Selecting a Harness

 When selecting a harness you need to consider such things as safety, comfort, weight and features.

The most important thing to remember when you buy a harness is that it should fit comfortably and snug. Wear your climbing clothes when you test the harness. Put the rig on and hang in it. Does the waist loop ride up to your rib cage or do the leg loops slide up into the depths of your crotch? If so, it's too big. Are you unable to pull the waist belt to the top of your hip bones? Too small.

Features:

Many harnesses can be used for multiple types of climbs, from rock to mountain or even Ice. Look for a slim harness with features like detachable leg loops, a haul loop, belay loop, and four gear loops that can easily handle a large trad rack or 15 quickdraws. (For added comfort at hanging belays, buy a lightweight nylon belay seat or "butt bag" - it will keep your feet from going numb.) Even some alpine harnesses now use waist-belt padding; the extra comfort and support costs only an ounce or two. Most sport-climbing designs seek to save weight and obstruction by opting for scantily-padded legs and waist, and using narrower webbing. Most trad harnesses have full padding, which give comfort while hanging at belays and carrying heavy racks. In reality, the difference in weight and mobility between sport and trad harnesses is minimal; most trad harnesses are now cut trim enough to be almost unnoticeable when climbing.

The amount of padding varies widely between harnesses. For summer rock climbing, and wearing shorts, you'll want a padded harness. You can probably use a little less when wearing cold weather gear, just because of the padding the clothes offer and you will want to maintain your mobility. Ice-climbing and alpine models generally have no padding in the legs, and may or may not have a padded waist. Models with adjustment and detacthable padding can serve as multi purpose harnesses for someone who wants to participate in a variety of surfaces. Regardless of the time of year or the type of clothing that you are wearing you should avoid clothes with seams or zippers in locations where there will be pressure when hanging.

An optional feature for harnesses is a belay loop. This sewn loop connecting your waist and leg loops makes clipping into anchors a snap, whether you're anchoring into cold shuts at the top of a sport climb or trying to put your partner on belay while wearing thick mittens. The belay loop is not meant to be used as a tie-in point for your rope (it creates a high center of gravity). Always tie in by threading the rope through both your leg and waist loops. Regardless of what outing you choose, a belay loop is a handy extra that is worth the additional money.

Many harnesses come with a haul loop, which is a loop of webbing sewn at the back of the waist belt. It is useful for clipping on trail ropes, approach shoes, or chalk bags. Some are runner strength, some aren't, so be wary about how much trust you put on this point.

Harnesses vary in the placement and number of gear loops they offer. Some ultra-light sport-climbing harnesses have only two gear loops (good for a ropeless free climb), while a big-wall harness may have as many as eight. Be sure to select a harness with enough loops to do the job but not cumbersome. Loops must be located where you need them. Envision how the gear will hang on them or better yet hang gear on it (any good shop should be willing to allow you to do this). Consider how this gear will hang in various situations; can you get to everything?

Harnesses also vary in the number of buckles and their positioning. Most high-end rock-climbing harness designs assume you'll be wearing a relatively constant thickness of shorts or pants, and use fixed leg loops to save the bulk, weight, and cost of extra buckles. Ice harnesses, on the other hand, often have leg loops that you can adjust in size to suit the number of layers you're wearing. All harnesses have adjustable waist loops that can compensate for a full belly or an extra belay coat.
The elastic that holds up the back of the leg loops can be detached if the harness has plastic buckles or velcro here. This feature allows you to heed the call of nature or don rainpaints without untying from the harness, and allows you to slip out of the leg loops while staying tied into the waist belt. This feature is mandatory for big-wall climbing or when you'll be in the saddle for long periods of time. When you try on a harness, make sure the leg loops taper enough at the inside of your thighs so they don't bunch up or rub your crotch.

Women's styles
Some manufacturers offer women's harnesses. Women generally have proportionally smaller waists and larger legs than men. Also, the vertical rise between women's leg loops and waist loops is longer, so, until the advent of women's harnesses, some female climbers found that their harnesses didn't fit quite right. But note that not all women fit better in a women's harness. If you're a woman, try on models for both genders before heading to the cash register. The same applies to men: if the harness is too large in the waist or if the vertical rise is too short, try a woman's design. The models look almost identical, so don't worry about feeling like a drag queen at the crag.

Cost:
You can find a decent harness for somewhere between $75.00 and $125.00. If you spend anything less you may regret it later so this is one place you don't want to skimp, while on the other  hand spending more will not likely get you a better harness just less money spend on getting everything else you need. 

If you are using an old harness, even if it looks to be in good shape you should consider upgrading to a new on to take advantage of the strength of new material and lighter weight.  The old military repelling harnesses available at surplus stores are nice to hang on you wall but they are surplus for a reason, let them stay that way.

Tyler Stableford is the photo and copy editor at Climbing. He recently spent four days hanging in his harness while photographing on El Capitan, and expects to regain feeling in his legs sometime this spring.

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