Rider: 75kg
Style: Surf (hooked+unhooked)
Weather: 12-30 knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: Gear supplied by Jaystore

In the last few weeks I received the latest Jaystore harness and DYNABAR setup. I’ll share my thoughts of the different products below and also add a few pictures.

JAY XX ABS Harness and FlexTech Carbon Fibre (FTC) Powerband:
This harness is designed for waveriding. The lining is a soft neoprene, so pretty easy on the hips. Fit and finish is of the quality you would expect from a major harness brand, top notch. It has the double elastic belts that Velcro down across the main waist strap, which I have always liked. The harness has a back handle that can be released via a safety (I ride without the handle).

I think the big draw card of the harness is the FTC Powerband. This is a carbon fibre strip, probably about 100mm wide, which is inserted into the back of the harness. This turns the semi rigid into a rigid frame harness. The PB can be installed in any compatible waist harness. The profile of the carbon fibre is ergonomic and super comfy on my back. It has a bit of flex that allows the harness to adapt without restricting your freedom of movement. It doesn’t dig in at all or put pressure on my spine. I haven’t experienced any harness ride-up or chest/waist compression, no matter how gusty it’s been.





DYNABAR XW V8 and FTC Winged Pad:
I have been a massive fan of the DYNABAR for the past few years and this latest edition has a few improvements. The DYNABAR came with a rope slider (+1 spare rope), sliding hook, a couple of steels rings and harness buckles. The XW is a lighter design and can also be used with the FTC Winged Pad as well. The wings mount into the side of the harness and prevent the spreader pad from rotating upwards. It looks like most harnesses that have the double elastic belts will take the Winged Pad. The sliding hook is a better shape from the V7 and I haven’t had any accidental chicken loop slip outs yet. The sliding distance is much larger than

The big benefit over home-made sliding setups is that you can still unhook with the DYNABAR. The hook just stays upright and centered thanks to the elastic, waiting for you to hook back in. The design of the DYNABAR is unique in the way that it doesn’t lock you into one harness setup… If you want you can easily swap to a fixed hook, steel sliders or the dyneema rope option.




So try pop into your local shop and see if you can try the harness on. And you’ve definitely heard it before but I reckon people riding in the surf (and even freeriding) without a sliding rope setup are crazy! Free up your hips and allow them to rotate.