Aslan Leather is well known in queer circles for making really good leather harnesses. While I have complex feelings on the Jaguar Harness (which isn’t officially their flagship harness, but might as well be), none of those complications are due to the workmanship put into my Jag (and I’ve warmed to the Jag regardless). It is an absolutely gorgeous harness, and while I’ve been curious about Aslan’s Buckling Thigh Harness for ages, seeing that gorgeous workmanship in-person made me want to get my hands on one even more.
The Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness
The Buckling Thigh Harness from Aslan Leather is — like the other Aslan harness I own — a gorgeously made piece. It has a wide leather base measuring 7.5 x 5 inches, and the leg straps can be adjusted for thighs between 13 and 25 inches in circumference.
The o-ring on this harness can be changed, and is kept in place by popper studs. There’s a couple of adjustment options for these too, and the harness can hold o-rings with diameters between 1.5 and 2 inches.
It does only come with one o-ring (a rubber one, which I’ve replaced with metal), but other ring sizes are pretty easy and affordable in silicone or metal.
While Aslan does make their other harnesses in some lovely colour options (including purple and red), the Buckling Thigh Harness currently only comes in black.
Why A Thigh Harness?
A question I haven’t answered before (but a friend recently asked me) is what the point of thigh strap-on harnesses actually is, and I thought it’d be worth writing a section to address this.
As with crotch-placed strap-on harnesses, there’s a huge variety of reasons some people might like a thigh-strap on harness. Obviously, some people want to penetrate their partner but don’t have a penis of their own, may have one but find getting/staying erect difficult, may want to experiment with shape/size/texture using toys, may find using a strap-on aids in making sex last longer, or may not want their penis interacted with at all during sex (because of dysphoria or other reasons).
Because of its different placement, a thigh-harness can also be a more attractive option to people than a conventional harness. For people who can’t or don’t want to engage their muscles as much as a conventional harness might, a thigh harness offers another way to top. Some people with penises find wearing a harness around their crotch physically uncomfortable (although do note it is possible and you don’t have to limit yourself to harnesses marketed towards people with penises).
For people with dysphoria around their genitals, a crotch harness and thrusting hips to move it can feel like it focuses too much attention to a part of their body they don’t care for (or reminds them too much of a body part they don’t have). The thigh placement can also leave the person wearing a harness open to touch and/or play more easily than a conventional harness, and means that using it can be combined with frottage or grinding.
The Leather And Stitching
Listen, it’s an Aslan Leather harness, so you know I’m gonna love the craftsmanship on this harness. The leather is the same kind of leather Aslan uses in its Jaguar harness— soft enough to be comfortable and pliable, but firm enough I have no concerns about wear. It’s soft and buttery and feels like a second skin, and has that lovely leather smell.
I didn’t notice a single stitch out of place, and I went down this thing with a magnifying glass to check. The hardware is chunky and weighty and feels substantial, without taking away from that ‘second-skin’ feeling.
All in all, it’s a wonderfully crafted harness!
Wearing and Using the Buckling Thigh Harness
The Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness is super easy to put on. While — in fairness — thigh harnesses do tend to be a lot easier than crotch harnesses, the buckling means there’s even less faff than a double-D ring situation would be. The only issue I have here (and it’s a small one) is that the two buckle straps are the same length.
While this is the perfect length to get around the higher up/chunkier end of my thigh, I do end up with some excess strip after buckling the other on the lower down/thinner part of my leg, even using the d-rings to tuck it into place. This is a very minor problem admittedly, and I don’t even think it’s one I’d change, but it’s one of two rough spots on an otherwise fantastic harness. The other is that there’s a little bit of bunching on either end of the backplate. This doesn’t impact use, but is just visually something I find a bit unappealing. Again, I am splitting hairs with this one.
The leather is really comfortable and fits against my skin really nicely. It’s thin and supple, and I don’t at all feel like I’m wearing something bulky. At the same time, it holds toys really securely! I’ve used this quite roughly at times, and found that unless I’m using a really large/heavy toy, there’s not much (if any) movement, even if my partner is riding me quite roughly.
Comparison To My Other Thigh Harnesses
The two other thigh harnesses I own are this one from Sportsheets and the Sh! Thigh Harness, which I reviewed last year. Right off the bat, the obvious differences between the three are material, whether the O-ring is interchangeable (it isn’t for the Sportsheets one), if a dildo makes contact with skin (the Sh! and Sportsheets harnesses have a hole through them), and what the fastening mechanism is (the Sportsheet uses velcro only, the Sh! velcro or double d-rings, and the Aslan harness buckles).
While my initial reaction to wearing the Buckling Thigh Harness was that it felt more sturdy and unshakeably in place, I decided to test this. I strapped one of each of the rival harnesses to one thigh and the Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness to the other to see which shifted first (don’t say I don’t suffer and/or look stupid for my art). I found that if using the velcro, the Sh! harness felt about the same level of steady as the Aslan harness. However, when using the two d-rings to fasten the elastic, there was a noticeable difference. If you’ve got thighs on the larger side but within the size ranges of both, I think the Aslan is a better choice for sturdiness reasons. However, the Aslan does only accommodate thighs up to 25 inches, whereas the Sh! harness goes up to 31 inches.
The velcro of the Sportsheets harness was also relatively sturdy, but it’s very clearly the weakest option of the three. While I appreciate the machine washable nature of it, my thick thighs were definitely pinched by it more than the other harnesses.
It’s also a lot more limited for size than the other two harnesses, with absolutely no stretch in its o-ring. The Aslan Harness has — in my opinion — the most versatility when it comes to dildo sizes you can use with it, as unlike the Sh! harness, you don’t even need to worry about getting it through a hole in the leather. It’s also the easiest to change out of the three, and the only one that allows for dildo changes without taking the entire harness off, which I appreciate!
The Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness is easier to put on for me, although all three are relatively simply. I think this is partly because of the size/shape of my body— the Sportsheets is very tight, so I have to pull quite hard, and I’m right on the edge of being able to use the velcro of the Sh! option. With the Aslan harness, I’m well within the sizing and don’t find I have to ‘pull’.
I do think the size limitations of the Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness is something to bear in mind, and I do think it’s a tight race between that and the Sh! Thigh Harness. However, for my body, the Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness wins by a narrow margin, because of the flexibility with dildo sizing and ease of changing. While there’s not practically a difference in stability (or at least I didn’t notice one), the fact I feel more secure when wearing it compared to the elastic strap of the Sh! Harness also gets points from me. Additionally, unlike the Sh! harness, the snaps on the Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness can be adjusted, allowing it to be used with a wider range of dildo sizes.
Conclusion
For me, the only main point of contention I have with the Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness is the size limitations. I really hope Aslan consider making multiple sizes of this harness, as I’d love to be able to recommend it to people with a wider range of bodies. However, even with this it’s still a really good harness! It’s very secure, has more flexibility with dildo sizes than the other thigh harnesses I own, and is made of absolutely gorgeous leather.
Buy the Aslan Buckling Thigh Harness from SheVibe for $69.99
This product was sent to me by SheVibe, in return for a fair and impartial review. Affiliate links were used in this post.
