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Select a Harness

If you are unsure of how a harness should fit - here are a few pointers.

• Select a harness on a mixture of elements - the type of climbing you are doing and how long you are intending to spend in the harness - believe us, long climbs and routes require good levels of padding to prevent hotspots and soreness from prolonged contact with a harness. This is also a good point if you are a recreational climber spending a few hours a night at your local indoor climbing wall, where you will be in your harness the whole session. Read about specification of your harness and the fit of the harness. Make sure you are happy about the quality of the harness in terms of stitching, quality of material etc - ask others at the climbing wall what they have/are using how they feel about the harness/harnesses they have used. Use the reddo10 members question board in the members area to ask questions to other climbers if you are unsure. Remember - a harness can save your life. It is a vital piece of climbing hardware. Be very cautious if you are buying a second hand harness. If you don't now the owner and it's history the golden rule is don't bother. Generally for only a few pounds more you can get piece of mind and reassurance with a new harness.
• The waist should fit snugly across the hipbones. Most manufacturers recommend that re-threaded straps have at least a 10cm tail when closed to prevent movement of straps. It is also a good visual indicator that all is well with your harness. Check the recommendations for your harness. A good harness should have clear markings to indicate that it has been properly secured. The rise (the distance between the leg loops and waist belt) should also be comfortable.
• Whether fitted or adjustable, the leg loops should be snug but not tight. Leg loops that are toot tight are restrictive and can be painful and rub. You should just be able to slip a hand between the leg loop and the upper thigh. During regular use, it should not have any pressure points or hot spots around the waist or legs. Take the extra time to insure your harness fits well. If possible, hang in the harness for a few minutes to get a good idea of the fit and feel of the product you're considering.
• Ensure if you test a harness on a climbing wall that you feel secure and in an comfortable upright position when hanging in it. It is important you don't get the feeling of being top heavy and a feeling of insecurity that you may tip upside down or that you are too hunched in your harness in an exaggerated seating position. If this is the case the harnesses rise adjustment is incorrect and the size of the harness is wrong or if it can be adjusted needs to be. The Metolius 3D Harness range gives easy adjustment of the rise - see the rise adjustment explanation on how to fit a Metolius 3D Harness.

A note on women's harnesses

Some companies have designed harnesses that accommodate women's specific geometry. A women's harness is usually longer in the rise (distance from the leg loops to the waist belt). They are also designed to fit a proportionally smaller waist and slightly larger leg diameter. The width of the waist belt is adjusted to prevent it from cutting into the top of the hips or the bottom of the ribcage. As always, it's best to try several to determine the best overall fit. Highly recommended is the Women's Deluxe Safe Tech Harness by Metolius. This can be seen in the online store.

Harness Parts

Belay Loop (1)

The majority of quality well made harnesses on the market today have a belay loop, a sewn loop connecting your waist band and leg loops. The belay loop makes the attachment of a belay device or stitch plate very easy, keeping the belay device central on the harness and away from buckles and webbing on the harness. NB It is important to remember that in no way should the belay loop be used to tie into. It creates a higher centre of gravity and less stability. Rope should still be threaded through both leg and waist loops at the front and tied with a figure of eight knot.

Gear Loops (2)

It is important when selecting a harness to gauge what style of climbing you are buying your harness for and deciding roughly what gear you wish to attach to your harness. Big wall climbers and mountaineers will invariably require to carry a large rack and other equipment, whereas sports and alpine climbers tend to carry the minimum equipment to ensure the climber remains lightweight. Beginners may find that they spend more climbing hours in the early stages of their development at an indoor climbing wall where the only requirements to begin with will be a chalk bag and a belay device. As a novice climber becomes more confident and new skills will lead towards lead climbing etc, more protection will be required and hence more gear loops needed. A good all rounder will usually have four gear loops at the back of the harness and this will suffice most novice and intermediate climbers.

Leg Loops (3)

Leg loops boil down to a matter of comfort and practicality dependant on the style of climbing you are wishing to adopt. If you spend hours in the climbing wall in indoor conditions then adjustable or removable leg loops are not really required as you will be wearing lightweight clothing. Outdoor climbing where there may be the need to change how many layers you are wearing will result in the need for greater adjustment. Therefore you have a harness that will be ideal for indoor and outdoor climbing regardless of the seasonal weather. For most climbing other than strict mountaineering, it is advantageous to have padding, however true alpine climbers and Ice climbers will see this as an unnecessary luxury! Mountaineering harnesses are specific in having detachable leg loops to give greater flexibility and to get round the problem of a call of nature whilst roped in. Also an option often required by big wall climbers who can spend days in a harness.

Haul loops (4)

Most harnesses on the market come with a haul loop. It is a loop of webbing material stitched into the back of the harness and is generally used by most traditional and sport climbers to attach chalk bags to or a light foldable waterproof jacket etc. Trail ropes can be attached to these but it is important to check with the manufacturers if the haul loop is runner strength i.e. can hold excessive kit weight or even your own body weight. Check this if it is important to you. Misplaced trust can result in serious problems.

Padding

As with the padding in leg loops, overall harness padding is still a personal choice and there are many purists who still frown upon having padding in alpine and some sport harnesses. Fine if you have the hide of the average rhino. Modern technology in closed cell foams, neoprene etc have seen weight and bulk of traditional all rounder harnesses greatly reduced and now most traditional harnesses have a more sport harness look being sleek and non-bulky. Padding is down to individual choice. There is nothing worse than being in discomfort from your harness on a day out climbing. You have enough to concentrate without having to content with a harness digging in or rubbing your legs and waist. If you are a first time harness buyer and a novice climber, you’ll be spending a long time in your harness, either belaying or hanging or hang dogging as you become technically adept. Go for comfort. You’ll be glad you did.

NB A harness is a very personal choice and you may need to try on many different harnesses to find the right one for you. Rule of thumb is to stick with a major brand such as Metolius, Wild Country, Troll etc. A harness like the majority of kit used in climbing needs to be failsafe. You will need to be confident about your choice. For more information about the Metolius 3D harness, please check: How to fit a Metolius 3D Harness.

Harness Comparisons

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