Harnesses

Featured review by JJB

It's easy to fit it—two pull straps at the waist, a little tug, and voila the harness is locked in. Comfy too.

I bought the Corax harness kit complete with a harness, belay device, carabiner, chalk bag and chalk.  Easy to put on and adjust to fit. Just step into the harness, pull each side of the waist belt, and voila a perfect fit with the harness perfectly centered. Great to get the added bonus of the belay, carabiner, chalk bag and chalk for just a bit more. I shopped online and got the kit for $74 minus a 10% discount. Light, the items in the kit are good quality. which means it won't weigh or wear you down on those treks to the rock wall.

Read more: Petzl Corax reviews (6)

Featured review by GuestBrian

Light, pretty comfortable, good for trad and sport (I’m 165 pound male). I like the gear loops: combination of smaller rigid plastic and floppy but huge loops for the back two. It would have been more comfortable for me if I could have combined the waist belt off a small and the leg loops off a medium. The stitching is very clever - minimizes material but supportive. I like the auto double back buckles. Design of the back is much improved over the earlier version but still dumb. I don't understand their stubbornness over leaving out a haul loop.

Read more: Petzl Adjama reviews (4)

Reviewed by Mason Kirby

Currently this is my favorite harness. This harness is very comfortable and it is very easy to put on and adjust. The gear loops are sturdy and easy to find and it includes a handy haul loop.

This is my third harness and I have taken it from the gym to the red rocks of Moab and I love it. It does not have adjustable leg loops which are quite comfortable and make putting the harness on very quick and easy. The buckle does not need to be looped back through making the waist adjustment quicker and allows you to make minor adjustments with ease.  It has four coated gear loops that are easy to clip things on and off of them. It has a single haul loop in the back that works great.  The harness seems quite durable and over the two years I have had it I see very little wear. There is a wear indicator in the belay loop so you know when it's time to replace.

Read more: Mammut Ophir Harness review (1)

Featured review by Alex B

The Black Diamond Couloir harness has all the features you need for a glacier travel or mountaineering, and none of the features you don't.

I have used this harness for about 40 days for glacier travel and mountaineering and it has held up to use and abuse well. The harness is lightweight with no padding, which is ideal for glacier travel and mountaineering when you only would need it for a rescue scenario. You'll be wearing it almost the whole time so you want it to be lightweight, low profile (so it fits under a backpack strap), and have it pack down small for when you don't need it. It can be uncomfortable hanging from this harness due to the lack of padding, but since you're not planning on hanging from this harness, the padding would just be extra weight/bulk.

Read more: Black Diamond Couloir reviews (2)

Featured review by Jpeters

Just got done with the first climbs using the BD Big Gun. I tired on several harnesses after my Metolius finally started showing signs of wear. The Arc'Teryx proved to be very light by may cause broken ribs if you take a screamer.These harnesses are at very opposite extremes and I was somewhat suspect of the mobility of the Big Gun until I climbed with it. For all the padding the Big Gun does well on sport climbs and the gear loops are amazing for setting up your rack and very comfy two. This is not a sport cragers ideal harness but if you're looking to spending time on multi-pitch trad routes I would definitely recommend the Big Gun for its comfort, durability, and organization.

Read more: Black Diamond Big Gun reviews (2)

Reviewed by Mangozilla

This is a fantastic, extremely light, comfortable harness. Targeted originally for high end sport climbing (and still used for that), it has also gained popularity as an alpine harness, which is what I use it for in addition to all-day trad rock. Despite the absence of adjustable leg loops (which would increase the weight anyways), I find it works very well for any and all types of climbing. Petzl wisely put ice-clipper slots on the waist belt in anticipating the needs of the alpine/ice climber.

Read more: Petzl Hirundos review (1)

Featured review by DRMeschke

First harness I ever bought and after all this time I still find myself going back to this harness.

This harness works great! It's easy to take on and off and everything works just like it should. The four gear loops can store enough draws for a day of sport climbing or all your nuts, draws, and cams for trad.  The Momentum AL harness gives all climbers the comfort and durability that Black Diamond is known for. The harness has a traditional waistbelt buckle and adjustable leg loops, which uses a simple slide adjuster to provide a wide range of fit. From the Black Diamond website: "The waistbelt is built with our Dual Core Construction, which uses two slim bands of high-tensile webbing on the outer edges of the waistbelt and a venting OpenAir foam insert in the center to offer breathable, lightweight comfort without pressure points." And...

Read more: Black Diamond Momentum AL reviews (7)

Featured review by G00se

The Digger Cave Harness is a low-cost, no frills caving harness that does the job it is suppose to do. While it does not carry the marketing power of Petzl, there are several features that make this harness worth considering.

A Bit About Cave Harnesses The function of a cave harness necessitates a different design from a traditional climbing harness. While rock climbers are ascending a rock face, primarily relying on the harness to catch them in a fall, cavers are actually climbing the rope, being fully committed to the harness during the descent and return to the surface (See pic #1.). Pic 1: On the ascent, a caver is either “frogging” up a rope in a sit/stand motion, or sitting in the harness in a rope walker set up.

Read more: Singing Rock Digger Cave Harness reviews (2)

Reviewed by Gaz Leah

Not the lightest or the comfiest harness out there, but if you're looking for a good all rounder, this is possibly the best one on the market!

DMM's Renegade 2 is an upgrade to the previous version in both aesthetics and functionality. They ditched the plastic gear loops for the better handling fabric ones, changed the color from a dismal grey to a fresh looking red trim and added a floating waist belt to allow a more adjustable fit, whatever your body shape. Harness don't really have a huge amount of room for drastic innovation but DMM has managed to come up with some neat features that certainly make it more versatile. Separate elasticated leg bands may not sound very interesting, but when you need to go the bathroom on a big wall, you'll soon see the beauty in them.

Read more: DMM Renegade 2 review (1)

Reviewed by Climbfit23

Harness is lightweight and durable. It allows for great flexibility and ease of movement. Leg straps are elastic loaded providing perfect fit for legs and saving time.

I have used this harness both indoors and outdoors (New England Sport climbing) for about two years. I regularly climb 5.12+ and this harness works great for difficult leg movement and harness does not bunch or feel uncomfortable while climbing.  It is lightweight but feels durable as well. The leg straps are elastic loaded saving you time from having to adjust the straps manually.  The only thing I don't like about this harness is that it can feel somewhat uncomfortable while belaying, but what harness doesn't feel uncomfortable at times while belaying.

Read more: Mammut Togir Light review (1)