Test 2018: 28 hip trapezes in comparison
It's quite a burden with this carbon. As soon as it's in somewhere, the price goes up. Now the manufacturers have also discovered our harnesses as a profitable carbon investment. Is it all profit-driven? To clarify this, you have to look at the issue from the other side: Almost all products that are tuned with carbon also become better as a result. Even our harnesses? We think so: In many cases, yes. Which is not to say that all carbon-free harnesses are now lagging behind. But with a stiff shell, completely contradictory requirements can obviously be combined well: Freedom of movement, good power distribution and comfort.
Not soft, but softly upholstered
A rigid shell deforms less, constricts less at the sides and absorbs force evenly over the entire surface. Hard shells can also be optimally moulded to contour. Two arguments in favour of making the harness slightly smaller, which benefits freedom of movement. In addition, the inner padding of a shell can be designed in such a way that the harness is only slightly tight without load - and thus appears relatively small - the inner lining then moulds itself to the body under tension - but without deforming the outer shell. However, the shell should also fit perfectly. Rather soft harnesses can also be moulded by stretching, but if a shell is too pre-bent for your own back, it will never fit properly. A stable harness does not necessarily have to be laminated from carbon, other measures can also be successful, as the test proves.
You can find the entire article with the test results of the 28 hip harnesses for women and men as a PDF in the download area below:
Hip trapeze for ladies:
- Dakine Wahine
- ION Jade
- Mystic Dutchess
- Mystic Gem Jalou Langeree
- NP Raven
- Prolimit
Hip harnesses for men:
- Dakine T-8
- Dakine T-8 Classic Slider
- GA-Sails G5 Pro
- Gunsails Cruz
- Gunsails Trion
- ION CS Gollito
- ION Radium Select
- ION Radius
- MFC Wave Harness II
- Mystic Legend Robby Swift
- Naish Boss
- NP 3D
- NP Bomb
- Prolimit Argon
- Prolimit Hybrid
- Prolimit Type-T Barloc
- Prolimit Type-TP
- Prolimit Teamwave
- Ride Engine Hex Core
- Severne FLX
- Severne Lux
- Unifibre Thermoform SC
All hip belts have
We have refrained from evaluating the equipment in this test, as the "basics" are present throughout. All harnesses have functional waist straps for fastening, and the small key pockets become less important with the - non-waterproof - electronic car keys. Windsurfers don't need hidden line knives on some combi harnesses either - although...
An UP and DOWN
The ropes on the boom already swing enough, so at least the harness hook should be well secured. Double straps on the sides are a good measure and the massive plates on the front of the kiters have also mixed in with the windsurfing crowd. However, the kiters also have more problems with vertical pull upwards than we do. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether the extra-wide boards are necessary alongside the moderate variants or whether they are more of a nuisance. In any case, harness hooks can be sufficiently stabilised even without such plates, as some harnesses in the test prove. The new "Barloc" solution from ProLimit, which stabilises the hook perfectly without a plate, is particularly clever. A simple hook attached with just a strap, on the other hand, dangles noticeably depending on how much strap is still free at the sides.
3D - Cut to loin or straight
Quite a few manufacturers advertise with "3D", which always refers to the three-dimensional curvature in the back area. And this is where the trapeze cuts differ significantly: the range extends from trapezoids with a straight cut, where there is clear support at the upper and lower edges, but little support in the centre, to very strongly curved models, which also fill and support the lumbar spine in particular. The type of support you prefer is also a matter of taste and depends on your own spinal geometry - the test certainly gives you an idea of the direction in which a trapeze is orientated.
The overrated shutter?
"I can't sell a harness without a quick-release fastener," a shop assistant told us. That's why we attached great importance to inspecting the fasteners - even though we are convinced that ten seconds more or less to tighten the straps won't make the difference between a good or bad day of surfing.
