Arcteryx Skaha comfort, durability, etc?

Looking for as many testimonials for this harness as possible. Had cquence I just retired after 1000+ days of heavy use and it was the best harness ive ever had. Unsure about this new one, though. 

I have one, it’s seen about one full year of mild to heavy use. For me it is very comfortable and has held up nicely. My one complaint is the shock cord used to support the rear of the leg loops easily untied unexpectedly for me. This was an easy fix, but a slight nuisance. I had great difficulty finding a harness that fit nicely and was comfortable for me, so if you have the chance to try it on first I would highly recommend it. 

Ethan Hanners wrote:

I have one, it’s seen about one full year of mild to heavy use. For me it is very comfortable and has held up nicely. My one complaint is the shock cord used to support the rear of the leg loops easily untied unexpectedly for me. This was an easy fix, but a slight nuisance. I had great difficulty finding a harness that fit nicely and was comfortable for me, so if you have the chance to try it on first I would highly recommend it. 

How does the sizing compare to the cquence? 

I am a big fan of Arc'teryx harnesses - the skaha is easily and by far my least favorite (I really like the 395 and the cquence). The cords holding the leg loops on the back of the skaha are not adjustable and too short. I am 6,3" so this part of the harness constantly rides up and is so annoying I will probably never actually use it. I keep it as a spare for someone needs to borrow it. 

Fern Gully wrote:

I am a big fan of Arc'teryx harnesses - the skaha is easily and by far my least favorite (I really like the 395 and the cquence). The cords holding the leg loops on the back of the skaha are not adjustable and too short. I am 6,3" so this part of the harness constantly rides up and is so annoying I will probably never actually use it. I keep it as a spare for someone needs to borrow it. 

How did you size yours compared to your cquence? I'm 6'6" ~180 and wore a small cquence.

I wear a large in all the Arc harnesses. I weigh 190 lbs so the fit might be different for us, but I imagine the length of the cord in the back on the skaha will make the leg loops ride even higher up/more be more uncomfortable for you than it is for me since you are taller. I like my leg loops to drape low. If you feel similar about this, I recommend the Ar395 as the best all around harness (for all kinds of climbing styles) and the leg loops and cord in the back are all adjustable. Plus it saves you $20. Just my $0.02. 

Fern Gully wrote:

I am a big fan of Arc'teryx harnesses - the skaha is easily and by far my least favorite (I really like the 395 and the cquence). The cords holding the leg loops on the back of the skaha are not adjustable and too short. I am 6,3" so this part of the harness constantly rides up and is so annoying I will probably never actually use it. I keep it as a spare for someone needs to borrow it. 

From the photos I've seen of the harness, it looks like the rise/cords are adjustable by changing the knotted length. You could also replace the cord entirely with a longer one. Contrast this with the new Petzl Sitta, where the cord is just stitched in (though you could get creative, if you wanted or needed to replace/shorten it)

Very true, but it's annoying buying a premium product and then spending time and effort to "fix" it and in doing so voiding the warranty, all to make a very simple modification that the arc design team probably should have considered themselves when creating their "pinnacle" product. 

This has become my go-to sport harness, and harness for most rock-related endeavors. It fits me really well and the leg loops accomodate my thunder thighs better than most fixed-loops (I'm 5'10, 200lbs, 32 waist, fat thighs).

It's very packable, and pretty comfortable to fall and hang in.

I too had the shock-cord come undone, but that is easily fixed by hand tightening the knots (which apparently come pretty loose from the factory).

Fern Gully wrote:

Very true, but it's annoying buying a premium product and then spending time and effort to "fix" it and in doing so voiding the warranty, all to make a very simple modification that the arc design team probably should have considered themselves when creating their "pinnacle" product. 

Certainly. Unfortunately, many soft goods aren't designed with more body types in mind (especially in climbing).

Regarding warranty, it seems like an easily reversible modification, so they may be none the wiser if one were to go that route. I'm also not even sure that would void the warranty since I'm not familiar with it.

Fern Gully wrote:

Very true, but it's annoying buying a premium product and then spending time and effort to "fix" it and in doing so voiding the warranty, all to make a very simple modification that the arc design team probably should have considered themselves when creating their "pinnacle" product. 

After trying out several retention systems for leg loops, I’ve come to prefer the shock-cord method. In my experience, the leg loop cords tend to wear out long before any other part of the harness, and replacing the cord is a much simpler and more aesthetic fix than sewing, taping, or gluing other styles back together. Just my two cents.

Fern Gully wrote:

I am a big fan of Arc'teryx harnesses - the skaha is easily and by far my least favorite (I really like the 395 and the cquence). The cords holding the leg loops on the back of the skaha are not adjustable and too short. I am 6,3" so this part of the harness constantly rides up and is so annoying I will probably never actually use it. I keep it as a spare for someone needs to borrow it. 

Hmm I’m 6’1 and it kinda of rides up on my inner thigh. I was using the black diamond solution and wanted to get a new harness… tried on the skaha and thought it would ultimately be more comfortable. Now I’m not so sure… it rides up on my inner thigh and squeezes me in the crotch area to where it just constantly requires me to fix it or move it. I think I’m gonna grab the petzl Sitta and compare… probably return the skaha if the comfort difference is that big..

FernGully: the cord for the leg loop is absolutely adjustable. You don’t need to void your warranty to “fix” anything. If yours is truly too short, you could get a longer piece of shock cord to address the issue.

