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Climbing Harnesses Buying Guide

Climbing Harnesses Buying Guide

Climbing Harnesses

The modern climbing harness is your comfortable link to the safety chain and it is therefore essential that you get a suitable one that fits. Gone are the days when the leader never fell so the modern harness needs to allow you to fall in comfort and safety.

The most important thing for a harness to do is fit correctly. It must be tight enough to allow you to invert without falling out and loose enough for a reasonably long tale to be threaded through the buckle. The size charts should allow you to get the size right but I'd always advise you to try some on in a shop if you can, remember safety equipment cannot be returned unless it is faulty or incorrectly sent.

Ladies specific harnesses should have a different design to men's harnesses because girls aren't the same shape as boys. Ladies harnesses should have a greater distance between the waist belt and the top of the thigh, this is called the rise. The other main design difference is that the diameter of the waist belt should be smaller in ratio to the diameter of the leg loops.  

Assuming you can get a harness to fit you there are several features that vary on different models so you need to decide what style of harness you need.

Padding:
All harnesses are made from some type of webbing which gives them their strength. The most basic harnesses are often just webbing, these are cheaper and lighter but less comfy. Padded harnesses basically add padding around the webbing to create a softer and more comfortable seat.

Leg Loops:
Climbing harnesses all have adjustable waist belts for obvious reasons the leg loops however don't have to be adjustable. Non-adjusting leg loops are lighter, cheaper and less hassle. If you only use your harness in weather were you will always be wearing the same amount of clothing on your legs then you don't really need adjustable leg loops. If you might be winter climbing or if the harness needs to be used by other people then you probably need adjustable leg loops.

Buckles:
Most companies now use the quick fastening ziplock buckles on most of their harnesses. Most people find these easier and less fiddly than the old style. 

Gear Loops:
Personal preference here, most harnesses will come with at least four. This should be enough for most types of climbing and can always be supplemented with a bandolier. Gear loops vary in shape and size and all the designs have benefits and disadvantages.