[Will Hunt]

I have a 6 year old who has outgrown her chest harness. She never got on especially well with it. When she falls off she can't really lean back to put her feet on the wall and walk down it (after all, chest harnesses are designed to keep you upright so this makes sense), so as she hangs there and lowers down she spins around bashing into things. To this end she normally favours bouldering.

I could get the next size up of chest harness, but I've thought a sit harness would be a good solution for this and on paper she would fit into one now, despite being small for her age (admittedly her legs are a little small to fill out the leg loops but her waist is fine). However I've heard mixed opinions about when a kid can move into a sit harness. She doesn't have any hip definition which I believe can mean they slip out of the harness in the event of inverting (unlikely but not impossible). Does this actually happen? I got my first harness at 8 and it was a sit.

I've seen some people suggest adding a sling (and there are products like the Edelrid Kermit that do the same thing) to make a sit harness behave more like a chest harness, but then I wonder if we're just going to run into the same problems we had before?

[SamT]

I've potentially got one you could have. My lads grown out of it. Barely used at all.  Shall I pm you some pics?

[ali k]

We got this one for when my niece and nephew came to stay

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/kid-s-climbing-harness-easy-junior/_/R-p-143819?mc=8618930

Niece is 4 and the leg loops are way way too big but we took it to the wall and asked if they were happy for her to use it. Instructor tightened up the waist and as long as when you pull it down by the gear loops it doesn’t slip over their hips he said it was fine. Tightness of leg loops is more or less irrelevant apparently.

[SamT]

Its  Black Diamond Wiz Kid.

This one..

https://www.bfgcdn.com/1500_1500_90/303-0053/black-diamond-wiz-kid-climbing-harness-bf.jpg

[Will Hunt]

Its  Black Diamond Wiz Kid.

This one..

https://www.bfgcdn.com/1500_1500_90/303-0053/black-diamond-wiz-kid-climbing-harness-bf.jpg

Thanks Sam. Have just checked the specs and she's still a little too small for this one round the waist, but thanks very much for the offer.

[SamT]

No probs.

[PeteHukb]

Hi Will. If I were you I'd defo want her to try on a sit harness before buying, but if you are physically unable to pull it off her when correctly done up, she won't slip out if she inverts. However, inverting even without the harness slipping off is still best avoided, clearly, and because kids are top-heavy this is still a risk which you'll have to assess against your own child's body shape/weight distribution.

FWIW I've got a DMM Tom-Kitten full-body harness which is great and has an impressively wide age/weight range, both my kids (average 4 year old girl and tall/heavy 5 year old boy) like it and don't find lowering a problem. You'd be welcome to borrow it and my larger full-body harness (Petzl one) to try them out.

[Johnny Brown]

My son is ten and still just able to squeeze into his Tom kitten.

[Hoseyb]

One of our 6 foot instructors squeezed into a tom kitten. I would only favour a full body harness while the centre of gravity is  over belly button height, or  tummy is significantly bigger than hips. Sit harnesses are much more preferable, and with things on the market like the edelrid Finn, it's possible to get a good fit on quite tiny climbers. All my kids were in sit harnesses by the time they were 6 or so

[SA Chris]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/kid-s-climbing-harness-easy-junior/_/R-p-143819?mc=8618930

Our kids both use these, and have since they were about 7, and too tall for the full body harnesses we had (an Edelrid Fraggle and a Petzl Simba.). Kyle is now 13, and it still fits him fine.

[Will Hunt]

Thanks for all the advice. I went for the Edelrid Finn sit harness in the end. After comparing her with her little brother she does at least have the beginnings of a waist (her brother is all belly). Had a day off with her yesterday and we went to Brimham for some abseiling and climbing. The new harness was a complete game-changer, with her being able to comfortably sit back in it and walk down the wall.

[Hoseyb]

Brilliant to hear! Brimham is ace, I have fond memories of visiting there as a little un. It formed loads of good thoughts about climbing for future me. ( although I was convinced turtle rock was a pinnacle akin to the totem pole until I visited as an adult).

[M1V0]

After a chest harness for a nearly 4 year old.

Hoping for something relatively cheap as I’m not convinced they’ll be that interested at first! Any recommendations or does anybody have one that’s been outgrown?

[nik at work]

Where are you based?

[M1V0]

Lancaster area

[nik at work]

Can post you one, PM me your address.