Looking at getting into climbing after a wicked night at a climbing wall. What harness should I get 32″ waste 6ft 13stone

Black Diamond Bod. Cheap, comfy and adjustable.

Literally just saw that.. whats the dealio with the clipable leg straps where most of them are more secure, do the legs not really hold much weight?

also whats the crack with buying 2nd hand?

I wouldn’t buy second hand, just not worth the risk.

The main load on the Bod is taken by the loop that comes up the front, the clipped leg bits are just to hold the shape. Works spot on in real life and allows you to adjust the fit for different levels of clothing (useful for winter stuff etc)

Don’t buy second hand unless you absolutely know the history of the harness. In fact, even then I’d be dubious. If it fails, you could end up all sorts of broken.

Try a few on too – I have a Mammut something or other ‘cos it was comfy, though I’ve now lost almost enough weight that I need a new one. Brilliant.

Climbing harnesses are a bit like helmets, what fits one person’s body might not fit another’s too well.

Most decent outdoor shops wil have a few different harnesses in, and often a bit of rope you can clip into to see how the harness feels with your weight in it. Probably worth doing.

In terms of fancy features, loops etc, most of them aren’t that necessary if you’ll just be climbing at the indoor wall. If you do get more into climbing you’ll learn which of these features is important to you through experience so you probably don’t need to focus on them just now.

I’m on my second Petzl Calidris, which is not an especially light harness but is very comfortable (for me at least).
Supertopo for a few reviews to read.

Thanks guys I saw the Calidris but I think the bod is more than enough for me at this stage, whats the life expectancy of these things – when does it get cut up and binned?

also next question – recommend me some cheap trousers that are flexible and wont get torn apart please 😀

The paperwork with mine said that it should be retired after 10 yrs, which seems quite a long time. That assumes that there is nothing wrong with it before then, regular checks are recommended.

also next question – recommend me some cheap trousers that are flexible and wont get torn apart please

Craghopper Kiwis

arcteryx R320.

expensive but the lightest, most comfortable harness I’ve ever had.

Life expectancy varies depending on it’s usage and storage. Storage in sunlight or exposure to chemicals will shorten the life expectancy of all soft climbing gear, ropes, harnesses, slings etc. That is one of the reasons that a lot of people don’t recommend second hand gear as you just never know its history.

Don’t mail order the harness though, go to a shop, try a few on. It’s surprisingly relaxing hanging from the rafters of a shop. All the available harnesses will be safe if used correctly so the next most important thing is fit, need to make sure that it is comfortable.

Trousers, indoors I tend to wear shorts, outdoors if it’s too cold for trousers I’ve a pair of north face quick dry trousers that are OK, in really cold weather I’ve a pair of fleece lined columbia trousers. I’ve never found trousers to be a big deal so long as they are comfy and either roomy enough to stretch in or you could go the way of the ronhill.

Craghopper Kiwis

Same here. Shorts in summer, but our centre is FREEZING in winter. TK Maxx almost always has them in.

nice one guys 🙂 2 final q’s then! since your so helpful.

1, anything special about chalks other than the obvious
2, whats the best way to improve as a beginner

Make sure you get the shop to explain how your harness needs to be done up. Some need the straps doubling back over the buckle, some are a bit fancier and don’t. Obviously if your harness does and you don’t, death awaits you with nasty, sharp, pointy teeth!

Mine’s a Petzl Corax, reasonably comfy, fancy ready-doubled buckles.

Just bought a BD couloir for Alpine and b/c ski FunTimes. Folds up into a bag the size of an apple, weighs bugger all and you can put it on without stepping out of your bindings, crampons etc.

1) If you spill some talc replacing an inner tube, don’t dump the excess in your chalk bag. Don’t know what I was thinking, maybe I was drunk, but it’s NOT THE SAME STUFF. It’s like powdered grease!

2) climb lots, watch people, chat to people, THINK (about how and where to put your weight to make the holds and the route work) stretch, and don’t go too hard and start tweaking things.

Have fun!

Ivor Badelbow

1. You may need to start moisturising your hands. Seriously.
2. What nedrapier said. Plus try and mix it up a bit. Do as many different routes as you can, even if you don’t get to the top. Try and do the same route in different ways. Repeat routes to get smoother. Bouldering is also good, do that. Buy some climbing shoes.

