Going lighter on foil

[elguapo]

the loopo if anyone was interested.
(looks a lot more like lingerie than a best in class piece of sporting equipment)

it is....
different.
but definitely usable, imo.

[SENDIT!]

Am I the only one here that finds this to be a little bit like wanting to sand the top layer of paint off my board so I can save that weight? I could see if you wanted to change from a waist/seat/shorts harness to another style, but saving the weight? What am I missing here?

[tomtom]

If you have 800g kite - with 300g bar /which i have/ then suddenly harness is you biggest and heaviest piece of equipment.
Harness usually weight about 2 kg + ca. 1 kg when wet. That is definately too much. All that water also cool down your most sensitive areas.

I buy Manera harness which specifically claim that it doesn't absorb water and - it end up that it absorb as much water as other harness. So there is definitely room for better non absorbing lighter harness. It hasnt to weight 80g - but todays harness are WAY too heavy. Every piece of sport equipment which you wear should be as light as possible /functionality is first of course/.

Todays harness are not optimized for weight at all.

[elguapo]

Am I the only one here that finds this to be a little bit like wanting to sand the top layer of paint off my board so I can save that weight? I could see if you wanted to change from a waist/seat/shorts harness to another style, but saving the weight? What am I missing here?

whats the point of changing/trying to improve anything or experience?


maybe i'm hyper pragmatic.. but i'm constantly trying get more efficient with my packing
(i travel to do most of my kiting)
i check in kite gear. clothes/important stuff in carry-ons.

with american airlines at least.. i believe 70 pounds is the limit... so pack size is generally the limiter when trying to get all my gear in a single 'normal sized' suitcase.
(i prefer to travel "normal" and not drag around around a golf or surf bag)

in a rolling duffle i can fit 3 peak4's, 6m soul, 91cm mast, a split foilboard, 760cm long wings, a couple bars and a bulkier seat harness... weigh is around 45 pounds.
maybe if i can utilize a less bulky harness(and maybe remove soul) then maybe i could there would be room for the sonic race(and another set of wings)



just saying

[TomW]

Look at the board short harnesses. Already 1/2 the bulk and weight of a regular seat or waist harness.

[Foil]

After reading this thread last week I was amused and wondered just how practical these might be.
so I had to go to my large Decathlon store to find a more suitable helmet and whilst there found the section that displays all their climbing harnesses,
they are all so strongly made as they need to be as there guys need them to catch them if they slip,
the workmanship is amazing, you need to see and feel them close up to appreciate just how strong they are,
I was tempted to buy one and may well do if I could see one in action on the water, I was thinking they might work better for leg freedom where a seat harness compromises such lower body free movement.
The very thin one above in the photos may look a bit like a mankini, not good at all! but the others I looked at are maybe very good for freedom of movement whilst still keeping the forces low down and away from the lower back.

[nixmatters]

I recently got a NP RS Wind seat harness which I coupled with the NP Fireball spreader bar, as I had one laying around and a Cabrinha bar with extra Fireball bit. My bar throw was so long that I felt I don't need any trim at all.

Had a chance to try it only once with a TT and 10m kite and it was surprisingly comfortable (never used a seat harness before!).
Dry weight around 850 grams, soaking wet a bit less than a kilo. There is some excess webbing I can trim and shave some 50grams and mostly have less of it dangling around.

Thought about getting the Mystic Stealth bar, but it won't work as it has 2x 25mm webbing slots, while the NP harness has 40mm buckles. Slitting the 40mm in 2x20 might work, but not sure if it's worth the hassle.