Mountain Project Logo

BD Flight Harness First Impressions

Original Post
Finn The Human · · The Land of Ooo · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 106

This originally started as a reply to the "New BD Gear" thread, but after I wrote it I figured I might as well make a separate topic. If the forum gods are displeased, feel free to move it wherever, or banish it to internet purgatory. Anyway, on with the show:



So I went over to the BD store this afternoon and tried on the new Flight harness. I hung in it for a few minutes and I gotta say, it seems like a pretty sweet little harness, especially for the price.

It's definitely thinner and lighter than a lot of harnesses out there, but was still very comfortable to wear. When I first put it on I really liked the way it hugged my lower back. It felt a lot like an Arc'teryx WST harness in that sense.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the new leg loop adjustment system. I had originally thought it was just a gimmick, but after seeing it in action I have a new appreciation for it. The leg loops are basically your standard non-adjustable fare, with a bit of elastic to keep the loops snug. What the new leg loop system does different is kinda neat. Rather than adjusting straps to tighten or loosen the loops, you tighten or loosen the elastic bit. Pretty quick and painless. I do wonder how long the elastic will maintain it's elasticity if it's being fiddled with regularly.

With that said, I do have a couple gripes about it. The first is that the lower edge of the waist belt (the black seam in the picture above) definitely dug into my back when hanging. It wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't want to spend too long in a hanging belay in this harness. Then again, it's geared at sport climbers so it's probably not too big of an issue.

The other issue was the gear loops. They're just too small. If you're just racking draws for your "proj" you should have ample room, but if you are trying to carry a rack of cams you are gonna run out of room fast.

Anyway, I'm not currently in the market for a new harness so I didn't buy it, but I would certainly consider picking one up in the future.

There you have it, thats my quick and dirty first impression. All told I spent less than 10 minutes in the harness so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Just thought some folks on here might be interested to hear a little about it.
Josh Janes · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2001 · Points: 9,954

Thanks for the review!

It's a shame BD still hasn't gotten the gear loops right. Until they make BIG/MORE gear loops, I will never wear one of their harnesses. Seems like everyone is just playing catch up with ARC'TERYX WST harnesses.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Climbing Gear Reviews
Post a Reply to "BD Flight Harness First Impressions"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.