All things hang gliding. This is the main forum. New users, introduce yourself.

Moderators: sg, mods

User avatar
By FlyKC10
#404043
In the market for a new harness. Trying to decide between the Rotor Havana S or Tenax 4.
I hear good things about both. Maybe leaning toward the Rotor based on input from friends. Looking for any input especially in the comfort category.

Thanks
User avatar
By Felix
#404049
Between those 2 I would probably go for the Rotor.
Have you checked out other manufacturers? The Aeros Viper C is a sweet option, a bit cheaper as well.
Good luck! A custom fitted new harness is a sweet thing indeed :)
User avatar
By FlyKC10
#404067
miraclepieco wrote: Sun Jul 22, 2018 3:26 am Weren't you just looking for a supine harness because of your bad back?
Still have back problems and I occasionally "pay for it" after hang gliding. Wanted to try a supine rig, but never found one.
Last edited by FlyKC10 on Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
By FlyKC10
#404068
Felix wrote: Sun Jul 22, 2018 12:07 pm Between those 2 I would probably go for the Rotor.
Have you checked out other manufacturers? The Aeros Viper C is a sweet option, a bit cheaper as well.
Good luck! A custom fitted new harness is a sweet thing indeed :)
Thanks for the input. Never had anything custom fit.
User avatar
By WMichelsen
#404071
I have been flying a Tenax4 for the past 2 years, and flew a Rotor Vulto for a decade before that.

I think the quality of construction is pretty comparable for both. I fly lots of high altitude XC, and find sufficient room for everything I need (bags, water, oxygen, regulator, radio, GPS tracker, misc gear, etc). The organization is a little different for each, but it all works.

Tenax4 has the wide backplate. I think it is more comfortable, and might make parachute deployment smoother (less binding, maybe). And, the extra width fills in behind your elbows, anyway. The Tenax4 has a shorter boot than the Havana, which might make positioning on aerotow cart easier. I got the butt-lever dangle-angle option with steel bar slider which is nearly identical to my Vulto.

On the downside, the wide backplate is annoying when buckling the chest buckle, and when squeezing between the rear wires when ground handling. Not critical, just annoying.

The Havana has that sleek machined main-strap roller-bearing slider hardware that Dustin brought over from the Covert. Way cool, and too bad it's not exposed where you can see it. It should be seen, like the engine in a Ferrari :) The Havana also has a replaceable boot cone cover (I made one for my Tenax4).

The narrower backplate might seem sleeker, but when I had parachute installed, my Vulto had a bulge behind my arms also (well, on one side anyway).

My Tenax fits better, but that's not a fair comparison (ie. wear, age, better measurements, etc). Make sure you send good measurements for construction.

Anyway, I think they are both good choices. I like my Tenax4 quite a lot. But, the Rotor is certainly nice, too.
User avatar
By FlyKC10
#404089
WMichelsen wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:48 pm I have been flying a Tenax4 for the past 2 years, and flew a Rotor Vulto for a decade before that.

I think the quality of construction is pretty comparable for both. I fly lots of high altitude XC, and find sufficient room for everything I need (bags, water, oxygen, regulator, radio, GPS tracker, misc gear, etc). The organization is a little different for each, but it all works.

Tenax4 has the wide backplate. I think it is more comfortable, and might make parachute deployment smoother (less binding, maybe). And, the extra width fills in behind your elbows, anyway. The Tenax4 has a shorter boot than the Havana, which might make positioning on aerotow cart easier. I got the butt-lever dangle-angle option with steel bar slider which is nearly identical to my Vulto.

On the downside, the wide backplate is annoying when buckling the chest buckle, and when squeezing between the rear wires when ground handling. Not critical, just annoying.

The Havana has that sleek machined main-strap roller-bearing slider hardware that Dustin brought over from the Covert. Way cool, and too bad it's not exposed where you can see it. It should be seen, like the engine in a Ferrari :) The Havana also has a replaceable boot cone cover (I made one for my Tenax4).

The narrower backplate might seem sleeker, but when I had parachute installed, my Vulto had a bulge behind my arms also (well, on one side anyway).

My Tenax fits better, but that's not a fair comparison (ie. wear, age, better measurements, etc). Make sure you send good measurements for construction.

Anyway, I think they are both good choices. I like my Tenax4 quite a lot. But, the Rotor is certainly nice, too.
Thanks for the detailed description. This will be my first custom made harness and as you probably see I have some back issues. Hoping a custom fit will help in comfort resulting in longer more enjoyable flights.