Anyone use the Yates gear racks/chest harnesses?

[A_Little_Off_Route]

Part of the fun for me when climbing trad is placing gear. I like doing it, I like complex placements, and I like carrying LOTS of gear. Admittedly more than I need, but as I say, it's part of the fun for me.

 

With all that crap hanging off my harness it makes me feel like the young kids these days with their pants drooping and their underwear showing. I think it's time to start racking on a shoulder rack. I've tried the over 1 shoulder ones, and hate them. They slide around too much for me. I've experimented with a double shoulder one I made with 1" webbing and knots and the concept worked.

 

I see Yates has 2 nice chest racks (also can be used as chest harnesses). Yates Chest Racks Anyone have experience with them? The big wall rack looks like it has lots of loop options, but also looks a little huge and might feel restrictive. The free rack looks less restrictive but only has 1 loop on each side. Thoughts?

 

Any other makers of good double shoulder racks I should look at?

 

Off_Route

Edited June 6, 2012 by A_Little_Off_Route

[Buckaroo]

I like the feeling of trad climbing to a belay and setting up a 3 piece anchor and having like only 3 nuts and 1 cam left on the rack.

 

I could see having a double shoulder harness to solve the sliding around problem, but it would have to have separate smaller loops, and I wouldn't carry any more gear than I do now.

[DPS]

I have a very lightweight Black Diamond double harness. It is not strong enough to double as a chest harness, just basically a super light and simple double harness, fits easily under a pack. I don't think they make it anymore but it sounds exactly like what you are looking for. Can't remember the exact name of it. It has two smaller loops on each that are great for racking hooks or other small pieces and a pocket in back that fits a couple packets of Gu.

 

 

If you want it I will trade for a 2012 Mazda 3 Skyaktiv. Manual or automatic. I'm not picky.

Edited June 6, 2012 by DPS

[G-spotter]

No one needs to carry that much gear unless they are aid climbing superhard walls and then they can tow it up the tag line. Cut your rack in half, climb harder. That simple.

[G-spotter]

How much gear did Kurtyka take for Gash4? 2500m alpine face?

 

Three screws, two nuts, two pitons.

[Buckaroo]

You do know the standard multi loop Metoleus gear sling has two little tabs on it to attach another adjustable loop. You can then tighten it down so it doesn't swing around.

 

http://www.rei.com/product/620115/metolius-multi-loop-double-d-contour-gear-sling

 

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Climbing/SlingsWebbing/PRD~4007-719/metolius-gear-sling-component.jsp

[Ed_Hobbick]

You can rack doubles to 3 on your harness and still have room for a set of nuts and a couple aliens. You could then have another set of singles to 3 on a shoulder sling. Do you carry more than that?

[mmeyers]

I've used the Yates, and it's good. It's beefy, b/c it's also a chest harness, which sort of restricts some movement, but not much.

 

Metolius also makes a double shoulder gear sling. I prefer the multiple gear loops on this one b/c they're stiffened with plastic - the yates isn't.

 

The metolius also has a small pack on the back of it. supposedly it takes a 1L bladder - I had trouble with getting mine to fit, and 1L is small for a long climb - necessitating a backup option for more water. So, that being said, the Yates is nicer b/c you can put whatever pack on it you like. Granted, this may not matter to you if you're not doing aid.

 

I have also seen people have great success in using two of the metolius single-shoulder gear slings, one over each shoulder.

 

 

Edited June 6, 2012 by mmeyers

[A_Little_Off_Route]

No one needs to carry that much gear unless they are aid climbing superhard walls and then they can tow it up the tag line. Cut your rack in half, climb harder. That simple.

 

Need to? If we're going to talk need, then I could just take the stairs instead of climb..... Perhaps you missed the part where I said I like complex placements and LIKE placing lots of gear.

 

Off_Route

[A_Little_Off_Route]

You can rack doubles to 3 on your harness and still have room for a set of nuts and a couple aliens. You could then have another set of singles to 3 on a shoulder sling. Do you carry more than that?

 

Doubles of what? Cams? No my friend (pun intended) my rack looks nothing like you suggest.

