moosejah Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 I was just wondering what is a good beginner harness, that's affordable and safe. I dont have tons of extra cash to throw into a harness. And yes i realize i could ask a salesperson at a retail store, but id rather hear it from a community of climbers. Thanks Quote
genepires Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 (edited) gotta try it out by hanging in the harness, feel for uncomfortable pressure points. I like gear loops that go all the way around the waist belt but that is rare. adjustable leg loops or fixed, probably doesn't matter unless you are going somewhere where you would need to wear down pants. But that isn't "beginner climber" stuff. I never adjust my leg loops with the change of seasons. So if the fixed leg loops fit, they will probably fit year round. oh yeah, gotta have a special pouch for the rasta bivy kit. good luck Edited January 10, 2012 by genepires Quote
cgass177 Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 I use the Black Diamond Momentum AL. I think it's one of the best harnesses I've used for about half the cost of some other harnesses. It has pretty good padding and adjustable leg loops. Whittaker has it for $45. Quote
billcoe Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 I was just wondering what is a good beginner harness, that's affordable and safe. I dont have tons of extra cash to throw into a harness. And yes i realize i could ask a salesperson at a retail store, but id rather hear it from a community of climbers. Thanks Just read Genespires stuff, that's what I was gonna say. Go to your local store and hang in it. They're all safe. Comfort is what you want. Do some stretching and make sure it doesn't impede your movement too. Generally lighter harnesses are better for long easy backcountry routes or for hard asses trying to shave a gram for a hard send, while heavy wide harnesses are better for hanging aid routes. That said, I think the best all around harness I've encountered for what I do, if I had to just pick ONE, is the Misty Mountain Cadillac. Yet I have 3 Metolius harness's as well, 2 of the bigassed Waldos, for hanging in. The Waldos are more comfortable for hanging in while doing new routes. No use for Black Diamond harnesses for me either. I learned that at my local climbing store by hanging in the BD harness's. Last week I just gave my son a Yates Shield I picked up online without hanging in it first. Bad idea. Yates has a great rep an make top notch stuff, but I think my package must be much larger than than the kids, as he found it comfortable and I hated on it. Go thee to your local store, not one named REI. As far as the price thing goes, if you are going to be in the game any amount of time, get the one that's the best for you. WORST damn thing you can do is get some uncomfortable POS BUT ya save a few bucks. Every time you are in pain waiting for a slow assed partner to come up and you are hanging in space on a cliff, you will remember these words. LOL. Welcome ! Quote
Lodestone Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 A lot of good points made already. I might add that most of the ultralight/ultrathin harnesses have pretty shitty gear loops. Not having gear loops that I like would be a dealbreaker for me with a new harness. Chad Quote
moosejah Posted January 10, 2012 Author Posted January 10, 2012 Thanks Guys, really good stuff. Ive always done alot of hiking in the back country, and always seemed to find a piece of mountain that would just scream at me to climb but never had the equipment or pals, so ive just put it off. But i cant resist anymore!!! Ive done a little bit of indoor, and actual rock climbing but its been quite awhile now. So im starting at the basics again So harness; basically depending on the style im going for. id like something in the middle without to much restriction and a decent amount of padding. The only thing is, from sports i have rather large quads so id probably need adjustable legs loops. Quote
moosejah Posted January 10, 2012 Author Posted January 10, 2012 was that weird to say? lol. oh and thanks man, ill deff get a pouch for my rasta bivi kit broootha. Quote
genepires Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 If you are mainly doing the mountaineering use for the harness, give the black diamond alpine bod a look at. Used to be the lightest and most compact harness but not anymore. But still relatively light, compact in pack and fairly cheap. The alpine bod is not a good rock climbing harness but is fine for alpine. It will work for rock climbing and I have used it in rock gyms but there is very short stints of sitting in the harness there. Some cons are: no padding (shouldn't be sitting on harness that much), no belay loop (I just make do with a dedicated locker for belay loop) The Bod harness has padding and belay loop but for the weight and money, I would say get a regular harness. just my opinion. Quote
BootsandPants Posted January 10, 2012 Posted January 10, 2012 I love my arcteryx harness. It was my first harness and I'll probably buy one again as I like the fit. Light, compact and comfy. Has been pretty durable so far too. I've seen them popping up on steep and cheap for 50%+ off recently and I know they're around in REI clearance bins some places too. Just another option to consider, but definitely hang in some before you buy. Good luck! Quote
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