im new to this game, just having finish my first season and keen as mustard to get back in there this summer. i have one of those lower back style harness and found a lot of the time it rides up to my mid back and felt like it wasnt that good a thing for my lower back. what are seat harnesses like? any pros or cons?
Cheers
Pros of a seat harness:
It doesn't ride up
It has a low hook
Lowers your centre of gravity
Relieves pressure on your back
All of your body weight can counter the sail
Cons of a seat harness:
It has a low hook
You look like a dill wearing one
Feel free to ad to my list. Not sure about a waist harness as I've only used seats and waist harnesses. This post would be better off going in the general forum.
I have an old DaKine surf seat. You can have the hook at belly button height but still stop it from riding up. The seat harness suits flat water blasting/speed as you can sit down in the harness and hold a bigger sail down. More modern harnesses have a more contoured fit but one with a good waist belt is a must in my mind. For wave / freestyle waist harnesses allow a more upright stance and are easier to unhook for maneuvers. Make sure you have the right length lines for your harness type and boom height. Ask someone at the beach to have a look for you.
thanks for the tips guys, i reckon relieving lower back pressure far outweighs the feeligs of looking dillish.
Mobydisc - how do add to your list?
I use and love my seat harness, have not used waist since they first came in the 80s.
I use and love my waist harness, have only used a seat once or twice to see what it was like.
They're much of a muchness I think, the most important part of buying a harness is to get one that fits. Try on every different model that you can in the shop, hang off the practice loop, twist around and try to get the harness to ride up (for a waist) and try to make the straps crush your man-package (for a seat). Buy the one that is the most comfortable in all aspects of movement.
Also don't be afraid to try the kiting harnesses, I use a kiting harness because it was the one that fit me best in the shop. My personal opinion is that kiting harnesses are built stronger because kiters use the harness more, but others might not share that opinion 
If you do get a kiting harness make sure that you don't get a 'hammerhead' hook, this makes it hard to unhook when you're gasping for breath and twisted up underneath the sail after a hard catapult 
