Girly Harness - Arc'Teryx Isis

[jenaya413]

I'm shopping for a new harness and could use some advice. My last harness was a cheapo unpadded REI get-up that rode up during raps and just generally blew. I've been surfing REI and am wondering if the "made specifically for women" rhetoric holds true in practice. I'm leaning towards the Arc'Teryx Isis, but don't want to make another harness mistake.

Do any of the female climbers out there have advice on a comfortable harness for multi-pitch trad climbing?

[hikerwa]

I would suggest seeing if you can demo harnesses, either through REI, Feathered Friends, ProMountain Sports... etc. then hang in it, fall in it wear it around.

I bought a black diamond BOD, its got fleecy goodness, and generally works good for alpine and glacier stuff. But there are a ton of other ones out there.... the Isis is great from what I've heard.

any, just my thoughts.

sean

[glacier_dup1]

Not a woman, but I play one on tv. Actually a former girlfriend of mine has one, and found it generally comfortable. The Isis seems to be proportioned well for weight distribution. The only (minor) drawback is that the leg loops are not adjustable, which may be an issue if you use it an alpine or early season climbs where you are putting on and removing clothing. Another option that you may want to look at is the Metolius 3D Contour series. While not marketed as a specifically woman's harness, the harness is built with adjustable leg loops, as well as an adjustable rise to account for hip length.

[Marcus_Engley]

Anaya...

My girlfriend uses the Metolius Contour harness (they make several, I think-- slim, normal, and wide, or something). She's used it on everything from short sport climbs to 15 pitch gear routes. She's had no complaints. It's very adjustable for all your layering needs, and it's got good size gear loops and a haul loop as well. Not too expensive either, if I remember right...

Hope that helps!

m

[chelle]

I used to climb in an Isis and loved it. I needed adjustable leg loops and bought a unisex metolius which is ok for glacier travel, but a little too big in the waist for rock climbing.

I just bought a Trango Ascent harness off the mountainwoman.com hotsheet for $30 and find it to be really comfy. Not sure what size you need but they have XS and S.

[mattp]

Every guy in Seattle wants to be helpful, eh? I cannot pretend to know what harness is best for a female figure, but from my observation I would say that women come in different shapes and sizes just as do men and I am skeptical of "woman's" sizing -- my Petzl harness with adjustable leg loops is the most comfortable harness I have ever had for hanging belays, and it also adjusts to fit my 100 pound niece just fine.

I'd second what Hikerwa said -- don't take anybody's advice over what you can learn by trying them on. Go to every store in town, and try on every model that may fit you properly. If you are going to be using it for rockclimbing, the most important thing would be how comfortable it is to hang in -- have them set up a rope so you can actually hang in the harnesses. If you are going to use it primarily for mountaineering, you want one that will be compatible with the waistbelt on your pack – don't get a harness with a lot of gear loops on it and have them fill up a pack and see how the waistbelt feels when put on over the harness. If you are one of those hardcore climbers that will stay out in the rain, look for something without any fur or fabric.

[hollyclimber]

I have an Arteryx harness...I forget which one, but it is not one made specially for females.

I haven't liked the "female" harnesses I have tried because it seems like they make the leg loops skinnier. When I tried them on and hung in them, I could feel the skinny little leg loops digging into my legs and it hurt (I remember the BD womens harness I tried on hurt the most).

I think female oriented shoes can be really good, but I think the harness thing is kind of bogus. My recommendation would be to make sure you hang in the harness in the store before you buy it. Most places are set up to do this.

[Mike_Palmer]

I would recommend the Misty Mountain Finess womens harness. It has adjustable leg loops and double waist buckles so your gear loops are always in the right place. It has a shortned rise for women and comes in five sizes from XXS to Lg. They are very well made and are extremely comfortable. You can come in to Cascade Crags and hang out in it in our climbing gym to see how it feels.The problem with the Isis is they are limited in the leg size because they only use elastic instead of a buckle.

[Dru]

A good Arcteryx harnesss a couple of women climbers i know use, is the Verro. Although its "unisex", it is fully adjustable and pretty nice for all around crag, ice and alpine climbing. But, if you try a bunch of harnesses on, before you buy, you won't go wrong. The new Petzls are pretty tricked out, you should try them too before you make a decision.