[Closed] what climbing harness?

The one that's comfy when you try them on and hang on a rope in the shop, if you can?

Try some on in your climbing wall and see what fits best

As above - try loads on for size in a shop, have a hang on it and make sure it doesn't make you talk all high pitched, like...

An adjustable one such as Camp make. Then you can wear it on the wall and over winter mountainerring kit too.

Petzl for the win for a basic but comfy harness...

The rental ones I've used are DMM's. They seem OK, but I don't have anything to compare with. The shop at the wall (reading) are pretty helpful, so I'll go in and try a few. Is comfort the main feature I should be thinking about?

The one that fits best with enough gear loops when you get in to a bit of trad leading. Personally I always found black Diamond and Petzl were comfiest. If you go in to any decent climbing shop you should be able to hang in the harness to see how it feels. If they don't let you do that then go somewhere else.

Whatever you do, get one with more than 3 gear loops! If you want to progress to leading trad, you will need 4 minimum.

Try Ukclimbing.com, If you are not aware of it, its the climbing equivalent of STW. You get the same old childish witter, with a sprinkling of useful info.

As above try some on but a simple cheap harness is the DMM centre alpine which I have as well as a renegade pro.

Jesus, you guys might think you know a lot about old Kona's and how to bleed Juicy 5's but you have no idea about climbing.

An adjustable one such as Camp? Thats like saying "What car should I buy?...... "Ohh, one that runs on petrol like a Ford."

WHICH Camp harness? FFS

And Petzl for the win (a basic but comfy harness?????!!!!)

**** me! Petzl do some of the best designed and most feature laden harnesses on the planet? WHICH one ffs?

(Hangs head in shame.)

Stick to arguing about 10 speed vs 9 or 29 vs 26 please.

If you only intend indoor climbing walls then a fully adjustable mountaineering harness is unnecessary IMO. keep it simple.

LOL. Black Diamond Alpine Bod for no-frills functionality.

Go into a shop with a budget and a book. Hang in a couple you like the look of for as long as you can and buy the most comfortable one.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/sama-id_3379049.html

Something like this will be fine for indoor and sport climbing. Anything more complicated is a waste of time and money.

Something like the Black Diamond Momentum AL is a good start. Available for £50

Petzl Corax are good too but I'm not that keen since they changed the style. Probably about £10 more than the BD too.

Wild country & DMM are also okay well I've mates who have them and don't complain about them.

Things to look for: Adjustability is good (waist and leg loops) and I'd want minimum of 4 gear loops in case you fancy the transition to outside/trad. And make sure the colour doesn't clash wi your t-shirt....

Well simple_simon, at least all the clueless halfwits that posted were able to make a suggestion, which is more than you appear to be capable of.

As above. Get down to somewhere like snow and rock (chosen just because I get a disccount due to being member if climbing centre). Pick the one that fits. I ended up buying a um erm erm grey one cos it felt nice. Can't reccomend it enough.

I got a DMM Renegade.

It was the model I borrowed when I started climbing, never had any issues with it.

Tried loads when I bought mine, but kept coming back to this one for it's comfort, adjustability, amount of gear loops and TBH, the fact that I just trusted it.

I have a wild country ziplock, superb.

TBH, look at how you want to progress with your climbing, then tune the harness to suit, loops etc.

Comfort is a big driver, especially if you intend to wear it for day climbs

And you have done better Kenny?

What are you getting into? Do you just climb indoors or do you want to venture outdoors into sport or trad?

If you just climb indoors and have no real desire to go anywhere else, something light and well fitting which gives you a really good range of movement is what you want. You only need a couple of gear loops for dangling a chalkbag, belay and maybe a few clips off.

If you do want to progress more outdoors, then start to look at a heavier harness, with more padding around the rear of the legs, backstrap and crotch. Pay more attention to the comfort of it, how well fitted it is and try it on with clothes on too - something that fits in a pair of thin shorts might not work as well over 3 or 4 layers or when you're hanging on it for an hour belaying a long pitch. I've always used wild country harnesses so would say something like the ziplock sport for indoor and the syncro for more all round use. I use a syncro normally and an old sport harness indoors when I don't want a load of extra weight.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/ these forums might be a good place to look for climbing advice!

