So, despite being both a leather fetishist and the kind of person who really loves strap-on topping, I’ve never got on well with leather strap-on harnesses before. I had a couple of theories about why, mostly stemming from knowing that the SpareParts Joque is the harness I do get on with most. The first is that the leather of the harnesses I’d tried before was too thick and not soft enough for strapped toys to feel like an actual extension of my body, and the second that most of the harnesses other than the Joque I’ve ever tried left my vulva too exposed, which is something I feel very… some kind of way about, especially as somebody who has gone through periods of being a totally stone top (and generally prefers that kind of sex at other points in time anyway).
Also, despite having worked at Sh!, I never actually tried on the Super Strap-On Harness. I own a classic harness from Sh!—which I love using as a combination accessory/play harness for fetish events or play parties—and I’ve tried on one of their 2-strap harnesses, but not the Super Strap-On Harnesses. Truth be told, I expected it to only solve the first of the issues I think I have with leather harnesses, and went in to testing it fully expecting my personal weirdness around vulva exposure to remain. Except, turns out I was totally wrong. Wearing the Sh! Super Strap-On Harnesses doesn’t trigger my weird feelings around exposure in the way other harnesses tend to, and every time I try to think of a way to sum up my feelings on it succinctly all I can think is ‘it absolutely rules’.
The Sh! Super Strap-On Harness
Before I wax poetic too much, I want to give talk about the harness for a bit. Like Sh!’s 2-strap harness, the Super Strap-On Harness is made from exceptionally soft leather, fastens using d-rings rather than buckles (I’ll talk more about this in a second!), and comes in multiple colours, including purple, red, hot pink, pale blue, and gold. There’s also a limited edition rainbow and black version I was exceptionally tempted by, before I decided to go for just plain black to fit both my lazy goth aesthetic/sensibilities and to go with all the other leather gear I have.
Where it differs from the two strap harness is the shape of the back. While the 2-strap harness has a thin waistband, the Super Strap-On Harness has a really wide back. I’m on the chubby side (I’m roughly the equivalent of a size 18 I believe? I don’t wear women’s clothing, so that’s a very rough estimate), and the wider back was something I very specifically was looking for in a harness, for both comfort and to flatter my body a bit. I was a bit worried the contour of the back would feel a little too feminine for me, but in practice it completely doesn’t. And if you are looking for something decidedly feminine, then Sh! also produce a Corset Harness, which is similar to the Super Strap-On Harness but with decorative corset detailing.
Putting On/Wearing The Harness
I’m grouping these together as ‘less relevant to specifically using the harness’ topics. The harness comes with a little booklet about sizing (and Sh! have written a blog post with the same info if you’d prefer to read that way), and as with most harnesses, once it’s fitted you do only need to unbuckle one side of the harness to slip into it. However, as I said earlier, the Sh! Super Strap-On Harness uses d-rings rather than buckles. This has its own benefits—it means there’s more adjustability in the sizing than there would be with a buckle—but it does mean evenly fastening the harness can be a challenge, as there’s no buckle holes to use for even measurement. It doesn’t make it impossible, but does add a bit of ‘feeling out for the right tightness’ to putting it on. I can also see it being a real hassle if two people are using the harness, as fully adjusting it takes a while.
My only major gripe with the Sh! Super Strap-On Harness is the o-ring situation. The harness comes with three o-rings—with diameters of 1.25, 1.5 and 1.75 inches—which I really appreciate, but they are a bit of hassle to change over. Unlike the Sh! Thigh Harness, there’s no snap clasps to simply undo. Instead, you have to take all four straps off the back piece, unloop them from the pieces of leather that hold them from the front piece, and then remove the o-ring, completely reattaching the straps once a new o-ring is in place. In fairness, I do think the o-ring is more stable this way than if it were kept in place by snap clasps, and I haven’t had too many times when I’ve wanted to change the o-ring out. But when I have, it’s been annoying enough that I’m probably personally going to just stick with the 1.5 inch ring and use a different harness if I need a different size ring.
For all my complaints about adjustments and the o-ring situation though, once the Super Strap-On Harness is on, it’s so comfortable. The front plate is a little lower rise than I thought I’d like, but with some time to adjust (and my partner saying she actually found it really sexy) I took to it. I know everyone talks about the SpareParts Joque as the most comfortable harness but in some ways I actually found the Sh! Super Strap-On Harness more comfortable. The leather is so soft and thin that I often feel like I’m not wearing a harness at all, whereas I am generally a bit more aware of the SpareParts Joque on my body. I was a bit concerned that the two-strap would leave too much of my vulva/vagina visible for comfort, but while it can be accessed while wearing the harness, the two straps cover up enough that I don’t feel exposed. That actually really surprised me—I initially thought I’d probably have to hack a Dual Dildo Strap-On Accessory to cover up my vulva—and means that what I suspected would be my personal big drawback wasn’t an issue at all.
And finally, that back! That back is so comfortable, especially as somebody on the chunkier side. And more than that, it actually makes me feel really sexy. While the classic harness is generally my go-to for events, I’ve seriously considered wearing the Super Strap-On Harness instead because of that back. I often daydream about commissioning a leatherworker to make my dream strap-on harness, and if/when I ever do, I’m taking the Super Strap-On Harness as a reference point for my dream harness back.
Using The Harness
I’m not used to harnesses with an open back (the Joque can be worn that way, but the fabric back has to be moved out the way), and I did find that using the Super Strap-On Harness without any kind of buffer did sometimes cause my pubes to get snagged. However, the back meant that using it with a buffer (like the Uberrime Alia, BumpHer, or other Bananapants bases), worked really well. The wide back—as well as making the harness super comfortable to wear—also meant that I had good leverage for larger toys. I have heard from somebody else with this harness that the leather straps between the legs can pinch, but I didn’t experience this at all in use.
Overall
The low-rise cut means the Sh! Super Strap-On Harness isn’t quite my dream harness, but it’s a lot more close than I expected it to be and closer than any other harness has gotten! It’s really comfortable, the leather is soft and smells gorgeous, and I actually forget I’m wearing it.
I do wish the o-rings were easier to switch out, would love to see the sizing extended when it comes to plus-sizes, and it will probably not become my most used harness just due to the fact I have strap-on sex more often with people who aren’t my primary partner, and leather is difficult to sanitise between people. But if you’re going to be having sex with a partner/s who don’t have sex with anyone but you, that last point isn’t an issue.
Plus, I also want to really emphasise that the Super Strap-On Harness really makes me feel sexy while I’m wearing it, in a way that the neither the Joque nor any other harness I’ve worn before do!
You can buy the Super Strap-On Harness from Sh! for £58
You can also use the code KELVIN-Sh10 for 10% off Sh! products!
This product was sent to me by Sh! in return for a fair and impartial review. Affiliate links were used in this post.
That’s great that it worked for you in so many ways! I do like the wider back in a harness.