Thanks Nechama. Although I like the new harnesses in general, I found donning in supine and getting it positioned was a little more difficult. I think using a larger harness - if available and the pt isn't too small - might work better.
The pre-sizing with the new harness is soooo much less necessary, since it won't slide down if too large- you really have to pull to overcome the elastic straps' resistance to clip the buckles closed. Open pretty far, since it won't slip down, but you may have to take up the slack a bit before doing the push-pull technique to tighten the harness maximally.
I have just received a shipment of the new harnesses for a training I'm doing next week. It appears the superior elastic straps are about 1" longer than the inferior ones, making the old way of adjusting the harness by lining up the metal buckles difficult. I'm thinking the elastic straps will make the symmetry in-built once the harness is on the patient....? So would you just loosen the straps as far as they go before donning the harness and then adjust once the plastic buckles are in place...?