When I’m on the water, the last thing I want to think about is my harness. All it needs to do is provide good support and not break. The more invisible it can be the better. Unfortunately I didn’t get that from the Manera Halo when I first tried it.
This is a brilliant harness in so many ways, but if it’s not comfortable nothing else matters. For me, the Halo dug into my left hip bone, and after two hours of riding, the discomfort was unbearable.
The good bits
In theory it’s a fantastic product. It’s well built, innovative and very light weight. I have good mobility in it and the hard frame that surrounds your back like a halo provides great back support. No issue there. The spreader bar is also a great one that allows opening from either side and is relatively easy to clip on and off also when tightened.
When most harness manufacturers move into more sophisticated solutions that are nothing but over engineered marketing gimmicks, Manera offers a spreader bar that uses simple, tried and tested connection and lock mechanisms that works and will keep on working over time.
The attention to detail is there. You have leash connection points either side and a kite knife neatly tucked in behind spreader bar. And it’s a great looking harness, taken straight out of the twisted universe of H. R. Giger. I especially like the black edition with orange details. Very stealth indeed.
Manera has also made the Halo modular, allowing you to replace parts one by one rather than getting a completely new harness. As long as they keep spare parts in stock they will have you covered.
Overall. it’s a good value package. For many brands you’re looking at £350 – £500 for a harness and spreader bar. But the Halo can be had for £150! And that includes harness, spreader bar and a rope should you prefer that to the hook. Total package, great value.
The not so good bit
It could be my body type, or that I should have gone for M+ (M with an L spreader bar) but the problem has an obvious root cause beyond sizing. Manera has gone above and beyond in making the Halo harness as light as possible, and in doing so, cut down on the padding a lot.
The minimal padding is actually not a problem if you find a perfect fit. Since the hard shell is detached from the back plate, there is not much pressure that needs padding support. But if you get the sizing a bit wrong, you might experience what I and others have, which is the side of the harness digging into your body.
The solution
The Halo really needs to be tested on the water, under pressure, before you buy it. You won’t know until you spend a good hour using it.
I used it for several sessions. I tried to adjust it in various ways but it always came back to the hip bone pain. But you see, I really want to like the Halo. It’s got so many good things going for it.So I didn’t give up on it. I purchased the larger 32cm spreader bar (the M+ size). This instantly removed the pain, and although the spreader bar does feel too wide, that’s more of a subjective feeling than an objective truth. It makes the harness a little bit less snug , with a tendency to move around a little bit more, but I can live with that if there is no pain. It’s still a hell of a comfortable harness with great back support and good freedom of movement.
I can definitely recommend the Manera Halo, but do try it on the water before you buy to make sure you get the right fit.
Please note the recall
The Halo had a recall due to a manufacturing defect that could cause structural parts to break. Visit Manera and check if you need the new parts sent to you. They will send it to you for free.