Arc'teryx Warp Technology Harnesses- Do you get what you pay for?

I pose a simple question. When you purchase an Arc/teryx warp technology harness do you get what you pay for?

My anaysis is as follows:

Pros- lightweight, midly comfortable, stylish (if that counts for anything

Cons- pricey, uncomfortable when sitting in them for more than 5 minutes, tie-in loops wear out very quickly, elastic straps which connect from leg loops to back of harness get permanently stretched quickly.

Conclusion- These harnesses have no long term value. As a consumer one expects that when you spend the $$ for a high-end product it will both out-perform and outlast the other products in its class. These do not. In short, you spend a lot of $$ for a harness that isn't very commfortable and wears out very quickly. Garbage.

What are your thoughts?

I like it cuz I look good in it.

It is light and packs down nicely. I agree with your other points though.

lifetime warranty is nice. not as convenient if you live in USA, but return your worn out harness for a replacement.

pros- lightweight, comfortable. big gear loops.

cons- can't say for durability, only had mine for a couple of months.

JW

I have an Arc'Teryx R320 as well as a S240 and love both. I have had them both for about 2 years and neither show signs of wear beyond normal scrapes and blood stains. I have over a hundred days in each harness at sport crags, on alpine climbs, ice climbing, and general mountaineering. If they come with a lifetime warranty why would you not just warranty the harness if it had acute wear that is anything more than normal?

As far as comfort they fit me perfectly and are extremely comfortable even in hanging belays for shorter periods of time. I could certainly see how it may not fit some people properly, however, especially if you have a few extra pounds around the middle.

One of the nicest features is the fact that you can flip the gear loops to slide your racked gear forward or backward depending on preference. Its a little thing but really nice to have.

My only gripe would be that the S240 does not have a loop for a haul-line and that the R320 has a flimsy plastic D-link that I broke off not long after getting the harness. Fortunately there was nothing attached at the time, that would have sucked :-S In the end it worked out since I clip my chalk bag through that loop where the ring was attached previously, I really hate chalk bag belts.

I definitely agree that some of their products are overpriced for the technology and features in the product, but don't all companies do that on at least some of their products? There are definitely products worth their weight in gold that these guys make, especially when you are pushing the boundaries of what the equipment can do. At the end of the day its the consumer that has to decide whether that little extra bit of engineering or thought will make any difference.

Overall, I would say that it is definitely a worthy purchase and several of my friends who currently use BD and Petzl harnesses plan on making their next harness an Arc'teryx.

I made the move from a Petzl Adjama to the current generation of the R320. I picked it up on The Clymb at a nice discounted price and so far have enjoyed it in every aspect except the lack of a better haul loop. Its packability and lightness are my favorite features of the harness and in my opinion put it above the Adjama, especially with the warranty.

Yes, you get what you pay for. The last one I bought (R 320a) has yellow fabric under the ballistic covering. If you see the yellow fabric, you have worn through the protective covering and it's time to get a new one. I thought that was useful and forward-thinking. Aside from that, they are comfortable, pack easy, and light. It will take a lot for me to buy another harness.

where are the Arc'teryx harness made in nowadays?

Love the harness hate the fact the tie in loop wears out so fast. Really comfortable and I spend a lot of time hanging whole setting up routes. Bought a Petzl after having two of the Arc'teryx. Bummer.

"lifetime warranty is nice. not as convenient if you live in USA, but return your worn out harness for a replacement. "

Is this true? That would almost get my stingy spending practices to get a second harness. Alas, What would I climb in while I waited for those Canadians to send me my new one?... probably buy a BD or Misty MT, in which case I would have no use for another Warp.

I am just taking any opportunity to bash this harness so thanks for posting. As I wrote before:

Plastic came off gear loops in mid-lead
speed buckle came all the way undone one time when I was already on the ground
Plastic gear hauler is suspect (but I DID kinda pull on it one day joking around and couldn't really pull it off the harness)

Now I taped the gear loops on
Tie a back up knot after the speed buckle
..have stopped the practice of wrapping my daisy around my waist as a 'backup' harness (but on high gravity days I may still do that)

155.00 USD ... hmmm...

Steve

I'm with bkb on the sorta-vain, sorta-cheap, sorta-'tired of the incessant influx of overpriced outdoor gear' camp. I've been wearing the same misty mountain harness since 2001 (bulletproof) and I'm thinking of maybe getting the belay loop replaced even though it doesn't give any strong indication of needing it done. I know it weighs a few ounces more and probably doesn't pack down as well, but if you're the type that frets about that weight or those few extra cc's, the arc'teryx may be for you...

mcarizona wrote:speed buckle came all the way undone one time when I was already on the ground

OMG catastrophic speed buckle failure!

"OMG catastrophic speed buckle failure!"

I know! And may have left a quickdraw in the area that is NOWHERE to be found.

caughtinside wrote:As a final point, those mammut harnesses have a plastic piece covering the lower tie in on their harnesses. 5 cents worth of plastic protecting the highest wear point on the harness. I wish every manufacturer did something like that.

Except Mammut totally blew the design. I warrantied two harnesses, both with the exact same failure. The harness webbing pulls out of the plastic tray and rips out the non-structural webbing below the plastic piece. Very reassuring to have dangling threads and blown webbing at your tie-in point.

caughtinside wrote: As a final point, those mammut harnesses have a plastic piece covering the lower tie in on their harnesses. 5 cents worth of plastic protecting the highest wear point on the harness. I wish every manufacturer did something like that.

Almost all Edelrid harness have them as well.

But yeah, Petzl, Bd, Wild Country, DMM, Metolius, Misty Mountain, C.A.M.P., etc., should have them as well.

I would like to see it become a standard feature.

Maybe Deadbird should look into using magnets.

possibly

i have it ... and while it is comfortable and light ... it isnt worth the money IMO

it aint the most durable harness in the world either

put it this way ... having the fancy smancy yuppie harness wont make you climb any harder or better ...

if i had to do it again, id get a cheaper harness and get a cam to boot ...

its not like all the top climber in the world only wear dead birds ...

Anyone know where this elusive lifetime warranty is? Because all I see on their site is that their products are not under warranty for normal wear and tear... sounds pretty normal.

If they are decent harnesses and have a warranty like an osprey pack, now that's something to write home about :)

For me this is the only harness that i have tried on that is remotely comfortable at long hanging belays and isnt a giant foam pad. That being said i hate the fact that it is so expensive.

As for the warranty. I had an old 320 that wore out after two years in only the bottom tie in point. I sent it for warranty repair and they sent me back a new version of the harness. No complaints, no questions and it only took 3 weeks to get from SC--> Canada ---> SC. In the mean time i had bought another one on sale, and now happily save one for the gym and one for outside.

T

I was skeptical about the lifetime warranty. But just got mine back in the mail after about 2 weeks (worn out bottom loop). No questions, no nothing. Dead bird has my support once again.

Has anyone used that flexible tubing from home depot to protect the bottom loop? What do you bond it with?

ive returned my dead bird 350a 3 times now to mec ... the last time the bottom loop blew just like the poster above indicated ... each time MEC was generous enough to cover it ... so i took the $150 and used it for something else

IMO, if you need to jimmy a $150 dead bird to prevent it from blowing ... it aint worth it, something like the $55 mammut harnesses come with plastic lower tie in point protectors anyways ...

i pulled my old BD momentum out of retirement, its still in very good condition and it was like 1/3 the cost ...

i dont climb any worse off with it ;)