Kite Buggy Equipment

[Buckobill]

I am a newbie so first off Hello,

I am new to the buggy world and I am trying to get everything I need - helmet, arm and leg pads But the thing I am most wondering about is the harness. I have seen some people just use the handles or bar by itself. It seems tthat your arms would get quit tired. Also have seen others use a waist harness that has a spreader bar with a pully on it which takes the pressure off the arms.

Can someone tell me which is the best way to go and possibly what kind to buy, Thanks any help will do

[windofchange]

Purchasing a Harness is like purchasing a pair of shoes. Everyone has their own taste as to what is comfortable, fits right, and works for them. There are so many different types of harness's out there that it is nearly impossible to say "This one is best". You really need to try them on and use them to see if they are going to work for you.

With the Buggy, your choices will be much less than if you do all the other aspects of kiting such as Kitesurfing and Kite Boarding (ground boarding). With the buggy, you want a harness that will allow you to sit down easily and comfortably. Most large seat harness's such as the Dakine Fusion can be very difficult to sit down into the buggy with. They have so much back support that it makes it difficult to bend at the waist. I would highly recommend a "strap" style seat harness such as the new Peter Lynn seat harness or the Ozone SB or Base harness. Both of these are seat style harnesses but instead of the big bulky support, they use straps that go around your legs to hold the harness in place.

You can also use a waist harness, but what most people find is that the waist harnesses end up riding up on you while in the buggy and it can be very uncomfortable. Again, everyone has their own opinion on these so you may find the waist harness is perfect for you....the only way to know is to try it out and see for yourself.

Spreader bars are usually purchased separately so you can get the style of spreader that will work for your gear. The standard style is a hammer head type (metal hook). You can purchase the Peter Lynn spinning roller harnesses, those are exceptionally nice and work best with a strop line (link line connected between the handles). The hammer head style is preferred when using a control bar system with a chicken loop release setup. The roller works best for handles and a strop.

That being said.....

I usually don't recommend beginners hooking into a harness when they are first learning. Things can happen pretty quickly in the buggy and you will want to be able to dump the kite at a moments notice if things go wrong. The harness can actually cause you more problems in that it is harder to hook into, makes control a bit harder and can be difficult to get out of when your first learning. If you are using a depowerable kite system you will need to use the harness to fly. All other style kites can be flown without a harness and that is what I recommend for starters. Once you get use to the power and how to ride, you can then opt to purchase a harness if needed.

Most of our experienced pilots here do not use a harness unless they are going on very long runs or racing. Racing usually involves using a kite that is stronger or slightly overpowered and the harness helps control the extra power. Even then, they will sometimes unhook in the turns or when they need to work the kite harder.

The harness is not a necessity and can be purchased at any time. As you ride and as your skills improve, you may find that you don't need or even want a harness so I wouldn't worry about forking out the cash to get one at this point of your buggying.

Hope that helps.

[John Barresi]

Straight from a hard-core buggier, his shop does a lot of buggy service... Words of wisdom.

Thanks for being here Kent!

[Buckobill]

I appreciate the detailed info, very informative, Thanks.

I will hold off on purchasing a harness at this time for I am still learning on how to stay in the buggy. When it starts to move a little to fast I FREAK and then all hell breaks loose, BUT I will get it. Thank goodness for soft grassy areas.

[Steve Walt Webb]

Kent is right about getting used too the kite in the buggy first. I did the same thing when I started, but I soon realised that my wrist and arms hurt like hell!

So I soon looked around for a harness, and as Kent said, many were designed for kite surfing rather than the buggy. I have moved on to harness # 3 but that's not bad going in 17yrs of buggying!

I wore out my first simple waist harness, the hook being made of a composit material. My second was more a kite surf design but it was a snug fit and was OK in the buggy. This lasted me over 10yrs, but I a couple of years ago I purchased a Libre buggy harness which allows for so much more body movement.

I have used both types of spreader bar, roller and hook. for a 4 line power kite with handles and a strop line, then the roller is less of a struggle, but I found I had to modify the bar, as the strop line would sometimes fall out of the roller when the kiteline pressure dropped.

This is less of a problem with a hook, I found pulling the stropline through the hook a bit of a struggle, though there are ways round this.

As I now fly de-power I use the hook, as this is no longer a problem as the system is different.

In Europe we fly mainly on a harness, be it fun, free-style or racing, as the power is transfered through the body, giving you effortless buggy time and extending your day....which can only be a good thing!

If you can, try out as many harnesses as possible, and when your happy buy it! I couldn't buggy, for as long as I do in a day at my age without one:)

regards, Steve Walt Webb, BBC No 79. UK