Mystic Majestic X Vs Ride Engine Harnesses

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When it comes to kiteboarding Harnesses Ride Engine really shook things up when the came out with their first hard shell harness. It wasn't long before every brand had some form of hard shell or another. There really are a lot of  great options out there but currently there are two favorites among the staff here at MACkite. 

The  Classic Ride Engine, and the Mystic Majestic X. We're divided pretty evenly here and rightly so as there is no right answer here. When it comes to a kiteboarding harness, there is only one factor that truly matters. Does it feel good?

Aside from feel, there are a lot of similarities between these two harnesses and a lot of differences. Lets dive into it! 

As I said, fit and feel are paramount when selecting a harness. The thing is, this is subjective and varies from person to person. I'm going to share my experience but you should test one for yourself. 

Ride Engine 

The Ride Engine harnesses feel a bit stiffer and are more noticeable on and off the water. They are incredibly supportive and fit snugly into the small of your back when sized appropriately. On that note, you do need to follow their size guidelines carefully when selecting a harness. 

Ride Engine's Fit Guide

*Copyright of Ride Engine

Blake Olsen getting inverted with his Hex Core. 

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Even the base models of Ride Engine such as the Hex Core are noticeably stiff. In Contrast, the carbon Mystic Majestic X feels fairly on par with the Hex Core in this particular area. 

In regards to Stiffness Ride Engines line up progressively gets lighter and stiffer as you move up the ranks. 

Mystic 

When it comes to the feel of the Mystic Majestic and the Carbon Majestic X these are still quite stiff but it's not as noticeable. This is in fact by design. They have torsional flex allowing the harness to move with your body on a horizontal plan. Admittedly, I found this quite comfortable. That said, this is a personal preference. Hence our team is spilt down the middle between each line up. 

When testing the standard Majestic, I almost forgot I was wearing a harness. I can actually say thats never happened before. When comparing back to back with the Majestic X, the X felt a little more supportive and you can tell it's carbon. It was actually similar to the Hex Core yet still more flexible on the water. 

Rygo riding the Mystic Majestic X

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When it comes to Mystic, these are less size specific but it's still quite important. If you're used to wearing a certain size, you might need to size down. It's important that these fit snug too. 

Mystic Size Chart

Function 

The hard shell harness is a premium harness and it's designed primarily to prevent the harness from riding up while you ride. Both of these brands function equally well. Of course there is always the exception but in our experience our customers and our team here have had great success in this regard. Usually if the harness doesn't work its because you have the wrong size or wrong size spreader bar. That said, everyone is shaped different and their is always an exception to the rule. 

Jake Mitchel known for his "witty" product descriptions on our website putting time in on his Majestic harness. 

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In regards to function, their is no real advantage between the two here.It just comes back to fit like I mentioned earlier. The harness needs to be sized appropriately and should be comfortable. All the models from the baser to the high end serve the same function with slightly different approaches.  

Spreader Bar Options 

Like most hard shells, these come with the option of rope slider bars and standard hooks available in varying sizes. The rope, is catered to surfers or foil boarders looking for more freedom of movement. Granted, some twintip riders favor these as it does make riding toeside easier. The traditional hooks are intended for riders who want to unhook or prefer to stick to something more familiar. Mystics slider bar is unique in that you can flip it to your favored stance. Goofy (right foot forward) or regular (Left foot forward) 

Spreader Bar Options

 

Connection system

Another point of interest is the connection systems used. Ride Engine used to use two ropes that held the spreader bar down with tension however in 2018 they have changed it up to a slightly more traditional looking system. 

Ride Engine 

While it looks a little different, its quite easy to put on or take off after your sessions. 

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Mystic

Mystic has their own system with a unique spin. The mechanism locks down and will not release under tension. 

There is some misconception with this as sometimes people perceive this as difficult to disconnect. It's actualy quite simple. You just have to make sure there is no tension when pushing the release button. This is by design to prevent the spreader bar from coming unhooked while riding. Something you may or may not have experienced on the water. 

Personally, I like this feature but thats up to you to decide if its for you or not. 

Something else unique to Mystic is the Harness will come without the handle pass rope attached to the back. The harness does come with one and its very easy to attach if you like to unhook. The harness comes with a leash attachment point on the front of the spreader bar. 

The idea here is to encourage riders to use a shorter leash and keep the back of the harness looking nicer. In recent years short leashes have become standard as they are a bit safer and pull the rider forward instead of turning you around when you release the kite. I did a video on this a while back that you can check out here. 

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Stiffness and weight

Like all hard shell harnesses, both line ups are very stiff and very light. That said, when it comes to lightness its kind of a useless point to worry about on a harness. Located at your center of gravity and only factoring a few ounces it really makes no difference. 

So in each line up, as you move up the harnesses get stiffer and lighter. While the weight is trivial, stiffness maters to some. The Majestic will be the most flexible on the water. The Majestic X will be stiffer and a bit more supportive. 

In ride engines line up The Hex Core is on par with the stiffness with the Majestic X. As you move up each harness gets stiffer. I have to admit, Its not that noticeable and not a deal breaker to me. The nicest factor in the stiffer ride engine harnesses is the variety of color options. You can also pick a custom design which is pretty cool .

In summary

As I said earlier, we're divided into two camps at the shop here and as usual, there is no right or wrong answer.It comes down to three things.  Fit feel and style. The harness should be comfortable on the water, it should fit well and you should like the way it looks.In regard to function, they both do exactly what a hard shell is meant to do. Prevent riding up or pinching. This comes down to your body shape. These work great for most but there is always the exception to the rule. 

If you would like to learn more about these harnesses, we have a great deal of information on our product pages for each individual harness. 

To learn more about Ride Engine, you can click  here and browse individual harnesses. 

To learn more about Mystic, you can click  here and browse individual harnesses. 

There you can dive into more granular details about each year and model. Jake Mitchel has put a lot of time and thought into keeping these pages informative and up to date. That said, you can always hit us up on our live chat or give us a call with any questions. 800  622 4655 

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Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic

Just a dude from a kite shop testing all the gear one session at a time.

Many people dream of quitting their job, traveling the world and pursuing their passions. Rygo is one of those people who pulled the trigger. About eight years into a postal career, he decided to change everything and travel as a freelance videographer & writer. This took him from coast to coast and a variety of countries. Nowadays you can catch him on the phones, doing lessons, or working on videos. Of course, he still makes a point to travel as often as possible. His mission is to help people and share the stoke with his customers and students alike. Get out there and kiteboard.

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Producer of: Ride with Blake I Sessions I Versus I Destinations I Foil Fridays