Is there a difference between a climbing harness and a kite harness?

In short,yes. The padding is a bit different and you have the integrated spreader bar http://www.chicagokitesurfing.com/Accessories/kitesafety_spr... Take it from some one who made a spreader bar to attach to a 5 pt. safety harness, its worth it to buy one. Try to find a used one you can try on.

I used a tree surgeons harness quite successfully for a year or so. A rock climbing harness would also be ok. The biggest difference will be in build quality - climbing harness will withstand a lot more pressure than your pelvis can take - probably somewhere around the 2000kg mark. They are designed to be fallen and hung in....or is that hanged in....? The Ozone harness is similar in design but a much lighter build - providing I adjust it right, I can kite for several hours in it comfortabley. I've also got a Dakine Speed Seat - the harness is very comfortable, but I do need to get a padded back for the spreader bar - it can dig in quite painfully. There is also a spreader bar on the Ozone that is well padded and it's no problem.

Thanks for the info. Hopefully, I find somewhere to try one on before I buy.

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Originally posted by Minshall Thanks for the info. Hopefully, I find somewhere to try one on before I buy.

That is key and its also important to try it under load and not just try it on for size. You want to hook a rope to the spreader bar and then to something above your head so you can lean back against it and feel how the bar feels when the harness is loaded. It will feel different. If you are a skinny guy with a narrow build I'd go for a seat harness (which is what I do) because if you don't the harness will likely ride up and crush your ribs - or atleast that was my experience which is why I use a seat harness.

I,ve used rock harnesses from day one , my son likes his seat type kite harness. There are 2 different styles or rock harnesses, check the Ozone one and others like it against the more common dedicated rock harnesses.
Be sure you are looking at rock harness's that have the loop horizontal on the wide top belt not the more common harness that has a vertical loop connecting the belt to the leg straps supports. This is important because it positions your caribener better to hook into the chicken loop.

^^The above is incorrect in my opinion. The Vertical loop is called a belay loop, I always hook into that. It is designed specifically for a carabiner to be clipped to it. One problem, however, if you have short arms or your kite has a long range of depower, is that you may not be able to reach the bar very comfortably.

You can offset this by hooking the chicken loop directly into the belay loop. Or as was said above you can clip the carabiner into your hardpoints (the two horizontal loops, one attached to your waist, one to your legs).

The problem with attaching to the hardpoints is that they are designed for tying the rope in, not the carabiner. You'll be fine with the small loads present in kiting compared to rock climbing falls. If you attach to the hardpoints, you need to check your carabiner and how you orientate it. The load should be distributed the long way, as that is where the Biner is the strongest. You should be allright the otherway but check the rating on the side of the carabiner. Shoot for at least 6KN, hopefully 8+