Yes. Because I've managed not to slag off everyone who's tried to help the OP, which is better than you did.

Also, not of consideration at present for you. But I specifically buy harnesses with leg loop buckles that can allow the leg loops to be undone completely whilst remaining tied in. Useful for a no.2 when on some face somewhere or other.

You've just demonstrated how few indoor walls you've climbed on with this, Simon:

"[i]If you just climb indoors and have no real desire to go anywhere else, something light and well fitting which gives you a really good range of movement is what you want. You only need a couple of gear loops for dangling a chalkbag, belay and maybe a few clips off. [/i]"

Climbing with a chalk bag indoors is banned on some walls and considered anti-social by regualar climbers on many others. Walls end up plastered in chalk and if you land on the bag you fill the room with a cloud of the stuff. At the walls I've used recently the social climber chalks up with a minimum of chalk from the communal basket with a chalk ball in it.

I've never come across a wall that has banned chalk. Loose chalk, maybe, but not chalk balls. How do you carry the communal bucket up a 20m route?

As far as harnesses go, if the OP is a relative novice leading mid-grades indoors, then he doesn't need anything particularly expensive or lightweight.

Comfort and hard-wearing are the main things he should be looking for. And that depends on your size, weight, leg thickness, loads of factors, so your best bet is to try on a few, and hang on them for a minute at a time, shifting weight around to try to spot if they are going to cause discomfort. If he's a bigger lad, areas to focus on are padding around the back of the harness.

If the OP has any interest in getting outdoors, four or so gear loops will be needed, but most harnesses have at least this many.

Climbing with a chalk bag indoors is banned on some walls and considered anti-social by regualar climbers on many others.

Cobblers.

Loose chalk is frowned upon, but you're supposed to use chalk balls instead. And you, ah, still need a bag to keep your balls in.

To the OP,

Can we assume you've got your own rock shoes? If not, I'd prioritise that over a harness.

Some places do starter sets consisting of harness, screwgate and belay device; might be worth looking out for something like this? Go Outdoors had a decent one last time I was in (could've been DMM, can't remember).

Kenny, my point is that you haven't suggested what harness to buy....

I suggest you stick to things that you know about, like quoting useless bits of information from movies.(Or ducking into a thread you have no idea about and leaving one or two lines of a comment and then running away again.)

Also, Edukator..... You are quoting me incorrectly. It wasnt me.. it was someone else. (But if you want a comment, then...... "Communal chalk dipping????? Wots that all about then? Wer'e not bloody olympic gymnasts ya know. (or do you live in the states?) Also, chalk bags have never been banned at walls, however loose chalk is often frowned upon. (Thats why you can get some neat little chalk balls to pop in your bag.)

LOVED your opening line also "You've just demonstrated how few indoor walls you've climbed on with this, Simon:"

I tend to do all my climbing in the like, OUTDOORS! Doh!

Thats what climbing is, isn't it? An outdoor sport? Trad is where it's at.

Oh and Kenny, if you want ME to suggest a harness then I would probably go for one from Petzl/Wild Country/DMM/Singing Rock/Black Diamond/Metolius cuz they like have those belay things on them for like clipping in...

Oh, hush.

I bought my harness and shoes from a big Tiso that's next to one of the places i climb and hires out shoes/climbing gear. I'd also prioritise buying shoes over a harness - hired climbing shoes *boke*. I asked Tiso for advice when buying mine - i said i was a beginner but was wanting to progress to lead climbing/outdoors. Try on a few and see how they feel - Tiso made me clip into a rope and sit down in the harness to see what felt best.

Simon, you into bodybuilding too?

Jeez, chill out, this place is full of useful/useless information which may or may not be correct.

The majority of any indoor ice/rock climbing lessons I've taken have been at the Ice Factor in Kinlochleven.

Started with rock, after a few lessons I said to the instructor "which harness would you recommend?" He suggested a few harnesses and told me to try them. I picked the one that was most comfortable. I bought the Petzl Adjama.

