Best Trad Harness?

I've been loving the Arcteryx R-300. As long as you make sure that none of the webbing folds they're very comfortable and you don't even know that you're wearing it.

I've never owned a misty mountain, but it sounds as though their reputation is well-deserved. That said, if you're put off by the high prices of the Arc'Teryx line up, I've been climbing in a Petzl Corax and have been really happy with it. It's comfortable, pretty basic (which is a plus in my book), and has held up well. Not to mention the fact that it's $65, which is right about where I like to see harness pricing.

In general, you're climbing on gear so four gear loops is a must. Having more loops is nice, but if you're mostly free-climbing, you can often get away with doubling up your cams on 'biners, etc. in order to clear up space. that opens up some less-bulky harness options- finding 6-7 gear loops on a non-bigwall harness might be hard unless you have gear loops added to a free climbing harness. Other than that, see if you can't try on a few in a shop and see what fits best or call misty mountain and shell out a few dollars for something custom! I've never regretted going for custom, small-time, local gear.

wild country syncro or BD big gun

Do the Arc'Teryx gear loops stay on in chimneys? Had problems w/ detachable gear loops popping off in the past (not arc'teryx) when moving down a bit from a chimney.

Also, I have a misty mountain, not the cadillac but the similar but less padded finesse, and 4 gear loops instead of 6. It is pretty comfy for hanging belays. My friend had a Arc'teryx R280 which is for sport, but she was not comfortable. People admire my gear loops on the Misty saying they are "big." But, I don't find it to be that big, and the back ones sit kind of far back.

the gear loops can pop off the dead birds, ive had it happen

and they are VERY well known for the lower tie in point wearing out quickly ... usually dead bird replaces the harness,but i met someone a few days ago whose harness dead bird wouldnt replace even though it wasnt very worn out everywhere else ...

if you buy a dead bird ... buy it from REI/MEC

My vote is for Yates Shield.

I hate gear slings so I too rack up on my harness and I have found this harness carries the weight the best. Also offers the most comfort for hanging belays. Tried the BD Big Gun and Arcteryx B-…something (there supposed "multi pitch" harness) and neither came close to the Yates. If you are doing lots of hanging belays all day you will start to notice the Yates is much more comfy. Only down side to the Yates is it is on the heavy and bulky side.

ok, dead bird bad for trad, good for sport.

Regarding gear slings, what about those gear slings for aid which is symetrical on both sides and wears like a backpack?

I'm not thin, but by virtue of being very short, my harnesses have less circumference and thus holds fewer and smaller gear loops. My one tall stick thin climbing partner was surprised that his harness was two fists too big on me.

So, in lieu of extra layered gear loops, or a over the shoulder sling, are backpack type of slings good? Though looks a bit ridiculous on single pitch trad.

Misty Mountain.

Never been too impressed with my Misty harness. Just sayin. It's all about fit. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't matter what brand you buy. And pretty much I feel like I need more than 4 gear loops, it's time to start bringing less gear...unless I'm aid climbing, and even then I have a chest harness.

I have had several Cadillacs and I like the 3 gear loops but I found that the Arc'teryx harnesses are lighter and more comfortable for trad climbing. If you think you might want to get out on some walls maybe the Cadillac will suit you better than the other.

I rack on my harness also and to save space I rack my sport draws/draws in 3s. The rest of my gear is on single carabiners and the Arc'teryx with 4 or 6 loops has plenty of room.

I love chimneys. Never had a gear loop pop off. I had the Big Gun, it was OK for walls but overkill for trad routes.

BD big gun = 660g
MM Cadilac = 525g

WC Summit = 435g
Arc'teryx B360A =360g

I think 2 of them stand out here....

the diffrence between the BD and Arc'teryx equals to about 2-3 more C4 cams you can rack for the weight diffrence

I know I posted Cadillac earlier, but what I climb everything in is a Misty Mountain Intrepid with a fifth gear loop on the rear center for carrying miscellaneous stuff. Not as big as a Cadillac but still very comfy and 3 ounces (85 grams) lighter than it if you're counting weight.

The Stoned Master wrote:Charlie s wrote: "... But I personally wanted double-backed straps; speed buckles in OWs scare me." Smart man. I'm not going to ditch my syncro prematurely but I had never thought of that. Its a detail that I'm glad I'm aware of now (I see the potential that a speed buckle could loosen if smashed correctly in a squeeze chimney/offwidth). Thanks man.

I have the WC Synchro. It is one of the best I have used for Trad, and the buckles are actually difficult to undo with your hands, so I doubt very seriously you could work them loose in an offwidth. This harness is super comfortable, and carries a ton of gear.

Petzl Sama.

Light, simple. Non-adjustable leg loops (the elastic triangle works great for a little fluctuation), four gear loops - hard on the side, soft on the back, speed buckle. I rack on my harness 95% of the time, and I have no real issues with space. I will NEVER own another harness without a speed buckle. Have climbed literally miles of wide cracks in Samas, and the speed buckles have never moved an inch...by contrast, during pre-climb knot/safety checks, I've caught two different partners who hadn't doubled back a "regular" buckle. I will never have to worry about forgetting to double back.

I do own a Yates Shield...for aid climbing. That thing is way too heavy and bulky for a free climbing harness.

For those of you that own the misty mountain cadillac. I was looking at them and the sizing chart shows only a 3" swing on any of the sizes (ex. 32" - 35") are they that close or is there a little more wiggle room so to say. No one local carries them and that would be a hard call for an internet order.

Thanks,
Jeb

jeb013 wrote:For those of you that own the misty mountain cadillac. I was looking at them and the sizing chart shows only a 3" swing on any of the sizes (ex. 32" - 35") are they that close or is there a little more wiggle room so to say. No one local carries them and that would be a hard call for an internet order. Thanks, Jeb

There is wiggle room. Honestly just call them and ask. You'll more than likely talk to Goose or Mike Grimm (the owners) and they will hook you up. They will get you the perfect fitting Misty and you will not be disappointed.

mistymountain.com/purchase.htm

After 14 years of trad climbing, the BD Chaos harness is the best trad harness I've climbed in. Comfortable and low volume. Plus I don't like 6 gear loops on a trad harness. I don't ever need more than 4 for 1 day routes.

Has anyone actually had a problem with speed buckles loosening in an offwidth or chimney? Or is that just speculation? I have never encountered that problem.

jeb013 wrote:For those of you that own the misty mountain cadillac. I was looking at them and the sizing chart shows only a 3" swing on any of the sizes (ex. 32" - 35") are they that close or is there a little more wiggle room so to say. No one local carries them and that would be a hard call for an internet order. Thanks, Jeb

Make sure you get a measuring tape and actually measure your waist!

I originally went with my jeans size (32) and got a medium only to find out that the harness was at the end of it's range with the gear loops too far back. Traded it in for a large and it was a much better fit.

I've since lost a bit of weight and a medium would probably be a good fit now, but that's another story.

Several mentions of the WC Summit harness in this thread, has anyone actually had experience climbing with it in the year+ since this thread's genesis?

Also curious if anyone has climbed in the DMM Renegade 2 which seems to be very similar in concept to the WC Summit.

Both of these harnesses are appealing but only available from retailers that will not allow returns on any climbing equipment.