Harness
POD & lightweight harnesses
Harness reviews.
Ozone F-Race 2 (M) — A POD Harness With Stability You Adjust in Flight
It suits pilots who want a stable harness without giving up roll feedback. Sit in it before you choose a size.
NEARBIRDS Zippy 3 — A Lighter Airy Vibe for XC and Hike-and-Fly
A good place to start for a pilot moving to a light harness who never quite trusted minimalist ultralight ones. On rough days, start with the ABS tightened for less roll.
FLOW Vissta XC (M) — A Comfortable XC/Comp Harness That Folds
Among conventional harnesses, Submarine types aside, it is worth a test flight for XC pilots who want an aerodynamic shape and competition features with Impress 4-level comfort. Coming from an Impress 4, you keep similar comfort and a harness that folds into a large bag, and gain a little weight shift. In return, the big rear fairing makes windy launches more awkward, and getting cleanly into the pod depends on setting up the shoelace strap and chest strap connections beforehand.
NEO Suspender 2.0 — An XC Harness That Feels Rigid Without a Seat-Board
For a pilot moving from a simple seated harness to a first POD harness, this one belongs on the shortlist. Fit varies with body shape, though, and the L fitting quite well is one pilot's measure: Bassil, at 1.81m and 74kg. Even at a similar build, sit in a demo before choosing.
Advance Lightness 4 (M) — A Light Seat-less Harness That's Comfortable to Sit In
The Lightness 4 buys you sitting comfort, but depending on the harness you fly now, steering by weight shift may feel less direct. Pilots coming from a seat-board harness can try a seat plate under the seat: a small Forza2-type plate, or a 30×30cm one long enough to reach the ballast pocket. Bassil found that this gave him about 50% more reaction and feel.
Niviuk Arrow-P (M) — A Light POD Harness That's Comfortable to Sit In
A pilot coming from a moderately light harness like the standard Arrow gives up no sitting comfort by moving to the Arrow-P. In exchange, it is built with small, precise parts and special carabiners, so if you want it to last, skip acro and take extra care on rough terrain. For the smallest pack, choose the inflatable protector; for a little more comfort in the seat, choose the foam.
GIN Genie Race 5 — A Competition Pod That's Comfortable From the Start
The setup is simple enough that an everyday XC pilot choosing a first inflatable competition harness can put the Genie Race 5 on the list. The cocoon looks to have room for a bigger protector than the 9cm Koroyd GIN fitted, though, so pilots who put a lot of weight on protector thickness should factor that in.
Niviuk Drifter 2 (M) — A Comfortable, Beautifully Finished Competition Pod
The first thing to sort out when moving to the Drifter 2 is your instruments. The shell shades the cockpit, so an E-Ink vario without a backlight is hard to read, while bright screens such as phone apps or an Oudie N show up clearly even in full sun. Beyond that, it suits XC and competition pilots who will accept what the streamlined shape asks of them: a position more reclined than the Arrow L's, a lower compartment you can only reach by opening the pod, and a small back protector.
Ozone Submarine (M) — A Low-Drag Competition Harness
The Submarine asks for a day of setup at the start, a longer preparation before every flight, and careful handling of the envelope. What you get back is a small edge on fast, long glides. For competition pilots fighting for the podium, especially at events where rivals fly similar harnesses, that edge helps keep them in the game. Pilots without those goals have plenty of other harnesses to choose from, from pods to simple seated ones.
Niviuk Arrow M — A POD Harness with Balanced Feedback
If you are around 178cm, sit in both the M and the L before choosing. The ride was assessed with the chest strap fully open at 50cm, so pilots who want a calmer harness can tighten it as much as they like. For pilots who often reach for snacks or a spare battery in flight while wearing thick gloves, the cockpit alone makes it worth sitting in.
SUPAIR Delight 4 Sport (M) — A Seatboard POD Harness More Comfortable Than the Delight 3
The Delight 4 sits at the comfortable, low-roll end of the scale. It suits pilots who want to sit comfortably in strong air or need a harness that travels well; pilots who want to feel more roll through the harness are better off with something like the Gin Genie Light 3 or Advance Lightness 2. A Delight 3 pilot can stay with the same size, but comfort depends on leg and shoulder measurements, so a test flight before buying is the best check.
