A lot of people are asking me what harness to get..... what is the difference between a waist and seat harness, why do they make so many options??? I was taught that options are good, this means you have a choice... so what to choose? Here are a few things to consider-

Girls can find the right waist harness that works for their body

The advantages to the seat harness in my opinion are few. The big boys can make the best use of them as they are heavy and can hold down the pull from the sail. I have seen women that like them because they don't "RIDE UP" like the waist harness can do, most of the time this is because the waist harness they are using may not be the right size or style for their body type. It takes some trial and error when choosing a harness, especially with the girls and much respect to them for getting this right!

The lightweights are going to get picked up in the gusts and not be able to handle keeping the rig steady!

You really need to sit in the Seat Harness and stay LOW to keep from coming unglued when a gust hits you. If you can accomplish this task, you will be able to sail faster. For flat water and steady winds, you will have a much easier time than choppy, bumpy, gusty conditions. When the going gets nasty, the waist harness is a no brainer, even for the big boys!

Even the big racer boys use waist harnesses now!

Waist harness advantages are many- the first is that you look WAY cooler!

You don’t have to walk like a duck on the beach and you get more forgiveness using this style of harness!

Your friends will stop making fun of your diaper and you can finally graduate to cool guy or girl status! When you get hit with big gusts, the harness moves up rather than picking you up and throwing you over the bars! Next is that the hook sits up about 3 or 4 inches higher than a seat harness. What does this do??? Let's think about that for a quick second- and if you know me you will know my preaching about long harness lines.... and yes, the higher hook translates into a longer harness line length. This enables you to bend those knees, use your body weight and get nice and low while generating Mast Foot Pressure without even thinking about it.

Bottom line- If you are used to a seat harness and have used them all your life and don't care about walking like a duck in a diaper, keep on your program. If you sail in gusty and bumpy conditions, the waist is a no brainer! Here are some recommendations for the best options for both.... and YES, we are a little biased to Da Kine products.... note the top featured image of this post back to the early days of us brothers dating back to..... Can you guess the year????? If you are in need and want to BUY, we have some discount specials now on the T6 models-  

The new T-7's are going to be available soon! Watch our Pro Shop for some special deals to get you into one!

Perfect for those that want a compromise of waist and seat, the Da Kine XT Seat offers the best of both worlds.

And for you beautiful ladies out there, check out the Wahine from Da Kine-

Just say NO to Diapers!