Best Trad Harness?

I'm sure this has been posted before but couldn't find one here. I carry my rack on my harness and currently have a metolius safetech with 4 gear loops. I'm looking for a top of the line trad harness with preferably 6-7 gear loops (not necessarily a big wall harness). I don't do any aid climbing but have recently started getting into a lot of multi pitch climbs so comfort is also a necessity with the hanging belays. What are your thoughts?

Thanks,

Dan

Hey Dan,

I'm searching for the same harness myself.. I haven't found it yet but maybe I can offer some help nonetheless.

2 popular ones are the Misty Mountain Cadillac and the Yates Astroman. I own both.. the Cadillac fits great and feels great, the problem (for me) is that the extra gear loops (there are six total) are placed under the usual ones. So basically you have a normal harness (with relatively small gear loops) with 2 additional ones, one on each side, directly between and beneath the regular 2. I didn't like that set up at all..everything just gets tangled. Maybe I'm not doing it right though, a lot of people recommend the Cadillac.

As for the Yates, I like it a lot and it's my current go to. It's got seven loops, each of which is about the size you'd find on an entry level gym harness. There's one on the front right that's closer to your belay loop and flipped upside down for easy access. I don't particularly care for that feature because it has a tendency to push whatever you put on that loop into your rope and cause some confusion... not a big deal, but in practice I often don't even use it. The other six are great, I usually throw my anchor buildling stuff, water, shoes, and whatnot on the back two and rack on the other 4. I like that a lot versus your standard 4 loop setup because it means when I'm climbing I don't have a water bottle crowding out that runner I'm frantically fumbling for. It comes in speed buckle which I really highly recommend... my first harness had a speed buckle and I took it for granted, it can be a real pain in the ass to adjust sizing on a traditional buckle though. That's mostly a nuisance but if your trying to keep a rain jacket under your harness it can be a little more of a problem..

So why am I still searching? It's not that I don't like the Astroman or that it doesn't work, it's a great harness and I'd recommend it over any other I've used. But I'm hoping one day to find a harness with 5 gear loops: 2 big ones on each side (kinda like Metolius or Wild Country, thicker and longer) and one big one in the back. That way you can still stash all your non-leading stuff in the back, but you have a little more room on the front 4. Maybe that's just 'cause of how I rack, everything breaks up nice into 4 sections. If anyone knows of something along those lines though, lemme know!

Hope that helps a bit,
Brian

For multipitch trad I have been using a wild country (syncro I think) harness that has 7 total loops, a nicely padded and wide waistbelt (great for long time hanging belays), isn't terribly bulky and has been very durable so far. I have been happy with wild countrys harness.

There are plenty of options out there that are great. I think wild countrys trad harnesses are just one of many fine harnesses you won't be disappointed you bought.

Misty Mountain Cadillac

I've been using the BD big gun for a while. I don't really consider it a full big wall harness, more of an all day trad. Chris Mac's review tends to agree there. It has 7 total gear loops, but the two extra ones on the sides i find pretty useless and don't use them. The big thing it has is an extra loop across the back and it's comfy to hang in.

I just picked up the new BD Aspect harness to replace the big gun w/ something lighter. They added a 5th loop to the back on both the aspect and the Focus harnesses this year, which is great, i throw all my misc stuff back there - lockers, belay device, cordolete, nut tool, etc. Keeps it out of the way while i'm climbing. Seems like a good harness so far, not as comfy to hang in as the big gun, but has half the bulk.

I liked my Yates Astroman.

The Misty Mountain Cadillac is a great harness. Misty also makes a harness called the Titan which is a little more bulky and more of a big wall harness. All made in North Carolina, USA!

Another vote for the Misty Mountain Cadillac. I put the main gear on the regular gear loops and my anchor gear on the extra gear loops below the main ones.

I thought about the Synchro which has a similar setup. But I personally wanted double-backed straps; speed buckles in OWs scare me.

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.

Depends what fits you best. You can't find the best comfy fit FOR YOU here on a forum! For example, many swear by the misty mountain cadillac, but MM kills my back and rib cage. I went out and hung on quite a few, and the BD Big gun is most comfy for me. It has plenty of gear loops. Even though I find the loop layout a little strange, with somewhat overlapping tiers, have gotten used to it.

Misty Caddy - Agreed that the NEW locations for the 5th and 6th loops aren't as good as their older model. Didn't know this till I used it though.

Call up Misty. You can CUSTOM order how you want your misty harness (I did my Caddy without adj leg loops - AWESOME).

When I wear out this Caddy I'll get another with "old gear loops" and fixed leg loops.

Bomber

best trad harness? 1" super tape and water knots. Bomber. You want 6-7 gear loops? done. Oh don't forget to use only "top of the line," super tape for your "top of the line trad harness."

Another vote for the Cadillac. My new one has the extra gear loops between the upper ones. It's AWESOME.

My next trad harness will be the Wild Country Summit.
It is basically the replacement to the Syncro, plus some great upgrades.

Misty Mountain Cadilac - Check the page below, if you want to go lighter than that check out the Bolt. If you want more burly check out the Titan.

This is not just the bias of living in NC now. I've owned a Misty harness for over 10 years and got my first when I lived in NH. The fact Misty is an awesome company with great people and great customer service doesn't hurt either.

http://mistymountain.com/c/harnesses.htm

Those new WC's look great, wishing i held out to try on that summit and the eclipse too.

Yet another vote for the Misty Mountain Cadillac. Don't think...just buy

One more vote for the Cadillac. I also rack most of my gear on my harness and I don't find the "four up top, two underneath" gear loops an issue at all.

Before the Caddy I had an earlier WC (Helix, with five gear loops) and I liked it very much. If the Misty wasn't available I would consider the Syncro.

One option not yet mentioned is getting a standard four-gear-loop harness and adding a bit of cord/tubing to create that fifth rear gear loop yourself. Just a thought.

Never tried any of the others listed above but my BD momentum is super comfortable and has 4 big gear loops. All the misc anchor stuff/lockers/etc goes on a big locker in the full strength nylon loop in back. Plus it's super cheap, like me.

That WC Summit does look nice though...

Arc'teryx B360A !!!!!

Theriault wrote:Arc'teryx B360A !!!!!