I'm looking at switching to a seat harness after 4 years of using a waist harness. Top selection criteria is back support and comfort. Any recommendations?
Upgraded my 10 year old pryde harness for there latest offering , great improvement on the old one. I had to order it and it took two months to turn up and like all pryde stuff a bit pricey. i have used waist harnesses but for me they just don't feel as comfortable . Very happy with the pryde harness
I just got a unifiber race seat very happy with it don't know you've even got it on, really good low hook, repaced my dakine race that had for years should have upgraded earlier. got it from gareth at the strath windsurf shop, great price too 150.
Ion make a great seat harness called the Pace. Super comfy, low hook height and noy bulky or heavy.
Select to expand quotemonaro said...
Dakine xt seat has good reviews and exellent back support .
Nice and comfy
+1 been using for about 4 years has great back support
Try heaps of different ones on as each person is different and what feels good to one may not suit you. I have a Naish kiting seat with a windsurfing prolimit hook- took me a long time to find one comfortable but there isn't as much choice for females and many of the higher back ones stick into our back as we have more of a curve in our back..
( not a bigger backside..
)
Has any one tried the dakine fusion on a windsurfer? Has a higher back support than the xt?
Select to expand quoteka43 said..
Ion make a great seat harness called the Pace. Super comfy, low hook height and noy bulky or heavy.
Can't say I loved this harness, may have been my style but it really didn't give me the support I was looking for. Also, after just 12 months it was falling apart and breaking... 
Is back support really a thing? I have a Dakine with an enormous back support projection, but in sailing position it sits well clear of my back and supports nothing. I don't think I have a particularly hunched over sailing position.
TBH, I find it hard to visualize a design that does any better (and still lets you walk in it). Have a look at Haggars avatar, or Ka43's - any harness that supports the back in those positions would not let you stand upright. What am I missing?
After I hurt my back I was advised to avoid a set harness that "supported" the back. That seemed counter intuitive to me at the time, but keeping pressure on the butt does seem to help my back.
So if I want to look after my back I need to get one with minimal back support?
Now confused!
I had a DaKine Fusion and hated it. Dedicated seat harness windsurfer with a bad back. I currently use a Dakine Surf Seat very minimalstic and old but they work good for me. I also have a Prolimit Rambler which has more padding and is more comfortable problem is it fell apart after a season of use barely hanging on now.
Select to expand quoteWateratPat said..
I had a DaKine Fusion and hated it. Dedicated seat harness windsurfer with a bad back. I currently use a Dakine Surf Seat very minimalstic and old but they work good for me. I also have a Prolimit Rambler which has more padding and is more comfortable problem is it fell apart after a season of use barely hanging on now.
Dakine Surf Seat, best harness ever made, to bad they don't make them anymore, which I don't understand.
It was the only seat harness with a high hook, now I'm on a Dakine NRG to maintain my desired hook height, it's a piece of crap in comparison.
Find a shop that has harness lines set up so you can hook in and get the feel of the harness in simulated conditions. The pryde harness I chose was an x wind.
I went from a seat to a waist then back to a seat about 7 years ago. I was having back problems with a waist harness.
For me it was about getting a medium hook position as I both wave sail and slalom sail. I found race seats too low and some seats with a lot of back support e.g the Dakine XT not right either.
I have a Dakine Reflex at the moment which is about right for me. I've use the Prolimit Rambler, which has a slightly higher hook position than the Reflex, for the last 7 years, however they do tend to fall to bits easily, I'm not sure what the new Ramblers are like or availability of them.
Select to expand quotejmetcher said..
Is back support really a thing? I have a Dakine with an enormous back support projection, but in sailing position it sits well clear of my back and supports nothing. I don't think I have a particularly hunched over sailing position.
TBH, I find it hard to visualize a design that does any better (and still lets you walk in it). Have a look at Haggars avatar, or Ka43's - any harness that supports the back in those positions would not let you stand upright. What am I missing?
I've got the XT seat harness and with the right adjustments the back support does work, just need to set it up for your body shape.
Select to expand quotemonaro said..
Dakine xt seat has good reviews and exellent back support .
Nice and comfy
Have had 3 Dakine XT seats - great to wear but wear too easily i.e. quality not the best as all mine have quickly deteriorated with stitching coming loose, straps / webbing tearing around leg straps. Won't mention how many bars I've been through in my time!
Select to expand quote...this seat harness, a early McPryde, is popular in Scotland but gives little support other than to the Scottish Nationalists view that they should be independent of the rest of the world!
Angus is indicating the correct distance between his harness lines.
.. 
sausage said..
sausage said:
Won't mention how many bars I've been through in my time!
......there are avenues for help.
anyone tried the original fred haywood speed seat that was the best harnes. it woldnt meet oh&s now
Have a look at the Pro Limit Race seat! Have had one for 3 seasons and it's the best seatharness I've had. Unlike previous harnesses I had this one has a very stiff shape. It gives excellent back support. The hook is a bit on the low side but gives the harness a very direct feel of what's happening with your rig. Also the spreaderbar release system on the Pro Limits is pretty much bombproof. I've seen Dakine's, Ion's and Mystics been torn apart on the release system. Pro Limits don't tear or release, the hook just bends. Simply buy a new hook instead of buying a new harness
Also had a Rambler and always rated that as a good one. However it did wear quickly and lost it's shape after 2 seasons. But the new Ramblers do have that covered. They have the same quality as the Race I have.
So if your more a freeride/freerace surfer get a Rambler. But if your looking for a seatharness that will give you that slalom/speed feeling get a Race!
Select to expand quoteains said..
anyone tried the original fred haywood speed seat that was the best harnes. it woldnt meet oh&s now
Yeah, I tried it! Showing my age now! 
It took for ever to get into and then I nearly drowned when I got tangled up in it. 
Seat harnesses have progress a LOT since then!
I went to one shop with a clear intention to buy a particular model based on someone's advice, and reviews.
It all made perfect sense. Tried it on, and didn't like it one bit. Ended up buying a different model from the same shop.
I suggest to visit 1-2 shops and try them on.
The shops usually have a rope for you to hook into to get the feel.
Bought the Gaastra Race seat since I needed a new one and have been using it about 8-9 times. The neoprene pad in the small of the back is really soft and comfortable. Same material on the top edges so no digging in to your ribs. Very happy great harness. Bar has a really simple quick release that will not jam up with sand like some I have had. All black is nice as it blends in with the wetsuit and doesn't look so much like a diaper. Its a keeper.
I had a Pryde seat harness back in the day. Would be about 20 years old now but it was great, a real low, close hook. Minimal but adequate padding. Real fast harness having the hook in that position. Great speed and slalom harness, only thing is crappy plastic buckle snapped during a catapult.
Newer pryde seat harnesses Ive owned just dont have that fast low secure feeling.
I also owned the harness Fred Haywood used in the Fast Forward videos but that hook position was higher than the Pryde one I mentioned.
