any reccomdations for a harness that offers good lower back

[cncor]

Ok after a good session my lover back gets sore the next morning. I am 5'8" 200 I ride a 138 x 44 twin tip when the wind is good and I ride a 6'6" surfboard strapless when the wind is light. The harness I currently use is a mystic code 01 with the boa tightening system. I like this waist harness I got it at Live2kite good price and fast shipping. The harness feels good and snug however after about an hour it will slide up and the Velcro inner strap comes out underneath. When this happens I put down the kite redo the harness and then back out in the water.
So is there a waist harness that gives really good back support that does not slide up? Or should I switch to the seat harness? Any suggestions on a good seat harness? And what are the advantages/disadvantages?

[Tony Soprano]

If over 40
A heavy weight.
Beer belly.
Generally screwed up bad back.

Get a seat harness.

I like the Dakine Fusion Seat Harness, but the Mystic force shield seat harness is nice too.

[reyrivera]

Over 40, 5'11" 165 lbs, slightly messed up back from years of different sport related injuries.

For short sessions, 1 to 2 hours, I ride a waist harness with a home made sliding pulley bar. Advantage: easy to body drag back up to the board. Disadvantage: short sessions, gives me a cramped lower back.

For long sessions, 3 plus hours, I ride a seat harness with a home made sliding pulley bar. Advantage: Allows me to kite longer, no apparent back discomfort. Disadvantage: takes a bit of getting used to when body dragging up back to a board.

A sliding spreader bar also helps with your posture as your tow point on your body changes dynamically based on your position relative to the kite.

Rey

[jjm]

You mention a sore back the morning after rather than back pain. How often do you ride? If you're not riding much maybe it's just a muscle group you don't regularly use as strenuously. In this case maybe some core strengthening exercises (or better yet ride more!)

(I mention this because after kiting the last couple days no issues, but after a couple rounds behind a boat today my back is now sore...)

[cncor]

Thanks guys for the replies. I am going to have to go try on a couple of different harness. I have been considering a sliding spreader bar just because my long term goal is the surf. As far as duration I am out 4 to 7 days a week in the challenging winds of alameda. It is my first solid year and I have achieved way more then I expected this year. I am actually considering a sup for the off season it just looks so boring! However if it builds up my core then it would be worth it. And as far as wakeboarding after successfully learning to kite I want to sell my boat. Kiteboarding is way more fun and a lot cheaper in the fuel costs.
So I am gonna go look at the dakine fusion seat harness and the mystic any other suggestions? How stiff is the dakine pyro? And how good is it for back support? I am going to use Rey's suggestion long session = seat harness short session waist harness.

[Kyle]

Since my rib injury I switched to a half seat harness/half waist harness setup as well. My seat harness is the new ION B2, a boardshort-style with integrated seat. The details are impressive (includes knife, quality fixtures for the straps, the shorts have subtle design details), and it's super comfortable. I do not have a sliding spreader on it and as a result cannot ride toeside. I find that it does lengthen my sessions dramatically mainly because it takes a lot of load out of your abs. I don't necessarily have weak abs, but I notice that powered sessions full of boosts wear my core out faster than my legs. So I use the ION B2 when kiting the bay (3rd, Sherman). I would like to try a sliding spreader bar when they're available.

At the coast I use the Underwave Imperial harness. I actually went down a size, from a medium to small and find that it helps to keep it low on my torso. The back support area is smaller though. I don't have a sliding spreader bar on this setup either but it has just enough rotation for me without riding up. I use it pretty much exclusively in the waves, but may go back to the Bay with it soon when I'm more confident in the healed state of my ribs.

[victor]

waist harnesses hurt my back too.

dakine nitrous shorts or the ion b2 are the way to go. very comfortable and, most importantly, looks cool.

[Xor]

I'm riding Liquid Force Boardshort harness myself (2009 model) and like it for general kiting, but for jumps I'm thinking of getting custom molded waist harness, everyone who got em love em.
Check out https://ride-engine.com/

[biba]

<tl><dr>
I think it's worth clarifying what "sore back" means as other poster said. If that means you have pain walking (extreme case) or pain bending forward to wash your face... that's back pain.

All else, you can be sore from jumps or a nicely overpowered sess. You will feel a serious freestyle session in which you've been hanging that 200lbs off the harness... I'm 200lbs too but 6'3", I still feel sore in general the next day.. not necessarily back pain but legs, abs, back ribs, forward lower ribs .. I like my waist harness tight though ( 2014 ION Hummer, NOT rated for back support but for flex - which is my intended use).

I did have a 2014 ION Apex Select for few weeks, brand new, and I could not ride it, too stiff for me but indeed, the back support, awesome.

I also did learn on a Dakine Fusion Seat... I was never sore in it lol... but again, I wasn't pulling any jumps or riding OP'd either.

Worth noting your riding position too, a correct stance should channel power through your heels while keeping a 90 degrees to your lines from your waist. If you bend forward just a bit you will give your core/back a hell of a pressure from the kite pulling + riding in strong winds, when you should feel your quads burning before anything else burns :D

There's no one magic monkey-wrench harness. If you have a history of back pain, then ... back pain it is :D... go to a local shop and ask the peeps there. They're very knowledgeable and can recommend you one for your style/condition etc.

PS: You should not need to land your kite to pull the harness down after 1 hr of riding. Simply keep the kite at 12 and lay flat in the water on your back... you should be able to slide the harness down w/o opening it. :D

Cheers!

[behindThePeak]

I am actually considering a sup for the off season it just looks so boring!

It is.

However if it builds up my core then it would be worth it.

It won't.