My Comments: I've had two sessions on my B2 shorts harness now. Conclusion is they are the best shorts harness by a long shot. They literally feel like a waist harness, just further down.

There is no uncomfortable pull from the groin straps, which I attribute to the straps going up through separate loops in the bar.

All I can say is I tried the Dakine for 3 years, tried the LF for 2 years and these are awesome close fitting and comfortable. The best load support structure by far.

Highly recommended for anyone that gets back pain/cramps from waist harnesses

Mal

+1

If you're considering boardie shorts harness/ seat harness type thing, try source some of the B2's before settling for the (what I would personally say), inferior Dakines....

Who sells them?

Try Briskites, I think Jas has just ordered some more. He had one large size in stock a week ago.

Yep, and those size L are now mine. Have to ring and see when the next shipment is.

Will the Dynabar fit on these shorts?

I use the Dakine Nitrous at the moment with it but would be good to try something else. Had Nitrous for 6 years.

Not knocking anyone here but...
Recommending one harness over another on the basis that it feels better for you is not really advise at all. It simply means that it suits your body shape better.
Waist, seat or shorts ? - brand A, B or C ? It is all about what feels best for you.
I was put off shorts because; for me; the B2's I tried grabbed my groin way more than any other seat I have ever used. The Nitrous has converted me. Suits me perfectly.
There are advantages & disadvantages to discuss to help ppl decide on waist, seat or shorts.
There are quality, durability and feature issues you can discuss re brands.
BUT what suits is simply a matter bw you & your harness. Decide which type you want then try them all. The best one is the one that fits you best.

@ rgeo. Yes the Dynabar works fine with shorts.

Select to expand quote

puppetonastring said...

Not knocking anyone here but...
Recommending one harness over another on the basis that it feels better for you is not really advise at all. It simply means that it suits your body shape better.
Waist, seat or shorts ? - brand A, B or C ? It is all about what feels best for you.
I was put off shorts because; for me; the B2's I tried grabbed my groin way more than any other seat I have ever used. The Nitrous has converted me. Suits me perfectly.
There are advantages & disadvantages to discuss to help ppl decide on waist, seat or shorts.
There are quality, durability and feature issues you can discuss re brands.
BUT what suits is simply a matter bw you & your harness. Decide which type you want then try them all. The best one is the one that fits you best.


@ rgeo. Yes the Dynabar works fine with shorts.

Conversely, adding personal negative feedback on the product specified in the post when one's own store would only appear to stock the Dakine version also seems anything but impartial...?

(for my part, I've never used the Dakine's and I'm sure they are great. My comments were purely related to durability of which I've seen enough evidence of other peoples to come to the conclusion that they aren't as hard-wearing as the ION equivalent )

Puppet,

Also, as stated the Dakine's did not last 1 season before falling apart at the stitching. I had three separate pairs, and just got sick of going back.

The B2's appear to have a superior and higher quality stitching.

Also, if they fit my body size and feel better than either of the other 2 brands, it's perfectly reasonable that the chances of doing so on other people is also good.

So sorry, but it is perfectly reasonable to recommend these shorts based on my experience both in quality and comfort, and structural support design.

Oh , and note the Dynabar will not work on these shorts, despite Puppets opinion. If you actually try them, you would notice 2 very specific and large rings that run the groin straps through the bar. You could probably bypass those rings, but the whole direction of the strap hold down point would be wrong. Also, the bar with the shorts has a specific hook and clip (as opposed to the standadish loop that fits a strap), so if you tried to fit the dynabar you'd have two loops to try tie together! So sorry rgeo, in my opinion the dynabar will not fit these shorts.
Puppet, are you sure you tried these?????? Because there is no way without major surgery that a dynabar will fit.

Thanks Malfi for the info.

I had a feeling it didn't look like it could work when i checked the photos. The B2 shorts look great but I do love my dynabar. Hopefully someone will come up with a way to make the two compatible.

