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Cutting off leg loops

Original Post
Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188

So, I watched a video recently of a dude cutting off the leg loops off his harness for some big alpine ascent. Does anyone else do this? Is this common practice?

Clint Helander · · Anchorage, AK · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 612

no.

Noah Haber · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 78

Given how ridiculously light weight and cheap alpine harnesses are these days, that is just silly.

jmeizis · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 230

No, not common. I've done it to an old harness for big ascents where I question whether a harness is actually necessary though. 3rd and 4th class scrambles where the rope is coming out but not steep enough to build anchors and that sort of thing. Very limited reasons to do so.

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425

Why not just buy a BD alpine bod or couloir harness? They are 14oz and 8oz respectively.

Tico · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 0

I have an older arcteryx harness that I removed the leg loops from, as well as the plastic from the rear gear loops. I use it in place of a pack hip belt occasionally, more often skiing. It's 100% affectation, serving no real purpose but entertainment. When I actually need to go light I use a quad length dyneema runner, which weighs a couple oz and is comfortable enough.

MP · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 2

I've done what tico has done (older style arcteryx before they got hugely wide). It works well, both as a hipbelt and as a harness. Good for when you are going to be walking a lot; easy climbing punctuated by harder climbing or short rappels.

It is way more comfortable and marginally heavier than webbing...

Kai Larson · · Sandy, UT · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 436

This is true.

shoo wrote:Given how ridiculously light weight and cheap alpine harnesses are these days, that is just silly.
mucci · · sf ca · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 655

Tucker Tech has been rocking the swami only for nearly 4 decades.

FA's of solo big walls.
Hard free climbs.

Seems to be a hardman alteration.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

The true hardman just ties 1/2 in. webbing to his waist with a water knot. Even buying a harness with leg loops to begin with is suspect.

Alan Doak · · boulder, co · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 120

I've modified my bigwall harness so that I can remove the leg loops at the end of each day.

I've also got an old harness that I've converted into a swami belt for scrambles.

There's times when it's nice not to have leg loops, but no, it's not common.

Taylor-B. · · Valdez, AK · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 3,186

Can you give us a link to the video?

Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188

I can try to find it. Give me a bit.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520
SinRopa wrote: Marty Hoey
It says she didn't finish buckling the harness, so that it did or didn't have leg loops isn't much of a factor.

"Wickwire said that Hoey leaned back to let him go ahead, and a buckle on her harness opened, releasing her from the fixed rope, sending her plunging down 6,000 feet (1,800 m) into a crevasse."
Joe De Luca · · yucca valley · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 127
mucci wrote:Tucker Tech has been rocking the swami only for nearly 4 decades. FA's of solo big walls. Hard free climbs. Seems to be a hardman alteration.
Tucker is one true hard man, and has the right to do what he wants.
Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188

Sorry folks, no luck trying to find the video. The part about the legless harness is only very briefly mentioned anyhow.

Tim Zander · · Breckenridge, CO · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 30
Tico · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 0

Yeah, that thing would be pretty light once you chopped off those stupid leg loops.

Ray Pinpillage · · West Egg · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 180

A lot of legloops have rethreaded buckle, why cut it? You can just untie it and remove the legs.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520
Ben Beckerich wrote: If she'd had leg loops, they would have caught her fall. She didn't take a factor fall, she just fell back and slid on steep snow. Would have been scary as shit, but they'd have bound up on her thighs.
Now that I think about it, yes, the leg loop attachment is usually separate and could have caught her. Well, that sure sucked.
Tico · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 0
Stich wrote: Now that I think about it, yes, the leg loop attachment is usually separate and could have caught her. Well, that sure sucked.
Unless one is wearing a diaper-style harness, like the bod/couloir/blitz/etc. Which makes this thread delightfully circular.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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