Ozone Connect V3 Waist Sliding Harness Review

Ozone Connect V3 Waist Sliding Harness Review

Ozone have been making harnesses for many years. That being said, they have never really made conventional kitesurfing harnesses. Originally it was just a dedicated snowkite harness - to this day, they are the only brand making dedicated snowkite harnesses and they are essential if you are snowkiting.

In terms of kitesurf harnesses, they have had a basic waist harness for a few years - hence we are on the third version of them now. It has always been a simple, low profile, lightweight travel harness. Whilst the trend for hardshell harnesses grew, this is the exact opposite of that. For those of us who pretty much only kite foil or ride waves, they have been great. The flexibility and low profile stops them from getting in the way. The ability to fold them flat makes them travel easily too.

If you are into freestyle or big air, these harnesses lack the support you probably want. They are not what you are looking for.

New for 2023, Ozone have released the Connect V3 Waist Sliding Harness. This is basically the same as their normal Connect V3 Waist harness, but instead of the standard spreader bar with a hook, it features a rope with a slider on it. These have been around for years via custom spreader bars or optional extras etc from various brands.

For the last couple of months we have been riding the new sliding harness and so far so good. A major pro for this type of harness is how lightweight they are - under a kilo. There are some nice features on there. The low friction ceramic ring works really well with Ozone's click in loop which is super quick and easy to re-engage. It seems like the ceramic ring will really reduce wear on the ropes which always used to be an issue.

You have to release the safety every time you attach the chickenloop to the harness and likewise to un-attach. We feel this is pretty good in terms of keeping on top of your safety and knowing it is working properly. It also means there is no chance of becoming unhooked by mistake, which sometimes happens when you have very slack lines etc.  Another nice safety feature is the positioning of the safety hook knife right in the middle of the spreader bar, where it is easily accessible. 

Finally the fit - always important with a harness. Ozone do a tonne of sizes which have quite a lot of adjustment, so it is pretty simple to get a decent fit. 

If you are looking for a lightweight sliding rope harness for waveriding and foiling, I think this is as good as it gets. The new colours are sleek and subtle too. 

Find out more on the Connect V3 Waist Sliding Harness

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