 

1 set of peenuts

2 sets of trango (now rock empire) nuts

1 set of HB alloy offset nuts

1 full set of hexes

(want to get) the new DMM hexes (I'm always running out of hexes)

1 beat up #1 camalot that I got from Ebay

2 beat up U-stem #2 camalots

2 4" forged friends (if the crack looks wide enough)

DMM 4CUs #1 #1.25 #1.5 and #3

 

Sometimes I also take my 20year old nut set that was made in the Ukraine (missing 1 nut) just because they're shaped so funky they are a challenge to place.

 

So far I'm really not liking the smaller DMM cams and don't use them much but I still take them along hoping that I'll get to like them more.

 

Off_Route

Edited June 7, 2012 by A_Little_Off_Route

[JBC]

I own both the Yates "Free Rack" and the Big Wall Rack. Both are good units, and if you need/want to carry a lot of gear they will do an excellent job.

 

Jim

[A_Little_Off_Route]

I own both the Yates "Free Rack" and the Big Wall Rack. Both are good units, and if you need/want to carry a lot of gear they will do an excellent job.

 

Jim

 

Awesome! Can you give me some specifics about each? ie what's different between them, what you like and don't like about each?

 

Unfortunately Yates's website only has the one picture so it's hard to see what's going on.

 

Questions:

 

1: Are there any accessory loops, (like a daisy chain) on the shoulders themselves?

2: How many separate loops are there on the free harness and how are they arranged?

3: Does either harness get in the way of 24" runners over the shoulder?

 

Thanks!

Off_Route

 

PS. I worship your signature. :-)

[Buckaroo]

That's not really very much gear. Not even close to an aid rack. That should easily go on one shoulder sling.

 

This would be the ticket with the adjustable/removeable loop that can be used to hold the main sling from moving around.

 

http://www.rei.com/product/620115/metolius-multi-loop-double-d-contour-gear-sling

 

My free rack.

 

1 set DMM Wallnuts (10 pieces)

7 Metoleus Mastercams

6 BD Camalots to #2

 

optional extras

#3, #4 BD Camalots

#10, #11 DMM Wallnuts

4 HB brass offsets

[G-spotter]

Perhaps you missed the part where I said I like complex placements and LIKE placing lots of gear.

 

Off_Route

 

That's like saying you like being slow and fat. No one really likes being slow and fat, even if they claim they do. Take less gear, climb faster. Speed is safety.

[A_Little_Off_Route]

Perhaps you missed the part where I said I like complex placements and LIKE placing lots of gear.

 

Off_Route

 

That's like saying you like being slow and fat. No one really likes being slow and fat, even if they claim they do. Take less gear, climb faster. Speed is safety.

 

 

Perhaps I'm in denial but I don't think so. I took advantage of a bit of good weather yesterday and spend 3 hours making complex placements and refining gear skills at ground level. Didn't hate it at all....

 

Also, if what you say is true that nobody likes placing gear, then it must also be true that leading sucks and that we all wish were seconding or toproping all the time. That way we can climb real fast and never place any gear.

 

Different strokes for different folks I say. If you like to speed-climb up a route with only 5 pieces for the whole thing, then knock yourself out. Me? I'd rather be jug-hauling up the 6th pitch of a classic with a backpack full of ham sammiches trying to coax bomber placements out of a rock that doesn't want to give them up.

 

Off_Route

[RafalA]

Instead of a chest harness, I would suggest a more comfortable harness with more gear loops (if you want to rack on the harness).

 

I have the Arcteryx B360a and it is awesome for carrying shitloads of gear. I can, and have, fit a giant alpine rack on it with room to spare: it has six gear loops, plus room for at least 4 screw racking biners. The wide swami is super-comfy and because it's so big, it is very supportive and doesn't slide off my hips when loaded down. FWIW, giant alpine rack is something to the order of double set of nuts, 12-14 cams, a few pitons, 8-12 screws, 12-14 draws, hammer, pair of ice tools, etc.

 

You're not carrying that much gear, by my count: 4x nut biners, 1x hex biner, 9x cam on biner + usual runners and loose biners. That should easily fit on any regular harness with 4 loops.