Damaged ribs = Seat harness....help

[EricSanders]

Bob,
Sorry to hear about the ribs.
I've been using the ION B2 board shorts and they've been really good about not jamming the jewels or riding up wedgie style.
Eric

[SENDIT!]

Bob,
Good to hear you're still getting after it, but don't destroy that knee again!

Being a dealer just like you, I can get anything I want. I use both waist and seat, depending on what I'm doing. For riding powered, there's no substitute for the comfort of the seat. And just like you, I use the Dakine Fusion. I consider it "best of breed" and have had one ever since they first came out in 2001. I must've had 6 or 7 over the years now. The issue you're describing is usually found when the leg straps are too loose. I tell people they must be snug, but not so tight they sing soprano. If they're too loose, there's nothing to prevent the harness from riding up. I've helped a lot of people find relief with this harness, so I still believe it's the right one for you! Good luck.

[Dave_5280]

I'm sorry to hear about your injury and hope it heals for you.

I use an older Fusion Seat harness and would get soreness on the ends of my ribs from the spreader bar ends twisting in at the top. I put a JBar on it and never had sore ribs after that and I think it was because the way the hook swivels up, not so much due the horizontal slide movement.

Good luck healing up.

[Dave K]

I'm probably the extreme case of someone with lousy back who still kites. My solution is pretty Harsh but it allows me to keep kiting. Had low back surgery when I was 27 (around 1986 and missing about 30% of my l3-l4 disc ever since) and have always had to use a seat harness for kiting. Started with the Fusions but I found that the key to reduced back loading was keeping the spreader bar locked way down low at the hips, basically at the l4-l5 elevation or even a bit lower. All that extra back padding of the Fusion was worthless if I couldn't keep the bar low.

Think about it, if your seriously powered up, and edging big time while sending the kite low in the power zone, all the harness lumbar back padding in the world isn't gonna prevent the load from transferring to your spine if the bar is high. With the bar low enough all the load is transferred from my hips right to my legs. My whole upper torso above the hips is just along for the ride. With the kite high in the window it's not an issue, but who rides with a kite parked at 11?

I found that if I took that very bottom d clamp strap on the bottom of the Fusion and sewed even tigher than it's max closed position, I could force the bar lower and keep it locked lower without having ride up during the session. The bottom of the harness acts more like a real seat, but if your upright when you kite (most of us are!) the bottom of the harness digs under your butt. It's not the greatest feeling (have session red marks to prove it) however it locks the bar low and allows me play instead of giving up.

Anyway, I graduated from the Fusion and did the same thing with a pair of Nitrous shorts. Even had a boat cover shop do the stitching I specified. Riding that way ever since. When I foil I can even loosen the straps up a bit since the loading is so much lower

[Pascale]

I would like to know what is the difference in fit or comfort between a seat harness and the Dakine Nitrous shorts? From reading the comments here, it seems very different?

I have a Mystic seat harness that wedgies a lot. If i thighten the leg straps to avoid the harness going up I get blisters on my inner thighs. Not fun.

Thanks

[gilana]

Hi, sorry to hear about the ribs, its a bugger, don't watch a comedy, or eat a curry.
I have always used seat harnesses, and occasionally tried waist upon the insistence of friends.

I cannot get into waist harnies. On the wedgie issue, I find it helps to practice the Sumo Sack-suck exercise where you pull your nuts up into your throat, then you can kite without a crush...

Kidding, I used to have wedgies with my first kite that was trimmed all wrong, and had a huge range on the bar, this resulted in a poo stance, and a wedgie never let it out. Since I have ridden Edges, my stance is way more laid back, and I now use the NP seat harness, constant tricks, loops, jumps, and never wedge to be seen.

I have thought about it and my opinion as an older rider is that we as hominids have evolved to perambulate, run, jump, climb and a multitude of other activities based upon the pelvis being the place where the legs power, shock, and weight is distributed into the torso by the entire package of muscle sinew bone, and cartilage. With a seat harness this is a continuation, but with a waist harness, a lot of those movements, and shocks are taken by the lumbar region of the spine, actions that it never evolved to encounter......I dare say that a lot of waist harness kiters who are active, might find that they have lower back problems later in life, or possibly have great muscle tone and avoid some problems, time will tell, but to me a sit harness is the way to go.

[matth]

I would like to know what is the difference in fit or comfort between a seat harness and the Dakine Nitrous shorts? From reading the comments here, it seems very different?

I have a Mystic seat harness that wedgies a lot. If i thighten the leg straps to avoid the harness going up I get blisters on my inner thighs. Not fun.

Thanks

Board shorts sit lower and offer little to no back support compared to a true seat harness. I have a temperamental back and prefer the maximum back support.

[cglazier]

I believe that board shorts like the Dakine Nitrous provide a hook height that is a bit higher than a seat harness, but certainly lower than a waist harness.
I have back issues but I have no trouble with my Nitrous board shorts.. I guess it depends on the individual.

My friend who hurt his ribs a couple of years ago had to wear a board shorts harness and found that he liked it so much he never went back.

CG