When I started ice climbing, I said "which harness would you recommend" and the instructor looked down at my harness and said "are you comfortable in that one?". I said yes and he said "well, I'd recommend that one" 🙂

That's much better Simon. Perhaps next time you can just make your suggestions, rather than wade in mocking everyone else who has, then you won't look such a tit. And here's another tip - don't be so foolish as to assume that I don't climb just because I didn't add anything to the suggestions already made.

Kenny,

You STILL haven't recommended a harness.....

Isn't it time you ran away?

Climbers: The only people who can out-clique fatbikers 😉

This is why I don't head to UKC much any more...

My current harness is 8 years old, you can't buy them anymore, so there is no point suggesting it to the OP. (Unless you advocate a beginner buying an old second hand harness?)

Hope never to meet you on a crag, Simon. However, I do apologise for sustituting your name for another. It stuck in my mind for some reason.

I said chalk is banned on some walls and it is, Cougar. [url= http://cafmulhouse.ffcam.fr/salles-escalade.html ]Mulhouse University[/url] and a wall in Chamonix among others. It's also banned on some crags where I've climbed, in Germany and also some places in France, notably Fontainebleau.

I might mix up ranters' names but my climbing facts are solid.

Kenny,

Why you climbing on an 8 year old harness?

Ohh and Edukator.... my sentiments entirely, Best summed up with the word Cobblers.

Because there's nothing wrong with it.

Petzl gives a 10-year working life for its products so there's nothing wrong with using an 8-year-old harness. Keep a harness clean and in the dark and it'll be safe much longer than that.

*dons 8yr old cycle helmet*
this is only going to go one way....

Jeez. The guy asks for a couple of suggestions and WW3 breaks out. Internet forums...

Harnesses are all broadly the same. Some have different features that make will them more or less suitable for you depending on what you're doing. Essentially, the only things to worry about at this stage are the fit (and comfort) and the number of gear loops. If you think you'll get into winter climbing then start worrying about adjustable leg loops and what the thing's made from.

Go into a shop and see what they say. If you're anywhere near the Peak District, let me know and I can show you what we've got in stock and talk you through various things.

Ps. Chalk is not banned in Font, unless you're an argumentative Frenchman and stuck in the 1970s.

this may seem a bit of over kill but i use a black diamond ice harness

really only climb at local club and ratho but since im quite a bit guy the additional padding that comes with the ice harness makes it very comfy and not that heavy, only cost me 45 quid if i remember correctly and has lasted me years

8 year old harnesses that LOOKS ok.... Ummmm

You have heard of Todd Skinner havn't you?

I last climbed in Fontainebleau in the aerly 90s and everyone was still using resin. Maybe there weren't enough argumentative Frenchmen.

"[i]Jim Hewett, a friend of Skinner, had previously observed that the harness appeared worn.[[/i]"

Todd Skinner who died when his heavily and obviously frayed belay loop snapped? Yeah I've heard of him thanks.

just got into climbing recently, indoor for now but with the aim of getting outside come spring. and have just gone through the process of buying a harness too.

ended up with a DMM Renegade. supposed to be a good all-rounder so should be suitable for getting into trad, but the one thing that i found appealing was the 'free floating waistband'. the shop (V12 @ Awesome Walls) told me that after comfort & fit having the loops centralised was the most important thing. i seemed to be in between a large & med which meant that the loops usually tended to be off to one side or another, but this feature allows them to be rotated to fit better.

Brown +1. All harnesses will stop you from dying, there's no such thing as a 'bad' harness. You pay extra for features; extra padding, coated gear loops, and whatever other 'must haves' that their marketing team want to convince you that you need this week.

Priority number one for a beginner should be 'is it comfortable?' Go to a good climbing shop and get advice from an shop assistant who actually climbs. Try a few on; a good shop will have a roped crab that you can clip into so you can test it under load.

When I bought mine back in the late Jurassic, I ended up with a fully adjustable harness because it was the only way I could get one that fitted; they were relatively rare back then and you paid a premium for it, these days it looks like it's harder [i]not[/i] to find a fully adjustable one. So, the world's your mollusc really.

