KNN Carbon Harness Review

KNN’s mission is to elevate dog products through thoughtful design and high standards. With a focus on authenticity, they want each of their products to reflect their dedication to the dogs and people they serve.

I had the honor of receiving the KNN Carbon harness among the first ones when it launched. This product represents years of their research and development efforts. As someone who has been in discussions with KNN over the years about harness design, I am so excited to finally witness all their ideas and hard work come to life in this harness.

KNN Carbon Harness

Padded, well-fitting harness

A lightweight, durable, and comfortable harness made with quality materials, featuring aircraft-grade aluminum hardware.

Buy from KNN

Disclaimer: this review contains affiliate links, which support Dog Gear Review if you purchase the product after clicking on it without costing you anything extra. Using affiliate links will never compromise us in writing unbiased, honest reviews!

About the KNN Carbon Harness

The KNN Carbon Harness is a lightweight (weighing only 219 grams in size L) yet durable harness designed with high-quality materials to ensure both the safety and comfort of dogs.

The Carbon Harness uses an aircraft-grade aluminum ring and has four adjustable points. It features Italy-made plastic buckles that meet ISO standards and have a resistance of 140 kg each.

The harness’s padding is made of a soft yet durable fabric, with chest support made of polyester and elastane to prevent hair buildup and provide maximum comfort. The harness uses vegan PU—a highly abrasion-resistant, antibacterial fabric that’s both strong and environmentally friendly.

KNN Carbon Harness Review | Dog Gear Review

The Carbon harness has a padded grip handle with a non-slip rubber texture on the top that also shows the harness’ accent color. As an example of the attention to detail that went into this harness: they even added a rubber loop under the D-ring to keep that and the attached leash carabiner away from the fur.

The harness is available in sizes XS to XL, comes in four colors, and is made in Barcelona, Spain.

KNN Carbon Harness Review

The Carbon harness is close to my heart because I have been in contact with KNN for years while they were working on the idea and prototypes of this harness, discussing the ideal harness fit, design, and materials. The thinking they put into creating a durable, well-fitting, and comfortable harness was truly impressive and the final product is just as great as I hoped!

It is easy to skim over this harness when one sees it in photos, due to the overwhelmingly black color as the accent colors are only present on the handle and on the chest piece. However, the material and the design are very impressive when you see it close up! This harness was our go-to option for our evening walks while testing it for reviews and it did not disappoint.

The padded, more rigid material ensures comfort but also keeps the harness in place pretty well and prevents rotations even when I applied leash pressure to the side. It also doesn’t ride up when the harness is pulled forward (or just a very little).

The only comment I can make on the look of this harness is that I wish there would be more color on it but it did grow on me and looked very elegant on Zulu.

Zulu’s deep chest makes it hard to see on the standard photos but the Carbon harness provides a decent armpit clearance and keeps the chest straps away from the back of the front legs. Once adjusted properly, it allows for a full range of shoulder movement without any restriction on Zulu. On dogs with a “more average” build (neck and chest circumference being more proportional), we would see more armpit clearance than in the case of Zulu’s, but since the length of the section between the legs is not adjustable, it might sit too close to the armpits on some dogs.

Zulu is a narrow dog with a pointy chest but the Carbon harness still fits her well between the front legs without any chafing on the inside of the legs.

The only note on the quality that I wanted to add was that the chest straps’ sliders did loosen up a little bit at the beginning when Zu was running off leash so I needed to readjust that a few times but it seemed to stabilize overtime and it was only a very minimal slipping. After months of use, I have not had any issues with that recently even though we still use it regularly.

Functionality Review of the KNN Carbon Harness

No-pull correction: It does not have a no-pull ring.
Running/Biking: Can be used for light pullers. It is well-padded around the neck and chest but short harnesses are usually not great for dogs who pull into the harness hard.
Hiking: This harness is easy to clean and doesn’t soak in water/mud which makes it great for hikes. It has a small handle that can be used to support the dog as needed but it can also get caught on something if the dog runs in the woods.
City walks: The more rigid material keeps the harness from rotation which provides good control for structured walks.
Easy to put on/adjust: It only has buckles on the chest strap so it needs to go over the head.
Visibility: It doesn’t have reflective sections and doesn’t come in high visibility colors.

KNN Carbon Harness Review Summary

The Carbon harness is a very well-made, high-quality harness that stays in place while providing a good armpit clearance even on the deep-chested Zulu. It only has one leash attachment point and doesn’t provide much visibility but besides these, it offers everything one can look for in a thoughtfully designed short harness.

Always ensure the harness is a good fit for YOUR dog. If you need help deciding on the fit, you can read our article on harness fitting.