You guys are certainly not pulling punchs here - but you are directing them the wrong way.
If you read my post without any preconceptions you will note that I am not knocking any brand or any style or in fact anything.
What I am saying (very clearly I thought) was simply that one person recommending any brand or style of harness based on comfort and fit is NOT necessarily a valid recommendation for someone else.
What I was pointing out is that everyone should try ALL brands and styles for themselves (no mention of just the ones I might sell) because when it comes to how well they suit you the comment

Select to expand quote

malfi66 said...
if they fit my body size and feel better than either of the other 2 brands, it's perfectly reasonable that the chances of doing so on other people is also good.

is simply not reasonable. That would be the equivalent of lady finding a D cup worthy of recommendation to all others regardless of their shape.

What I was saying is - by all means comment on and discuss here the quality, durabilty, form, shape, design etc etc. All of that is valid and valuable opinion to pass around for others to consider.
BUT comfort and suitability to your own body shape - definitely NOT.

And I wasnt knocking the Ion shorts - just making a point that where you found them comfortable I didnt. Same Same
And im sorry if I got it wrong about the Dyna-bar not working with them. No-one has ever bought a pair in to the shop for me to check out but I have seen lots of harnesses and the so far the Dyna-bar has fitted them all. However: it is "perfectly reasonable" that the chances of this being true for every brand is unlikely.

No angst guys - all good.

Select to expand quote

puppetonastring said...

You guys are certainly not pulling punchs here - but you are directing them the wrong way.
If you read my post without any preconceptions you will note that I am not knocking any brand or any style or in fact anything.
What I am saying (very clearly I thought) was simply that one person recommending any brand or style of harness based on comfort and fit is NOT necessarily a valid recommendation for someone else.
What I was pointing out is that everyone should try ALL brands and styles for themselves (no mention of just the ones I might sell) because when it comes to how well they suit you the comment

malfi66 said...
if they fit my body size and feel better than either of the other 2 brands, it's perfectly reasonable that the chances of doing so on other people is also good.

is simply not reasonable. That would be the equivalent of lady finding a D cup worthy of recommendation to all others regardless of their shape.

What I was saying is - by all means comment on and discuss here the quality, durabilty, form, shape, design etc etc. All of that is valid and valuable opinion to pass around for others to consider.
BUT comfort and suitability to your own body shape - definitely NOT.

And I wasnt knocking the Ion shorts - just making a point that where you found them comfortable I didnt. Same Same
And im sorry if I got it wrong about the Dyna-bar not working with them. No-one has ever bought a pair in to the shop for me to check out but I have seen lots of harnesses and the so far the Dyna-bar has fitted them all. However: it is "perfectly reasonable" that the chances of this being true for every brand is unlikely.

No angst guys - all good.

I'm actually with Puppet on this. Harnesses are completely subjective and are largely dependent on things like body shape, kiting style etc. I had the Dakine but preferred the Liquid Force for comfort, I have mates who swear by the Dakine, the Ion and the LF's, and a number of them have tried a couple of models so its not just having tested one.

All good fellas, but if I have tried the 3 different shorts harnesses over a long period of time, again it is perfectly reasonable to recommend them based on my experience.

What you guys don't get is that comfort for someone with back issues is absolutely paramount. No comfort, no kiting. Hence the RECOMMENDATION that Puppet seemed to take be against.

Select to expand quote

malfi66 said...

All good fellas, but if I have tried the 3 different shorts harnesses over a long period of time, again it is perfectly reasonable to recommend them based on my experience.

What you guys don't get is that comfort for someone with back issues is absolutely paramount. No comfort, no kiting. Hence the RECOMMENDATION that Puppet seemed to take be against.

And you're missing puppets point. Body shape has a lot to do with which harness suits you as an individual, back problem or not. I.e. a fat guy and a thin guy could find different harnesses more comfortable.

Not missing it at all. I still recommend the Ion B2 shorts harness. Best ones out of the 3 I've used.

Hi Brycol
Couldn't quickly figure out how to attach photos in a PM, so here are some photos.
I don't know if these are any different ot the 2011 model.






Actually thanks for that. I just picked up from the first photo that I hae a strap fed slightly wrong through the keeper!

Mal

Do they give you a better abs workout? The only reason I'd look at these is because I find waist harnesses ride up a fair bit and that normal seat harnesses look gayer than Elton John.

