rydra_wong: "i like to climb alot". The xkcd stick figure climbs up the side of Hyperbole and a Half's yak-like "alot." (climbing -- alot)
rydra_wong ([personal profile] rydra_wong) wrote in [community profile] disobey_gravity2012-01-09 08:41 pm
Entry tags:

Harnesses?

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!
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)

[personal profile] jumpuphigh 2012-01-09 09:57 pm (UTC)(link)
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.
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)

[personal profile] jumpuphigh 2012-01-10 09:18 am (UTC)(link)
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: (Default)

[personal profile] emperor 2012-01-10 03:23 pm (UTC)(link)
IME you don't need many gear loops for sport, it's trad where you need plenty of loop space for all your toys.
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)

[personal profile] jumpuphigh 2012-01-10 03:37 pm (UTC)(link)
I've never had them to get in my way.
emperor: (Default)

[personal profile] emperor 2012-01-10 03:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't have thought they get in the way - I think the costs are weight and £££.
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)

[personal profile] jumpuphigh 2012-01-10 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I get confused as to what people in different countries call different types of climbing. Sports=trad for me. :D
emperor: (Default)

[personal profile] emperor 2012-01-10 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh! What do you call what I call sport, then? :-)
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)

[personal profile] jumpuphigh 2012-01-10 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
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: lotus Syderia (Default)

[personal profile] syderia 2012-01-10 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
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.
juliet: (Default)

[personal profile] juliet 2012-01-12 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
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.
cofax7: climbing on an abbey wall  (Default)

[personal profile] cofax7 2012-01-10 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
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...
cofax7: climbing on an abbey wall  (Default)

[personal profile] cofax7 2012-01-11 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
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.
wpadmirer: (Default)

[personal profile] wpadmirer 2012-01-10 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)
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.
emperor: (Default)

Yay, gear :-)

[personal profile] emperor 2012-01-10 03:44 pm (UTC)(link)
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...
Edited 2012-01-10 15:46 (UTC)
emperor: (Default)

Re: Yay, gear :-)

[personal profile] emperor 2012-01-11 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Come to the darktrad side - we have cookiesbetter toys :-)