UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => equipment => Topic started by: Jackob on May 19, 2022, 04:46:52 pm
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Having gone through 3 harnesses in six years im looking for something a little more durable yet still lightweight and comfortable enough for dogging/extended belays. Ive previously had 2 arcteryx ones and one petzl sitta and although i enjoyed the fit/lightweightness they just dont last long enough. If anyone can reccomend something similar which will last a little longer im all ears. Must have enough gear loops for trad too. Not really bothered about the type of leg loops.
Thanks a lot guys!
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BD Solution Guide. Bombproof, light and comfy enough*...
I find on long hanging belays it can dig in a bit at the top of the waist band, and I suspect (and have seen the wounds on a mate) that hauling will chaff your skin through in no time! But for general uk sport/trad it's really good - way better than the Edelrid Cyrus it replaced (which nearly de-balled me once).
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However a harness fits someone else, it still has to fit you, so you’ll need to go and hang in them to know what actually works for you. That said, the Petzl Adjama seems pretty robust, I like mine. Gear loops could be better for trad, but they are okay. Think they have been updated on the latest model.
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just do what Spanish lifers do and wrap a bit of accessory cord around the tie in point like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/KABl0aT.png)
If the manufacturers don't like this modification, maybe they should stop make harnesses with planned obsolescence
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This is my expensive arcteryx trad harness, the belay loop frayed after only 2 years of admittedly heavy use. (I have a sport harness that has lasted much better)
(https://i.imgur.com/feWU1mh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/zFUK5ZO.jpg)
Unimpressed with arcteryx's crappy resilience after spending £120+, I added approximately 50pence worth of nylon tape and tied it in a tape knot. Here it is still going strong after around 8 years of use on the 'backup' tape knot:
(https://i.imgur.com/fFfFY3d.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fu18FRC.jpg)
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I had a Wild Country Mission Sport harness that lasted about four years of heavy use (I only climb routes so I use my harness every time I climb) and the bit that went on it was the elastic retainers that go between the waist belt and the leg loops, ie a bit the more frugal climber could probably fix themselves without compromising the integrity. I climb chimneys and the like so you might get even longer out of one. The current version is called a Session and the only difference is the colour of the material and the fact that it has buckles on the leg loops.
I replaced it with an Edelrid Sirana which is lighter (very light for a traddable harness) and has the gear loops in better places in my opinion (the Wild Country has quite small gear loops right at the front and at the sides while the Edelrid has two longer ones at the sides and two shorter ones more round towards the back) but I’ve only had it since Christmas so can’t comment on its longevity.
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Having gone through 3 harnesses in six years im looking for something a little more durable yet still lightweight and comfortable enough for dogging/extended belays. Ive previously had 2 arcteryx ones
WTF are you doing to these things? I've still got the same Arcy I had in 2012 where I spent 7 months around the USA doing 'big stuff' (admittedly I did have to tape a roll mat inside it when hauling). It hasn't seen much use since the pandemic but still...
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I would expect maybe 3-4 years before I retire a harness (usually one of the Petzl ones), based on doing quite a lot of sport climbing, so 2 years sounds feasible if you do a load of it and it's mostly dogging things
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I replaced it with an Edelrid Sirana which is lighter (very light for a traddable harness) and has the gear loops in better places in my opinion (the Wild Country has quite small gear loops right at the front and at the sides while the Edelrid has two longer ones at the sides and two shorter ones more round towards the back) but I’ve only had it since Christmas so can’t comment on its longevity.
Update on this- after about three months of use the outer fabric of one of the leg loops developed a tear where the pointy bit of my nut key sits which I’ve had to fix by sealing the edges with a lighter then sticking some of that “tenacious tape” that you fix holes on down jackets with. I anticipate it going in more places.
The problem is that the outer fabric is both quite lightweight and non-abrasion resistant and amazingly isn’t ripstop-type material at all- the way it tears and runs is nothing like fabric you expect to find on outdoor equipment would behave :no: . So despite having the all-important central rear loop for belay kit and being an otherwise great trad harness it’s really only suited for sport where you’ll only be racking smooth quickdraws and the harness itself doesn’t come into contact with the rock much. :wank:
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I had an issue like that on my first arcteryx harness Pete. I had it for about 5 years and then replaced it with a new one in 2017 and haven’t had any issues with that one.
Most of my mates have bought and replaced their petzl harness in that time and although they are cheaper I’m not sure they are that much cheaper?
Also regarding the rear central gear loop… a useful thing in some ways but it does keep hard metal things captive at the bottom of your spine… not great if you end up hitting the ground? Though maybe I’m being rediculolously paranoid
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I’ve consistently used BD Chaos harnesses for the last 15-20 years. I think I’m on my third over that period of time (and have an unused one in the cupboard for when this one dies). Briefly used a BD Ozone for sport, but found it far less comfortable for dogging stuff and doubted the weight saving was worth it for me.
Not sure they’re still made (or possibly not imported) hence buying 2 at the same time. If you can get hold of one, I’d recommend for durability, comfort and decent gear racking.
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Also regarding the rear central gear loop… a useful thing in some ways but it does keep hard metal things captive at the bottom of your spine… not great if you end up hitting the ground? Though maybe I’m being rediculolously paranoid
Me too, I don't put stuff there.
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Also regarding the rear central gear loop… a useful thing in some ways but it does keep hard metal things captive at the bottom of your spine… not great if you end up hitting the ground? Though maybe I’m being rediculolously paranoid
Me too, I don't put stuff there.
I’ve had reasonable-sized deck outs twice and I didn’t land on that part either time. I did break my sacrum (exactly where my belay device sits come to think of it) in half the second time though, despite wearing a harness without a rear gear loop (RIP superlight sport harness :lol: ) at the time.
These days I simply don’t climb anything where there’s a realistic possibility of landing on the floor so I don’t factor it in. I like having the belay stuff well out of the way while I climb and very easy to find once I top out.
Trad climbing’s just fundamentally sketchy though isn’t it? We’ve all got little things we’re (probably justifiably) more paranoid about than other people and if we were paranoid about all of them we just wouldn’t go climbing at all ;) .
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Trad climbing’s just fundamentally sketchy though isn’t it? We’ve all got little things we’re (probably justifiably) more paranoid about than other people and if we were paranoid about all of them we just wouldn’t go climbing at all ;) .
Yes. I didn't/don't enjoy having mashed a thoracic vertebra, so I am disinclined to facilitate repeating the experience further down. As you say, we each have our little worry points.
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What diameter cord would this have been?
just do what Spanish lifers do and wrap a bit of accessory cord around the tie in point like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/KABl0aT.png)
If the manufacturers don't like this modification, maybe they should stop make harnesses with planned obsolescence
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3 mm, I have done it with 2 mm as well, but I prefer 3 mm. You need like 2.5 m or so.
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Very helpful. Thanks