That said, a waist harness in the right spot gives you good back support that these wouldn't. What are your experiences with that side of it?

Looks like that bar is removable so some sort of dynabar lookalike would surely be possible.

Select to expand quote

thestig said...

Do they give you a better abs workout? The only reason I'd look at these is because I find waist harnesses ride up a fair bit and that normal seat harnesses look gayer than Elton John.

That said, a waist harness in the right spot gives you good back support that these wouldn't. What are your experiences with that side of it?

Looks like that bar is removable so some sort of dynabar lookalike would surely be possible.

There are pros and cons with shorts harnesses:

On the up, they are more comfortable and don't ride up.
On the down side they sit very low (lower than a waist) so if you're unhooking its harder to unhook and hook back in. The other thing thats pretty noticeable is the pull location. I.e. where the lift and pull comes from. With a shorts harness, you can feel it clearly coming from lower than with a waist. The reason a lot of people ask for the dynobar (I suspect) is you don't have the same mobility in the shorts.

Couldn't tell you on the workout front. If I haven't ridden for a month or two and I go out for a ride, my stomach muscles are sore the next day whether its with a waist or shorts so I guess thats pretty similar. Its difficult to gauge which is more sore.

If you still want a waist but don't want a harness to ride up, try the north transformer. Its a waist harness with leg straps. Because the legs straps are purely there to hold it down and the pull comes from the waist, it doesn't look like a nappy as the usual seat harness does. Ocean Rodeo make something similar.

Thanks for the pics Mal much appreciated, as I said they don't show the front anywhere on the net.

There are a couple of changes from the 2011 model. The side straps look easier to work as they have been seperated into top and bottom, whereas the 11's have 1 strap that goes through the the whole lot and makes it a bit more difficult to adjust. There are 2 points for the hold down straps to exit the shorts, whereas the 11's have one, have you tried both the settings and if so what was the difference.

My 2 cents on the shorts are they're fantastic. I'm more of an ocean cruiser than tricks. I haven't tried other shorts as yet, but picked these ones on reviews on the net from around the world and could not find a bad word about them. I support Mal's comments they a very comfortable and the build quality is excellent.

B[}:)]

Select to expand quote

Saffer said...


If you still want a waist but don't want a harness to ride up, try the north transformer. Its a waist harness with leg straps. Because the legs straps are purely there to hold it down and the pull comes from the waist, it doesn't look like a nappy as the usual seat harness does. Ocean Rodeo make something similar.

So do you put those leg straps under your boardies?

Select to expand quote

thestig said...

Saffer said...


If you still want a waist but don't want a harness to ride up, try the north transformer. Its a waist harness with leg straps. Because the legs straps are purely there to hold it down and the pull comes from the waist, it doesn't look like a nappy as the usual seat harness does. Ocean Rodeo make something similar.

So do you put those leg straps under your boardies?

I haven't actually tried it with the North to be honest but you might be able to. I've never been too phased over what looks cool (I'm married - lead us not into temptation ) and what doesn't so I've been bothered to try, I'm more about getting out on the water quickly.

I know the Ocean Rodeo Session harness (same concept as the transformer, different brand) can get shorts that are designed to go with the harness so people can't see the leg straps. I guess the advantage with this option (over the shorts harness) is that you can replace the entire pair of shorts without replacing the harness, so if it gets ripped, its not the end of your harness.

No probs B

thestig, I put the straps on over my 2mm paddle shorts.

Saffer is spot on with his description of the shorts vs waisty with pros and cons.

I did try the lower position of the groin straps coming through the shorts. There is even less stress on the groin straps then, and obviously the bar rides a little lower. I'll prob keep the upper setting, as it's closer to what I'm used to.

My style is hooked in, with lots of tricks and turns so I don't know about any disadvantage with unhooked riding.

I'm married over 20 years, but I won't wear the seat harnesses. It just aint right!!(looking)

We have about 5 of these left in stock so check out the website if you are in need of them.

I'll be putting a 2011 pair of ION B2's and 2011 ION Apex on the Buy n Sell forum tomorrow....

(both large)