Gary from Ride Engine tells the story behind their hard shell harness — from founder Coleman Buckley’s custom, garage-built originals to the 500+ scanned backs behind today’s fit — then breaks down all three Hyper Lock harness models plus their brand-new Hyper Lock seat harness.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro: at AWSI with Gary from Ride Engine, running through their kite range for 2027
0:41 The origin story — founder Coleman Buckley invents the hard shell harness after realising it was the most overlooked piece of kit in the sport
1:35 The early days: fully custom harnesses, hand-built in his garage from moulds sent in the post
2:24 Not custom any more — so how do they get a hard shell to fit almost everyone today?
3:16 The answer: 500+ scanned backs, and a lumbar shape that turns out to be remarkably consistent across most people
5:29 The harness evolution continues — from webbing, to the webbing-free Unity system, to Hyper Lock
7:09 What Hyper Lock actually is: a licensed ratchet-cinch mechanism built specifically for wind sports
8:08 Three Hyper Lock models in the range — a quick overview
8:24 Elite Type 1: the stiffest hard shell, built for maximum support and feel, plus the new 8mm stainless hook and swappable hook options
11:21 Closed metal loop vs a traditional hook — why it helps avoid false-hooking, and keeps your safety release second nature
12:55 Elite Type 2: the same hard shell data with a flexier build, for a more forgiving fit and choppy-water comfort
14:41 Light Hyper Lock: curve-material support that gives hard shell benefits without the full stiffness
16:13 New: the Hyper Lock seat harness, engineered to keep the pull point low without sacrificing support
18:32 Wrap-up: thanks to Gary
More info: https://rideengine.com/
