wrench Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 i'm thinking about a new lightweight harness! so far the lightest i've found are the Petzl Pandion (290g), the Cassin Eolo (225g), and of course the Alpine Bod (350g). the Pandion and Eolo are marketed as adventure racing harnesses and have a few drawbacks. the Pandion only has one gear loop and a single, high tie-in point (is that a drawback?). the gear loops on the Eolo are wimpy and the leg loops can't be clipped to (cuz they're wimpy too). price-wise, the cost can be almost directly (and inversely) correlated to the weight! my biggest concerns are durability and how far you can push them, i.e. where do u draw the line for using them: glacier, easy grade alpine rock/ice, or long, difficult alpine, etc. has anyone use the Pandion or the Eolo? do you have an opinion, good or bad, and can you compare it to the Alpine Bod? have you taken a fall in it, and if so, did it kill you? gracias! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhamaker Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 >>Alpine Bod? have you taken a fall in it, and if so, did it kill you? << I've taken a few falls in the Alpine Bod, and I'm dead. For my body shape, you don't want to hang around for too long in the Alpine Bod. The Bibler harness is very light, and comfortable when adjusted correctly. It also packs down to less than any other harness I've seen. The Bibler and the Bod both have the advantage of being able to drop the leg loops for taking a dump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvs Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I went down to Pro Mtn Sports, bought the Eolo about a month ago. Since then I used it on N Ridge Baker, cragging at Index, Bear Creek Spire (5.8, in sierras). I wish I had bought a size smaller (leg loops are cinched all the way down). But overall, it's great - really compact. I can hang comfortably in it for a while. My other harness is a Black Diamond Bod. Very comfortable, but you have to use a carabiner to hold it together. If I don't care about weight/compactness, I'd use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinfox Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I have an alpine bod and have even used it for sport climbing. It doesn't hurt that bad and I'm a skinny fucker. I have worn it for years (even while glissading) and it's got a bit of fraying, but is still in great shape. I haven't used the other harnesses, but having "wimpy" gear loops and leg loops doesn't sound like a big drawback to me. The only harness I know of with "non-wimpy", i.e. clippable, gear loops and leg loops is that Metolius "SuperSafe" harness or whatever. And I'm sure that thing weighs a ton. Get a lightweight harness and just trust yourself to tie in properly. I've seen BD alpine bods on ebay pretty cheap. If you can find a store that carries all three, maybe you could try them on and hang from a pull-up bar in them or something. In any case, please post your final decision here as I may have to replace my Bod one day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned_Flanders Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I love alpine bods, they Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrench Posted July 1, 2003 Author Share Posted July 1, 2003 Alpinfox said: I haven't used the other harnesses, but having "wimpy" gear loops and leg loops doesn't sound like a big drawback to me. The only harness I know of with "non-wimpy", i.e. clippable, gear loops and leg loops is that Metolius "SuperSafe" harness or whatever. And I'm sure that thing weighs a ton. actually i didn't mean gear/leg loops you can tie into, just meant gear loops with a minimal amount of burliness to allow hanging a few cams from and leg loops that you can autoblock in a worst case scenario. MVS: do you rack any of your gear on your Eolo gear loops? are they annoying, or do they do okay? JH: Bibler makes harnesses???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 That Eolo harness is pretty cool. Very very light and packable. I bought one from jim to replace my lost alpine bod, but took it back a couple of days later when my alpine bod was found again. You've seen this year's alpine bod, right? They added two moderately stiff gear loops too it. If you rack stuff on your waist, that may be the best choice for you. if you mostly rack to your chest, I think that Eolo harness is hard to beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Attitude Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I have the Petzl Pandion, which I bought as a light weight alternative to my BD Blizzard. So far I've only used it for Gym climbing because of the gear loop issue, but I plan on using it on the glacier this weekend. The buckles are a little annoying to adjust, but the webbing and buckles are burly, so I don't expect any durability issues. No padding, so adjustment is critical when hanging in the harness. I've only taken top rope falls in the gym. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndavidjr Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 I ditched the BD Bod due to discomfort on descent as it discouragingly digs into the dogbones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_Simpkins Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 Try this: It's worth a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pms Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 I was reading your comments on the Eolo harness. If you want we can swap you for a smaller size. Maybe we can get you to write a trip/gear report for our website. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvs Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 Who hoo! Thank'ee. I'd be happy to do that... As for the gear loop question, I use the left one for my belay device, and nothing for the right one. I store a cleaning tool on a biner just hooked around the waist strap in the back. Everything else goes on the rack. An easy price to pay for such a light harness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrench Posted July 2, 2003 Author Share Posted July 2, 2003 my thoughts were to go with the pandion (found it online for $40) and sew another extra gear loop on the left side. i have one other petzl harness w/ those fancy buckles, and at first they were a little annoying, but i'm used to it now. seems like this setup would be the right solution for me. i like to rack a few things on my harness, and the gear loops on the eolo (w/ no tubing -- just thin strands of fabric) seem like they would get a little annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinker Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 wrench said: i like to rack a few things on my harness, and the gear loops on the eolo (w/ no tubing -- just thin strands of fabric) seem like they would get a little annoying. that would be pretty easy to fix/modify if that were your only concern.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrench Posted July 2, 2003 Author Share Posted July 2, 2003 Thinker said: that would be pretty easy to fix/modify if that were your only concern.... heh heh, what the hell do you know, thinker?! besides, you know i have way bigger problems than gear loops. hey, do you still want a fixer-upper pair of gaiters? on topic... the eolo is only 1.5 oz. lighter than the pandion but costs $30 more (after considering the sale i found) and both require gear loop modifications to fit (what i deem to be) my needs. so the extra $30 doesn't really seem worth it... but then i've been known to overanalyze these things... just like a thinker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinker Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 no thanks on the gaiters, I'm pretty fat on them now....picked up a 'like new' $15 pair of BigCrocs at a garage sale. good luck trying to make up your mind on the harness, OCD boy! jus kiddin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrench Posted July 2, 2003 Author Share Posted July 2, 2003 Thinker said: good luck trying to make up your mind on the harness, OCD boy! jus kiddin' OCD or real boring fucking job (aka climbing funding venture). not sure. maybe i'm schyzophrenic too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblebutt Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 Biggest advantage of the Alpine Bod and Bod is the fact you can unclip leg loops. This seems like no big deal but when you have to take a shit in a hurry and still remain clipped in, it is a huge deal! It also allows you with a little bit of manouvering to put on your waterproof bibs without untying. Again a bid deal if you are spending a whole day in a harness in Alpine conditions. These are the overwhelming reason I like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norsky Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 I wish I had bought a size smaller (leg loops are cinched all the way down). Nice! Thin climbing legs. Hope your upper bod looks like Franklin's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvs Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 I have my manservant carry me from place to place to keep them slim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrench Posted July 3, 2003 Author Share Posted July 3, 2003 bubblebutt: both the cassin and petzl harnesses have detachable leg loops -- i agree, that's a NECESSITY. mvs: just like the french, eh? their girlfriends carry their packs so their legs don't get too big. but having your manservant carry yours gives it a nice tarantino/deliverance touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimL Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 I bought a Camp Numbat at PMS a couple of years ago. Best harness I've ever owned. Durable and light weight but enough of a harness that your able to comfortable climb alpine, ice, walls or take huge cragging wippers. too bad it is so frayed now that I'm afraid to take huge falls on it. Its still a good glacier/alpine harness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.