Climbing Harness Buying Advice

Which harness you buy will depend on what type of climber you are and what features are important to you.

Comfort
The most important feature in a harness is comfort. Surprisingly, the most comfortable harnesses are often the least expensive. This is because the more expensive models generally are lighter and they have cut weight at the expense of support. You can tell a lot about a harness by hanging in it in a store for five minutes and comparing it against others – many climbing stores have a way by which you can hang in a harness. If you feel a part digging into your side in the store, it will certainly also do that when you are hanging out on the side of the rock. Also, as is the case with shoes and helmets, fit is everything and fit is highly individual. All harness manufacturers have differently sized Small, Medium and Large. A Medium in one harness might fit you perfectly while in another brand you are in an awkward place halfway between Medium and Small. Keep in mind that most stores do not take returns on climbing harnesses, so get the fit right before purchasing.

Gear Loops and Haul Loops
The first thing to decide is how many gear loops you need. Four is standard and recommended but some high end sport climbing harnesses come with only two. We found that hard plastic gear loops are the easiest to clip, but some testers also like the soft ones. So gear loops are a case where personal preference matters more than anything. Some gear loops are rated to hold as much as 10,000 pounds. Others are not rated to hold much weight at all and so won't allow you to temporarily hang heavy stuff on the side of your harness (like a backpack while rappelling). Finally, it is great to have a full strength trail loop for multi-pitch climbing. If the haul loop is not full strength that is okay, but you won't have the same confidence level.



Buckles
The first time we saw a self-locking or speed adjust buckle was on a Petzl harness a few years ago. Now just about everyone uses self-locking buckles and this is a good thing. Self-locking buckles makes it quick, easy and safe to put on and tighten your harness. We highly recommend them and definitely count it against a harness in our ratings if it does not have them.

Leg Loops
Harnesses come with either fixed or adjustable leg loops. All our testers prefer fixed leg loops. There are two pieces of common myth about adjustable leg loops:

• they always give you a better fit.

• they are mandatory for alpine climbing in order to get them over boots and crampons.

When rock climbing, adjustable leg loops don't offer much of a better fit unless you have large legs for your waist size. Instead, they are just add clutter and weight to the harness. In alpine climbing adjustable leg loops can be handy but they are certainly not mandatory. Our favorite alpine climbing harnesses are the Petzl Hirundos and Camp Air, specifically because they do not have the extra weight and clutter of buckles on the leg loops. Adjustable leg loops are not a deal-breaker in a harness; we just feel they add extra cost, weight and clutter without improving the harness that much.

Bottom line: if you try on a harness and the waist fits perfectly but the leg loops are way too tight, you may be a candidate for adjustable leg loops. Otherwise, we steer people away from them.



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Leg Loop Elastic Release
Most harnesses have some way to adjust and release the leg loops when you have to go squat to go to the bathroom. For some climbers this isn't important. But many people, especially women, will not buy a harness unless it has a convenient way to drop the leg loops. This is one area where harnesses we tested truly differ. Some are easy to release and others are really hard. We tell you how they score in our tests. But it is best to try on a harness in the store and see for yourself how easily you can release the leg loop elastic.

Weight and size
Most harnesses we tested are quite light. If you want a super-light harness you generally will pay a lot more and probably will end up with one that is less comfy. Only in alpine climbing is a really lightweight harness that important. That said, if you get to the climbing gym on a motorcycle or bicycle, it is nice to have a harness that compacts quite small. During the review process Chris Mac always reached for the most compact (yet still comfy) harness when riding his motorcycle to the gym or crag. Other than that there is no reason to shave ounces off your harness. It's like shaving your legs to swim – unless you're a top-ranked competitive swimmer it won't help you enough to matter.

Safety Features
Harness manufacturers are adding more safety features every year. The current main feature is the self-locking buckle on the waist belt, which makes it almost impossible to put on your harness incorrectly. Other safety features that should become standard on all harnesses:

• Instructions and illustrations on the harness that show how to properly use it.

• Color indicators on key tie-in points that measure wear and show when to replace the harness.

• Reinforced tie-in points.