I’d definitely reccommend the Petzl Corax. Really comfy harness, have worn it all day and has been great when climbing indoors and loads of gear loops if you decide to go outdoors.

Agree with the advice above, plus try and use your legs as much as possible, try traversing routes low to the ground without using your hands at all. It’s a really good balance exercise.

If there is club at your local wall go along, you’ll learn loads. If not then a a couple of days instruction would be well worth the money. If you fancy a weekend away then Plas Y Brenin is hard to beat.

Learn your equipment and your knots, and when and how to use them.

Technique is more important than strength.

Once you’ve a bit of confidence and know enough not to hurt yourself get yourself into the outdoors, it’s more fun. When you do get outdoors try climbing in a range of areas, different types of rock have very different characteristics.

I had climbing shoes before I had a harness (only a few weeks mind), initially did loads of bouldering and traversing, you don’t necessarily need to go high for it to be challenging.

Should have said, moisturising AFTER climbing, not during. Chalk and moisturiser would make an awful mess.

Bouldering is awesome fun. Dunno where you’re based, but indoor centres are springing up – I went to an awesome one in Bristol, kinda restored my mojo for indoor climbing. Lots of interesting traverses, overhangs and such – the lack of need for a rope opens up lots of options for route design.

thanks guys all useful – I did a few climbs at the uni climbing wall when I was after a girl! which was fun but about 4 years ago now. got the shoes just need a harness 😀 and moisturiser 😀

dangers of reading things quickly:

I did a few climbs at the uni climbing wall when I was, after all, a girl! which was fun

Trousers – if you’re climbing indoors there is absolutely no need for anything more technical than a pair of tracksuit bottoms. Most of the expensive climbing trousers (even the craghoppers ones) are meant for keeping you comfortable out in the weather.

Chalk – the amount of chalk you need depends on how sweaty your hands are, but try and only use it when you actually need it. Saves hanging around too much on one arm, is a bit better for your skin and stops you coating the holds in ming as much. That said, if you have sweaty mits, don’t hold back on the chalk either – it does really help.

Moisturising – You might find that you don’t need a moisturiser. If you wash the chalk off your hadns as soon as you’re finished climbing that can make a huge difference.

Improving – Go climbing regularly, and make a point of challenging yourself. If you find you cant get up a route, try it again later in the session, and then again the next session. Bouldering with your mates is a good way of learning techniques too.

HTH

Ok. First I’ll answer your question, then I’ll tell you why it’s the wrong question. (-:

Buying a harness is, as someone else said, a lot like buying a helmet. Different people are different sizes and shapes, and what is perfect for one person will be totally wrong for another. For this reason, you need to go to a decent climbing shop and try some on.

There’s no such thing as a ‘bad’ harness (or ‘bad’ climbing gear generally) in so far as they’ll all perform their core function which is to stop you from hitting the floor (and suffering what I like to call “deceleration trauma”). A more expensive harness will do this without leaving you sounding like Joe Pasquale. You pay for features, so extra padding, more loops for gear, fully adjustable leg straps etc will all bump up the price.

Now, why’s this the wrong question? Two reasons.

First, it’s arguably a mistake to run out and buy all the gear after one session. If you get bored a fortnight later, you’ve not lost a lot of cash.

Second, a harness shouldn’t be your first purchase. I’d suggest, in order of priority: Chalk bag and chalk; shoes; belay device and locking carabiner; then worry about a harness.

Chalk should be your first purchase as it’s relatively cheap and not readily available for hire. Absolutely the next thing you should be thinking about is rock shoes. They will make the single biggest difference to your climbing as they’ll be right for you and they’ll be consistent (and so you’ll learn to trust them). Much of what I said about harnesses applies to shoes too, but I can give you more specific advice as required.

If you follow no other advice, follow this one: when buying climbing shoes, do so from a reputable climbing shop, ideally when they’re not mad busy. Make sure they know you’re a beginner, and try on many pairs. Last time I bought boots I think I tried on every pair in the shop and was there about an hour. (-:

As for the trousers, I’ll +1 the Craghoppers. I’ve climbed in them for years (and they’re also my winter MTBing pants).

whats the crack with buying 2nd hand?

Don’t. You don’t know its history. Simple.

