number of days before harness retirement?

Anyone good at keeping track of how long your harness lasts? I've got a harness that has worn through the lower (leg strap) tie in point after 275 days of climbing. Seems a little fast to me. Thoughts?

It depends.

What brand of harness? Excessive wearing of the lower tie in point seems to be a very common problem on Arcterex rigs. If you're questioning it, it's probably a good bet to just go ahead and replace it...

Back it up with some webbing and keep climbing!!

But seriously....

My harnesses generally last 6-9 months. I climb 6-7 days per week, so it averages out to 170ish to 245ish days. Give or take.

John Wilder wrote:275 climbing days? thats at least a couple of years for most people- sounds about normal for current harnesses that dont have the plastic leg loop protector.

no thats normal for many people i know ... 3-4 times a week for 1.5 years or so ...

most people i know who climb that frequently dont have problems usually with their harness within 1-2 years ... unless they are the newish WARP dead birds =P

an el cheapo BD momentum, or the old dead bird vapours, will take that and keep on ticking easily

as to the OP ... heres a quote about the metolius harnesses about someone you know climbs quite a bit

Personal Stories
Chris McNamara still has a Metolius harness from the 90s that is still bomber. Unfortunately his waist has crept out a little since he was 15, so he can't quite fit in it. But it's now the harness his girlfriend uses. So if you want a harness that will last a decade, this is it."



;)

Oh it's getting replaced for sure. It's definitely an arcteryx harness! I'll be switching back to my old misty mountain Cadillac for the time being.

It's just a shame to toss out a pricey harness just because of one worn spot...

Bryan Hall wrote:Oh it's getting replaced for sure. It's definitely an arcteryx harness! I'll be switching back to my old misty mountain Cadillac for the time being. It's just a shame to toss out a pricey harness just because of one worn spot...

see if they will cover it ..

dead bird is usually pretty good ... however theres been at least 2 people ive met who said dead bird wouldnt warranty it ...

let us know if they do

;)

Bryan Hall wrote:Anyone good at keeping track of how long your harness lasts? I've got a harness that has worn through the lower (leg strap) tie in point after 275 days of climbing. Seems a little fast to me. Thoughts?

Do you have slings girth hitched through your harness tie-in points? If so, that is the reason.

John Wilder wrote:275 climbing days? thats at least a couple of years for most people- sounds about normal for current harnesses that dont have the plastic leg loop protector.

I have two harnesses that have over 500 days of climbing logged on them separately and both of them still have over 50% lifespan remaining. Most commonly when someone wears through the tie-in points that quick it is because they girth hitch a sling through the harness. Dyneema slings are especially damaging because they are narrow. I blew through a big wall harness in nine months by girth hitching Dyneema slings through the tie-in points. Accordingly, I now hitch my free-climbing slings to the belay loop, which eliminates the issue.

In my opinion, Metolius Safetechs are the best harness available when considering durability and strength over time. The classic design and simple buckles limit wear points and the overkill design certainly leaves a margin for strength when considering deterioration with time. They're not as comfortable as some of the more modern looking units, but they break in nicely over time and become more supple.

20 kN wrote: Do you have slings girth hitched through your harness tie-in points? If so, that is the reason.

This seems like an overly broad generalization. While slings MIGHT be the reason you'd have to know usage patterns to have a better idea. High wear can come from numerous sources - Someone who mostly does single pitch climb and lower type climbing (gym laps, sport cragging etc) will see the most wear at the tie in I'd suspect. Maybe a guy beating on his harness route setting or serious aid climbing might wear it out fast too...

20 kN wrote:I have two harnesses that have over 500 days of climbing logged on them separately and both of them still have over 50% lifespan remaining. Most commonly when someone wears through the tie-in points that quick it is because they girth hitch a sling through the harness. Dyneema slings are especially damaging because they are narrow. I blew through a big wall harness in nine months by girth hitching Dyneema slings through the tie-in points. Accordingly, I now hitch my free-climbing slings to the belay loop, which eliminates the issue.