K och: I can’t speak to durability as I’ve only had my skaha out on rock a few times. I like it a whole lot as a sport harness. It’s very light, it moves with my body very well, and is very comfortable. I haven’t used it for any trad lines or long days out. It’s got the same gear loops as the c-quence, which I love for the ample racking space they provide. On the c-quence, the padded ends of the waist belt overlapped for me, but the skaha has more exposed flat webbing, so there’s no padded overlap at all. I sort of suspect this harness won’t feel as good loaded up with a double rack and other gear for a big multi. Maybe it’ll be fine though, I don’t know.

On sizing—I wore a men’s small in the c-quence but went with a women’s medium in the skaha. It puts me more in the center of the adjustment range so everything sits nicely centered. In that regard I’m happier with the fit of the new harness than I was with the old. It’s worth comparing the size charts between the women’s and men’s.

Oh, and I far prefer the shock cord leg loop connectors over the g-hook/flat elastic of the c-quence. Those things would not stay in adjustment for me on the c-quence, it drove me nuts.

TLDR: super light, super comfy. Maybe less robust/structured than the c-quence, and therefore possibly more of a niche single pitch/sport harness, compared to the all-rounder nature of the c-quence. 

I wear the Skaha in a small, I’m 6’2” and 145lbs. For me I haven’t had any issues with the elastic rise cords in terms of knots coming undone or not enough slack. The harness seems to be as durable as any other harness, nothing fancy. Although I’ve only used it a few dozen times.

I don’t think it’s as comfortable as an AR-395a, to me it only feels a bit cozier than my old BD Momentum, but it works fine enough. The front gear loops are the same as the C-Quence, not the rubbery ones on the 395.

I wish they made the FL-365 but with the gear loops of the Skaha and the ice clipper slots of the C-Quence.

I used my cquence for everything-sport projecting, long multipitch, rope soloing, bolting, etc, and it was comfortable and perfect until the very end. Best gearloops ive ever used. Been trying to find another mens small for a long time but haven't been able to. Hoping the skaha can be a worthy replacement. Not too keen on the loud color, but oh well. 

First impressions: Bought a small and a medium to try on, hang in, etc. I'm 6'6'' 180lbs and wore a size small Arc CQuence but the small Skaha did not fit at all. The Medium fits well with regard to waist belt and leg loops, but likely due to my extremely long legs, the drop seat shock cord is far too short and would need to be replaced to comfortably climb in. Another problem is where the two sides of the waist belt meet; the CQuence had material that overlapped, so the nylon belt doesn't rest on your skin (or shirt). The Skaha inexplicably removed some of this material, so there is now a gap. Seems like a very strange oversight. I have never owned a harness where I was comfortable with such a fit. It has nothing to do with sizing either, as there is simply not enough material in the Skaha to accommodate an overlap. It is quite comfortable to hang in, although I doubt its longevity compared to the CQuence due to there being more padding in the former (which naturally breaks down over time).The gear loops, however, are still the best Ive ever seen. They're the same as on the cquence, and they're even better on this harness because of the placement.  With the CQuence, having to wear a size small as a very large man, they were much further back than optimal, but now with a normal medium fit, they are right where I want them. My conclusion is that I'm going to return these and hope I can find a used (or new??) mens small CQuence out there that someone is willing to part with. In the meantime I'm going to grab a Blue Ice Halo. 

b k wrote:

First impressions: Bought a small and a medium to try on, hang in, etc. I'm 6'6'' 180lbs and wore a size small Arc CQuence but the small Skaha did not fit at all. The Medium fits well with regard to waist belt and leg loops, but likely do to my extremely long legs, the drop seat shock cord is far too short and would need to be replaced to comfortably climb in. Another problem is where the two sides of the waist belt meet; the CQuence had material that overlapped, so the nylon belt doesn't rest on your skin (or shirt). The Skaha inexplicably removed some of this material, so there is now a gap. Seems like a very strange oversight. I have never owned a harness where I was comfortable with such a fit. It has nothing to do with sizing either, as there is simply not enough material in the Skaha to accommodate an overlap. It is quite comfortable to hang in, although I doubt its longevity compared to the CQuence due to there being more padding in the former (which naturally breaks down over time). My conclusion is that I'm going to return these and hope I can find a used (or new??) mens small CQuence out there that someone is willing to part with. In the meantime I'm going to grab a Blue Ice Halo. 

I hate to be the bearer of potentially bad news, but if you got those straight from Arc, they do not accept exchanges/returns on harnesses. REI is another story, they’ll take anything.

Good luck on your search!

Jason Antin wrote:

This has become my go-to sport harness, and harness for most rock-related endeavors. It fits me really well and the leg loops accomodate my thunder thighs better than most fixed-loops (I'm 5'10, 200lbs, 32 waist, fat thighs).

It's very packable, and pretty comfortable to fall and hang in.

I too had the shock-cord come undone, but that is easily fixed by hand tightening the knots (which apparently come pretty loose from the factory).

Jason, what size did you end up with in this harness?

not jason, but i am a small in the c-quence (pulling the cinch all the way to left too) and found that i'm a medium in the skaha. around a 31 waist

Mike K wrote:

not jason, but i am a small in the c-quence (pulling the cinch all the way to left too) and found that i'm a medium in the skaha. around a 31 waist

same

a beach wrote:

Jason, what size did you end up with in this harness?

I have a size large.