Dakine T-9 Classic Slider Windsurf 2020 harness
I have been testing one of the Dakine T-9 Classic Slider Windsurf 2020 harnesses since last June – I have used many of the Dakine T series harnesses from the Thermoform all the way up the Dakine T6, T7 and the T8 sliding bar harness.
For me I like the feel of the sliding bar just having that slight movement in the bar strap allows a very simple adjustment of your body position and instantly relieves the tension off your back. I know a lot people like the fixed bar position of other Dakine models and Ion harnesses that we sell.
The New Dakine T-9 is shorter in the back than the T-8 and seems to fit better around the waist; it has a slightly longer waist strap, you have the harder plastic centre back panel of the harness which creates a more supportive structure to the harness, but the inner memory foam softer edges still have enough flex where you need it. The T-9 overall feels less bulky, gives a more comfortable feel around the side of your ribs and is lighter.
One of the things I have always liked about Dakine is their commitment to building harnesses and keeping the material quality high – you can buy replacement straps and hooks so this extends the life of the product. I have personally been using Dakine since it started here is a pic of me in Canyos De Mecca -Tarifa in 1987 using a DK waist harness .
The body fit of the Dakine T-9 is good – I suppose riding up is the problem that all waist harnesses suffer from – but making sure your boom is not too high and having the correct length lines (longer the better ) – I use 30′ Dakine Fixed lines and my boom is set middle of the cut out on the Ezzy 3 or 4 position on the luff sleeve . The other way of dealing with riding up and preventing your harness from feeling restrictive and rising up, is wearing it loose around your hips.
A lot of riders wear their harness loose and its definitely worth trying – when I was in Tarifa in 2019 with the Goya team – Levi Silver explained why you should wear your harness around your waist loose- check out the video below.
We have Dakine 2020 gear arriving into the warehouse so we can ship and get you ready to get back on the water – check out the product page on the Dakine T-9 Classic Slider Windsurf harness 2020 for sizes and to buy.
Pics: Dave White; James Jagger, Richard Langden (Ocean Images)