Hitching slings to your belay loop will wear your harness our FASTER than hitching to your tie-in points IMO. While the whole wear from hitching thing is probably a bit hyped up due to the T. Skinner accident, I'm much more likely to retire a harness showing signs of Belay Loop Wear (it's a MISSION CRITICAL COMPONENT) vs some wear of the OUTTER, Protective layer on my tie-in point.

Harness wear will vary tremendously based on user, use, brand and other factors - I doubt you can put more than a Wild-Ass-Guess number of days of use on any harness.

20 kN wrote: Do you have slings girth hitched through your harness tie-in points? If so, that is the reason.

Nope. I consider my tether to produce practically zero wear. I use a double length dyneema sling and basket it on the belay loop. Then I tie an overhand to make it redundant. This creates a no pinch scenario on the belay loop and the only wear on the tie in points is from the rope or belay loop itself.

I also remove my tether at the end of every day to ensure the knot is only loaded from that days usage. I inspect the loop and dyneema and both look pretty much perfect.

still on harness #1 after weekend-warrior status over 5 years or so

So...climb 2x/weekly * 52 weeks * 5 years = 520 days or so.

bearbreeder wrote: see if they will cover it .. dead bird is usually pretty good ... however theres been at least 2 people ive met who said dead bird wouldnt warranty it ...

Here's the final word on my harness and relationship with Arcteryx harnesses in general. I guess they must be fed up with returns/warrantees because this is what they had to say.

"None of our harnesses should be expected to last for more than 200 days of use. Especially if you are climbing outside because that wears them out faster."

So I guess my 275 days was really pushing it. No warranty. I definitely will not be buying another harness where 200 days of use is supposedly the lifetime of the $150 I dropped.

Bryan Hall wrote: Here's the final word on my harness and relationship with Arcteryx harnesses in general. I guess they must be fed up with returns/warrantees because this is what they had to say. "None of our harnesses should be expected to last for more than 200 days of use. Especially if you are climbing outside because that wears them out faster." So I guess my 275 days was really pushing it. No warranty. I definitely will not be buying another harness where 200 days of use is supposedly the lifetime of the $150 I dropped.

thats total and utter bullshiet ...

almost any other decent harness that costs 1/3 the price will last more than 200 days ...

ive personally put double that on my 50$ BD momemtum AL from 5 years ago ... and i still use it just fine on occasion

in fact i had to pull it OUT of retirement when i blew through THREE dead bird 350As in a span of 1.5 years

so long for the "great" dead bird warranty

they have had a lower tie in issue ... and MOST people i know with that issue dont post on the intrawebs .... dead bird usually gives em a new harness, or they swear off those $$$$ harnesses for life

;)

My harness has little charges in it like Snake Pliskin's neck. I have to retire it or it will explode.

That or if I can get away from the Duke in time.

I think one thing to consider when looking at wear on the bottom tie in point is how aggresively you pull the rope through the tie in points once the knot is untied. You can create a lot of abrasion at that point, especially so if you are sport climbing and tying and untying yourself multiple times per day. I think if you carefully pull the rope through the harness most of the wear can be mitigated. You still get abrasion at the point from simply weighting the harness while tied in but I have noticed less wear by being gently with it. This wear issue is likely more common with sportclimbers. My harnesses tend to get more wear on the outside of them. Many of the routes in zion have OW or chimney on them and is pretty hard on harnesses, especially where the buckle is which is pretty disheartening.

Stich wrote:My harness has little charges in it like Snake Pliskin's neck. I have to retire it or it will explode. That or if I can get away from the Duke in time.

I personally have ditched the rope system altogether these days and just hang glide off of every climb upon completion. Sometimes I bring an uzi and some hand grenades as well to help clear a path on my way down at the more crowded crags.

My Petzl Calidris had rusted buckles, slipping buckles on leg loops, very tattered mesh, and generally looking tatty. I dumped it when the waist buckle slipped. About a 200 day life over 3 years.