD). So it’s ideal if you find the right one with out having to buy several to get there.

Ask your friends if you can take their harness out for a couple of tacks. Make sure you jump and ride toe side and try some maneuvers with the harness on to get a real feel for it.

If you don’t have anyone that would let you try, or anyone your size then the next best option would be to go to your local kite shop to try on what ever selection they have. Most shops have a chicken loop that you can simulate riding with.

For most part people learn in the seat harness and struggle with using a waist harness for the first time. Everyone has the same issues with waist harnesses when they make this transition. They say “it rides up onto my chest and hurts my ribs/breasts/chafes my nipples”. I think 90% of the time people are riding with incorrect posture or too big of a kite. When you transition to a waist harness you have to use your core muscles more and stand up straighter. Riding with a waist harness is great because you end up growing abs.

I do want to reassure you that it doesn't really matter what your body type is, you can find a waist harness that will work for you. Unless you are morbidly obese, then you will be in a seat harness. But trust me, the reason the waist harness is uncomfortable is due to posture changes. Try to be more aware of keeping your chest and shoulders back and activating your core. The waist harness is really the only way around the painful wedgies.