Jayne III vs. Jayne II
The updated Jayne III has a few small changes, such as the harness's bluesign certification, meaning that it was made with less environmental impact than the previous model. Below is a list of the physical changes to the harness:
- Wear indicators — The latest version of the Jayne has red webbing sewn into the belay loop and tie-in points to notify you when the harness is worn out.
- Updated tie-in points — Edelrid got rid of the plastic cover on the lower tie-in point.
- Elasticized leg loops — Some elastic was added to the leg loops in addition to the adjustable webbing.
Check out the comparison photos below to see the updated version of the Jayne on the left and the version we tested on the right.
Hands-on Review of the Jayne II
The Jayne II has a sliding waist belt to help you keep the belay loop in the right position. It has a tiny loop in the back that you could potentially use for a haul line, but it's hard to get a carabiner in and out of it. It does have two ice clipper slots and a low profile back for chimneying. Note that we thought this harness was a little on the roomy side in the size medium that we tested. We had a ton of extra webbing on our waist belt and had the harness cinched all the way down. Just keep that in mind if you are between sizes on their chart, you'll perhaps want to size down.
This all-around harness felt a little heavy when sport climbing, but it was comfortable to hang in.
Photo: Cam McKenzie Ring
Standing Comfort
We found the Jayne to perform averagely in terms of standing comfort. Its bulkiness got in the way on routes but didn't bother us too much standing around. That said, we preferred to remove the Jayne before walking and felt it was a bit inhibiting when lounging around at the base of the crag.
Here you can see the extra stitching on the inner thigh that was a bit bothersome when the harness was on for long periods of time.
Photo: Lindsay Hamm
Hanging Comfort
This harness was an average performer when it came to hanging comfort as well as standing comfort. There is some good padding in the waist and leg loops, so we liked hanging in this one more than some of the superlight models, and we liked that it wasn't as bulky as others. There was one spot on each leg loop that is hard and full of stitching, and we sometimes felt that pushing into us which wasn't so comfortable.
A hanging belay in Yosemite in the Edelrid Jayne. This harness was surprisingly comfortable to hang in!
Photo: Lindsay Hamm
Discipline-Specific Features
The Jayne has some good features for an all-around model, like ice clipper slots, but it is missing a real haul loop in the back, which was a little annoying, especially since it seems like it is designed for multi-pitch climbing or long routes.
The "e" is actually a tab that you can (try to) slide a carabiner in to. We prefer bigger haul loops than this one.
Photo: Cam McKenzie Ring
It took some time, but we did end up liking the plastic reinforcement on the bottom tie-in point, though. This protects both your harness and your rope from repeated friction and wear in one spot.
The plastic covering is meant to add durability to the tie-in points. It also makes the belay loop slide around freely, which we liked.
Photo: Lindsay Hamm
Versatility
This is a pretty versatile harness. It's comfortable enough for long routes, though you might not have quite enough room on your gear loops and it doesn't have a useable haul loop. (The tab at the back says 25 kg (55 lbs), but it's hard to get a carabiner through it.) It does have two ice clipper tool slots, should you only ice climb occasionally or only want one on each side when you do.
One of the two slots to attach an ice tool carabiner.
Photo: Lindsay Hamm
Adjustability
While this harness does have adjustable leg loops, we thought that the rise was a little low, and even when we had the leg straps extended all of the way it didn't sit on our waist properly. The leg loops are fully adjustable though, which is nice when its cold out, and you need to layer. The waistbelt is also adjustable in a unique way.
The extra-long webbing makes the Jayne highly adjustable, but also shows that this harness runs big.
Photo: Lindsay Hamm
The load bearing webbing is moveable within the padding so that you can keep the belay loop directly in front of you when making the waist bigger or smaller. Again, this harness runs large, so consider going down a size to get the proper fit.
The leg loops were easy to adjust and we liked the range. The buckles were easier to use on the Jayne than other models we tested.
Photo: Lindsay Hamm
Value
This harness has a very approachable pricetag. That said, harnesses from other brands received higher scores and had lower price tags than the Jayne.
Conclusion
There is nothing wrong with
Edelrid Jayne II, but it didn't stand out enough in any one particular way to win an award in our review. It is comfortable and fairly versatile though, and may just be the perfect fit for you!