I said chalk is banned on some walls and it is, Cougar.

No, you didn't. You said chalk [i]bags [/i]are banned, which is nonsense.

arcteryx A320.

Chalk bags are banned if they contain chalk. Is that better, Cougar? It isn't nonsense, you can't use chalk on some walls, simple as. The walls are in sports halls or are next to other facililies that the owners don't want plastered in chalk (running around on chalk covered flors is dangerous).

The owners of my local wall wanted to ban chalk but after negociation with climbers have agreed to a trial period in which chalk is allowed on a "chalk then climb basis" in the hope that will limit the amount of chalk dust floating around the building.

Do they want to ban all chalk?, or just loose chalk excluding balls?

Chalk bags are banned if they contain chalk. Is that better, Cougar?

Not really. The issue is [i]loose[/i] chalk. I've never heard of anywhere that bans chalk balls (or bags for that matter).

I'm sure it was just a typo on your part initially, but it was a misleading one, why is why I clarified it. I've no wish to argue about it.

There are walls with a ban on all chalk; loose, in balls or however else you can imagine it, clear?

You didn't know of such bans, now you do.

I'll just add try to get one that you are somewhere in the middle of the range of adjustment on the waist band (which should sit above your hips).

I got a Black Diamond something or other and got the large which I now have adjusted to the smallest it will go and it is verging on being too big - inexperienced buyer and not very helpful/very busy shop assistant. I'm going to get a new one soon as I'm having a few too many high pitched voice moments after dynamic falls from the harness moving about.

There are walls with a ban on all chalk

In the UK?

If so, then you're right, I've simply not come across it. Could do to know which ones, then I know to avoid visiting them.

This is a new record, even for STW.....we're actually having an argument about chalk.

🙂

I love this place.

You're getting desperate now, Cougar.

Well, no, I was asking a question. Though I could perhaps have worded it a little better.

Could you tell where which climbing walls in the UK have an outright ban on chalk? I'd like to know, as I don't want to waste time visiting a new wall only to find that I can't climb there.

"[i]My mate was asked to leave the climbing wall in Ft William leisure centre last night for using chalk(ball). The centre's policy is that due to the health hazard of chalk dust only liquid chalk or an eco-ball may be used.But these are not as effective in what is a small,poorly ventilated room with slippy holds.Are there other walls where such a ban exists[/i]?"

There are alternatives so it really isn't the problem the man that visited Fort William thought it to be. Liquid chalk pens (Edit: which don't contain chalk but some substitute), resins... . Perhaps other contributors can advise.

BTW that climbing wall in Fort William no longer exists 🙂

My bad. I should've qualified my question with "walls that actually exist."

And it might look like it, but I'm not being deliberately argumentative. I cannot climb without chalk, so if there is somewhere I can't go then I'd genuinely like to know.

Perhaps other contributors can advise.

Don't your solid climbing facts cover it?

Someone is really desperate for a bit of aggro today. 😐

You offering, bee-atch?

(-:

You offering, bee-atch?

🙂

I have the strangest boner right now...

You could chalk the chicken?

Get out. 🙂

Thanks for all the comments (yes, all of them! :-)) I'll certainly go to the climbing shop as they were really helpful when I've been in before. I do now feel a bit more informed about things to look for when I go, esp things like checking that adjustable items are in the middle of their range. Other points...I don't think I'm too much of a big lad (6ft1, 13st) and already have shoes. At the moment I expect to climb indoors only, but wouldn't want to get something that would limit me to that. Thanks again.

you really don't need to spend a lot on a harness.

If it's comfy and has 4 gear loops, there's no real reason why you couldn't use it for pretty much everything from being roped up on a sketchy ridge walk in winter, to indoor rock, to ice climbing on the Ben.

The only time i've ever felt uncomfy in a harness, is the day my mate taught me how to "hanging belay". I doubt even the promise of Cheryl Cole kneeling doggy at the top of the pitch would make hanging in your harness for 20 mins any more comfortable 🙂