Harnesses?

[rydra_wong]

Now I've finally learned how to tie in with a rethreaded figure-of-eight, belay, etc., it has occurred to me that at some point I may need to buy a harness.

So, what should I know, people? What are the questions to consider? What should I take into account (other than "it should fit me and be appropriate for a lot of indoor top-roping")? Advise me!

Comments

[jumpuphigh]

I definitely recommend spending a little extra for a harness with cushy padding and extra loops for clipping things onto it. While a harness without padding will still protect you, it won't feel very good when you take a hard fall. The loops are handy, even if you never sports climb, for things like your chalk bag, your shoes when you aren't climbing and your water bottle.

[rydra_wong]

Thanks! What about harnesses that claim to be high-tech and comfy even without padding? Is this true in some cases, or are these all vile lies?

[jumpuphigh]

I only know of one of those and the reviews are mixed. I'm not sure it's worth the money. I have a mid-range, Black Diamond harness which has served me very well. I've never had a climber complain about their Black Diamond harness but I've had a few wish they hadn't gotten a Petzl. If you are up to the social aspect of it, most climbers here are willing to let people try out their equipment when they are shopping around. I would expect it would be the same where you are.

[emperor]

IME you don't need many gear loops for sport, it's trad where you need plenty of loop space for all your toys.

[rydra_wong]

Is there any disadvantage to having lots of gear loops? I mean, do they get in the way during non-trad activities, or something like that?

[jumpuphigh]

I've never had them to get in my way.

[emperor]

I wouldn't have thought they get in the way - I think the costs are weight and £££.

[jumpuphigh]

I get confused as to what people in different countries call different types of climbing. Sports=trad for me. :D

[emperor]

Oh! What do you call what I call sport, then? :-)

[jumpuphigh]

We just mainly call it lead climbing which is confusing since trad climbing is also referred to as lead climbing. Basically, our vocabulary is all messed up. :D You don't get much distinction among US climbers in terms of the vocabulary unless they climb internationally as well. Then, climbers more often use European definitions. Otherwise, we just lump it all in under the umbrella of "leading."

[syderia]

My advide would be to find a shop that lets you try them out before buying. Here there's one where you put it on and they hoist you up in the air, so you can judge how comfortable they are.

The second the "extra loops" piece of advice from the previous poster. Try to have at least four.

[rydra_wong]

Here there's one where you put it on and they hoist you up in the air, so you can judge how comfortable they are.

I haven't seen a gear shop with the facilities for that in the UK, but will keep my eyes out. Thanks for the advice!

[juliet]

The shop in the Castle does that. When I bought mine I spent quite a while hanging from it (& the other contenders) before deciding, & it was definitely a Good Thing.

I actually wound up getting a more gear-loop-ish harness than I expected (think it is one designed for ice climbing & so forth) because it was so damn comfy. The contrast between that & the hire harness was quite impressive.

I can't use mine at the moment (too big) or for the next couple-few months (I don't roped-climb often anyway, & can't imagine I'm going to make it anywhere other than the Arch at the outside for a while after March!), so if you'd like to have a borrow & try it out you'd be welcome to.

[rydra_wong]

Oh, cool. I'm now registered at the Castle (having done the roped climbing induction there), so I'll definitely check the shop.

[cofax7]

Harnesses vary. Some of what you will need to decide includes indoor or outdoor, sport or trad, gear loops, cushy leg loops, etc. Women's harnesses have a narrower waist, are often lighter and more brightly colored.

I recommend you find a shop where you can try one on and hang in it for a few minutes. Also imagine being yanked about by 200 lbs pulling you upwards, how comfortable would that be for half an hour at a stretch?

More expensive ones are probly more than you need, and are designed for big wall climbs. Try some out, talk to people about their gear. I'm sure you already know not to buy a used harness...

[rydra_wong]

Some of what you will need to decide includes indoor or outdoor, sport or trad, gear loops, cushy leg loops, etc.

Yeah, part of what I'm wondering is how much of that I have to decide -- can you get a basic all-rounder harness which will cover various forms of climbing, if not optimally? Or do they not live up to their promises?

Is the sport vs. trad difference mainly in terms of weight, number of gear loops, etc.?

I'm sure you already know not to buy a used harness...

That, I had just about figured out. *g*

[cofax7]

can you get a basic all-rounder harness which will cover various forms of climbing, if not optimally

You can, and for a long time most harnesses were all-around harnesses. But if you think you'll spend all your time climbing indoors, or on sport routes, there's no need to go for a really cushy padded harness with a lot of gear loops, for instance.

I have a $50 Black Diamond harness I got on sale last winter at REI, it's been great.

[rydra_wong]

I'm figuring that realistically, I'll certainly be doing a lot of indoor toproping (though I have already discovered that I really hate having a rope in my face, so I may have to learn to lead ...), but the idea of a bit of outdoor trad does appeal, at least conceptually. There are a lot of gorgeous grit routes that are essentially tall boulder problems with added gear placements..

So it'd be nice to get a harness that doesn't necessarily rule that out off the bat.

[wpadmirer]

I have a Camp harness. I got it three years ago, and it's held up extremely well. The waist straps are dual - one on each side, which makes it really easy to tighten comfortably and have the loops centered. Nice thing. It is padded and it's not expensive.

It's a unisex harness, because I don't give a damn about colors, and I wanted something good. (grin) I highly recommend the Camp harnesses. It's got loops, a special tab loop in the center of the back for your chalk bag, it's durable and comfortable. I've climbed indoors and outdoors and it's worked well for all.

I know some people want to go with lighter harnesses, but I think you give up some durability and certainly comfort when you do.

Yay, gear :-)

[emperor]

UKClimbing has quite a lot of harness reviews, which are good. I got a new harness last year, which is a DMM Renegade, and I'm liking very much. It's comfy and has enough gear loops for trad.

Any decent climbing gear shop should have at least some rope and a 'biner hanging from a beam which you can attach to and sit / swing / hang in harnesses. The most, most important thing is that the blessed thing is comfy.

The second most important thing is that it'll fit when you're wearing almost nothing (think a light t-shirt and shorts or whatever you'll go climbing in if we get summer this year) and when you're wearing a bazillion layers (e.g. t-shirt / fleece / waterproof for when climbing in "summer" in Wales).

Next, consider what you're going to use it for. For trad, more gear loops are a definite plus (my first harness had four, which was OK, but not quite enough), whereas for sport you can probably get away with one or two, and probably even fewer for indoor-only climbing. Equally, if you only want to climb indoor, you can probably save some weight and some £££ by picking a harness with fewer loops, and won't need to bother with leg loops with clips (sort of an outdoors-only need)...

ETA: oh, you get unisex, male, and female harnesses. They tend to vary in size, colour, and the relative dimensions; I'd only really worry about finding one that fits...

Re: Yay, gear :-)

[rydra_wong]

*takes notes*

I've been eyeing the DMM Viper as one to try on -- it seems to be the cheaper/more basic version of the Renegade, and looks like something that'd work fine for indoors but wouldn't rule out beginning outdoor trad ventures if I get lured out onto any rocks taller than my usual.

Re: Yay, gear :-)

[emperor]

Come to the darktrad side - we have cookiesbetter toys :-)

Re: Yay, gear :-)

[rydra_wong]

Hey, gritstone fangirl here -- the trad is only slightly higher than the highballs, so it's a very fuzzy boundary to begin with. *g*

Re: Yay, gear :-)

[rydra_wong]

I have a DMM Puma (female version of the Renegade)! \o/

Apparently I need the longer "rise" in the female version to prevent the leg loops from ending up in my crotch.