Oh, one thing I meant to add a footnote to, I said “there’s no such thing as bad gear” – there’s a caveat to this, there’s some far east counterfeit gear in the wild at the moment. I’ll get you a link, hang on.

Here.

Fake Petzl gear

Every climber needs to be aware of this.

whats the dealio with the clipable leg straps where most of them are more secure, do the legs not really hold much weight?

Looking at the design of the Bod, even if the clips were to come undone, you wouldn’t be going anywhere; the leg straps start on the waistband, go round your arse, then attach back up between your legs through the belay loop where the rope will be attached (and so where all the load is).

1, anything special about chalks other than the obvious
2, whats the best way to improve as a beginner

1) It makes you poo, don’t lick your fingers.

Many climbing centres ban loose chalk in favour of chalk balls – chalk in a muslin mesh to keep the mess down. I’ve never seen this enforced though and some climbers, myself included, ignore this (I’m a horrible sweaty sod and I simply can’t get enough chalk out of the balls).

2) Climb more.

Watch others climb, watch how they approach things. What how different climbers will attack the same move in different ways. Consider a course. Are you climbing with an experienced partner (if not, definitely consider a course before you hurt yourself)?

Bouldering with your mates is a good way of learning techniques too.

It’s also second to none for building strength.

I tend to use the bouldering as a warm-up / cool down, even if it’s just to stretch my muscles out slowly.

Incidentally OP, which which wall did you visit?

Thanks guys all advice useful and neds comment funny 🙂

I’ve got shoes already got them a couple of years back and remember trying loads of pairs on to make sure they were nice and tight and a good fit for my foot shape, also got the belay n c so thats sorted.

My hands seemed pretty average last night from sweatiness so I think I’ll try a chalk ball n bag first as I was feeling like I needed a little something to keep my grip up.

The place has harnesses and the bod so I’ll try it out and their prices seem reasonable for convenience so thats all good 🙂

This is where I went (pics in link) a vnice guy helped us out and was super friendly – I’d recommend anyone popping in if your into climbing

http://www.adventurepeaks.com/news/AmblesideClimbingWall.html

super fun bouldering walls as well but I was pretty beat after doing a few runs of the main room.

Think I managed a 6a and cheated on a 6b but some random bits seemed harder on a 5 route, weird I dont really understand the scale even after seeing the chart

my mates are all novices also about 10 of us are asking about training courses 🙂

Is 5 posts on the bounce a record?

Is 5 posts on the bounce a record?

Ah, I didn’t know there was a challenge…

This is where I went

Ooh, I didn’t know there was one in Ambleside. That looks lovely too.

If you’re out that way, you’re not a million miles away from Kendal wall, which is amazing. Well worth a trip (even if only for the chocolate brownies).

yeah Kendals the same distance I live in Ulverston.

I’ll have a venture 🙂

Retire the harness when the edges of the belay loop become furry (experienced climbers have died from loop failure outside on worn harnesses). 5 years is the max life for software given on the label/leaflet it may last longer, it’s your call. Definitely replace if it gets a nick in any of the loadbearing parts or exposure to acid (take it off to pee if necessary). If you always tie in when belaying use the rope for belay plate attachment to reduce wear on the belay loop.

5 years is the max life for software

Yeah, that’s the kick up the arse I needed, my harness was bought mid-90s.

It’s had very little abuse and been used intermittently so I was sticking with it. (In my heyday I was climbing -at least- three times a week, but haven’t climbed in anger now for about ten years apart from a brief revisit a couple of years ago).

I really need to start climbing again, I miss it.

Too lazy to read the previous posts but I used to work as a technical advisor for the buying department of a large outdoor equipment retailer if that makes a difference?

1. Don’t buy a 2nd hand harness. No way of telling how it’s been treated or how many falls it’s taken.

2. Try loads on and get the one that fits the best and feels most comfortable. Do not buy a harness without hanging in it. If the shop doesn’t let you do this, go somewhere else.

3. Black Diamond Bod is cheap and very good. If its comfy, buy one.

I used to work as a technical advisor for the buying department of a large outdoor equipment retailer if that makes a difference?

No offence but, does that mean you know anything about climbing, or do you just know what sells well?

(EDIT – not being a dick, genuine question)