NEARBIRDS Vibe — A Highly Adjustable XC Harness
Pilots whose longer or shorter legs have made harnesses hard to fit should put the Vibe on their test list. The seat is on the firm side, though, so if you like to sink into something softer, sit in one before you buy. Start with the ABS closed for less roll, and let it out a little at a time when you want more weight shift in thermals.
ADVANCE Impress 4 (M) — A Seat-Board Pod Harness That's Easy on the Back
Impress 3 pilots should settle in easily: the comfort is similar, with a little more seat-board feel. Coming from a harness with a clear seat-board feel, such as the X-Rated 6 or Genie Race 4, you give up a little counter-steer authority and get better back comfort and a less tired body after landing. Pilots who fly with a lot of water ballast should also weigh the small ballast space under the seat.
Gin Genie 3 Light M — A Light Seat-Board Pod Harness with Good Weight Shift
Pilots of the same weight can differ in leg and upper-body length, so a harness fits each body differently. Bassil reckons a test report tells you about 50% of what to expect in body comfort and around 90% in roll comfort and weight shift. His verdict on the Genie 3 Light's roll and weight shift is a reliable guide, then, but comfort and size are for you to settle by trying it yourself. Pilots moving to a light harness who still care about turning by weight shift should put it on their list.
ADVANCE Lightness 3 M — A Light Seatless Harness With Superb Back Comfort and Finish
Choosing the Lightness 3 means giving up the quick reactions of a seat harness in return for back comfort and low weight. If most of your flying is long XC with hours in the harness, that trade is worth making. Pilots who want to work a high-aspect-ratio glider finely through their lower body are better served by a seat harness. And if you plan to move your current reserve across, check its size first, because the compartment runs small.
Woody Valley GTO Light — A Comfortable Light POD with Excellent Weight Shift
Since the sizing has changed, pilots coming from the old GTO should sit in the harness before choosing rather than going by their old size label. If you're used to a seatboard harness, sitting on the back protector may feel a little less solid. If you can accept that, it's worth trying first for pilots who want both comfort and weight shift from a light harness.
Supair Delight 3 (M) — A Seat-Board Pod That Keeps You Steadier in Rough Air
Fly a seatless harness for hours in rough air and you spend real energy correcting your body against the glider's movements. The Delight 3 saves that energy, and in return gives up some weight-shift authority and roll feel in weak air. For pilots who log long hours in strong conditions it is the more efficient choice; if you want to feel every small movement of a weak afternoon thermal, a seatless harness like the GTO Light suits you better. If you have flown the Delight 2 you already know roughly what it feels like; if not, a demo flight is worth the time.
Gin Genie Race 4 (M) — A Competition Harness That Stays Steady on Bar
At 9kg in size M, this is not a harness for pilots chasing low weight. For competition and XC pilots who spend long glides on bar, the low roll under acceleration and the stability in turbulence are the reasons to pick it. Pilots who like to open the chest strap and throw a D-class wing into sharp turns will get on better with the X-rated 6.
Skywalk X-Alps 2 (M) — A Light Harness That Stays Comfortable in Turbulence
It suits pilots who want to save weight without giving up seating comfort or comfort in turbulence. The trade is care: the light materials have to be handled gently. If you often fly from dirt or stony take-offs, or land where thorns grow, expect to check where you set this harness down every time.
SOL X-Light 2 — A 4kg Seat-Board Pod, Comfortable After a Few Easy Tweaks
The X-Light 2 suits pilots who are happy to adjust the parts that depend on body shape: seat-board width, seat padding and pod lines. None of the work is hard, and it leaves you with a seat-board harness of around 4kg with room for 5kg of ballast. Tuning won't change the back support, though. If back support matters most to you on long flights, compare it with the Impress 3 and Forza, which Bassil rated higher for back comfort.
OZONE Forza — A Comfortable, Sturdy Seatless XC Harness
At around 5kg for the M, this is a sturdy harness for XC pilots who put sitting comfort, certified protection, and storage and features ahead of saving weight. Pilots coming from a seatboard harness will find weight shift works fine, but should know the turn won't feel as locked in as it does on a seatboard.
XC Tracer — A Small Vario for Hike-and-Fly and Backup Logging
If you already have a main vario, you can do what Rony does and keep the XC-Tracer in the cockpit as a backup logger. When you need to cut down on gear for hike-and-fly, this one device covers the vario and track logging, and it can pair with XCsoar on your phone over Bluetooth. That Bluetooth link was checked in 2015 with a Samsung Note 4, though, so confirm it with the phone and app you use now.