20 Best Harness For Sport Climbing (2023 Updated)

To start my frame of reference is the Petzl Corax (original). It’s 6 years old so decided it was time to replace it. We went with Corax LT based on our results with original Corax. My wife got the Womens version.

The difference is very dissapointing. We both felt that the fit was wrong. The leg straps fit nice for me and don’t move around. The single adjust for the harness on the waist is nice. To stand or walk around they are fine.

For me the legs and waist do not have enough padding. I could not get the adjustment right on my waist and it was painful both climbing and belaying. The leg straps adjusted ok but were not comfortable hanging on the wall or on falls on top rope or leading.

I just didn’t like it. My wife didn’t like the leg fit and was unhappy with it climbing and belaying. When belaying she said it was rubbing into her crotch to the point that she just wanted to take it off.

Especially when I was hanging on a take or a fall. Niether of us had these issues with the original Corax. It has more padding and better fit. This new LT version we assume means “light weight” and they stripped out padding.

It seems that this new version is their cheaper version at $60. Which is about what we spent on the original one. We returned them and ordered the $80 versions. Petzl Adjama and Luna. Those seem to have the padding and fit of our original.

If your budget won’t allow the $80 version then this one will work as long as you don’t mind it being more uncofortable.

I use this harness primarily for hunting in place of a traditional hunting safety harness. It is much lighter than a traditional harness. In addition, the alpine style allows me to easily put the harness on over thick pants and swamp boots.

The harness is very adjustable for different body sizes. This makes it well suited for my alternative purpose because the layers and thickness of clothing that I wear vary widely between the beginning and the end of the season.

The Alpine Bod also costs less than a traditional hunting harness. I recommend using the savings to upgrade your safety harness and lineman’s belt to custom gear using climbing-rated equipment. I also use a Black Diamond ATC XP to rappel from the tree after finishing my hunt.

However, you need to adequately research how to deploy climbing equipment for hunting because that is not its generally intended use. Make sure to read the manual that comes with the harness. This harness is a great option for hunters in both value and weight, so I gave it five stars.

I bought this for mountaineering and some light ice climbing. After taking it top rope ice climbing, I noticed immediately how it wasn’t as constricting as other harnesses I’ve used. I wore it on a short approach and it didn’t restrict my movement at all.

Being lowered by my belayer didn’t feel uncomfortable either. It feels sturdy but not too rigid. The lack of a second hard point on top was slightly confusing at first but I quickly figured out how to tie into it.

I’m not an avid climber so I think this was a good choice for my skill level.

Bought this cause for the ability to take on and off with Crampons on. Bomber construction, and comfortable enough. The lack of a belay loop takes getting used to. I found myself using a locker to make my own “belay loop” since the lower loop flops around unsecured.

You will also need to be extra thorough with checking your self before a climb since the fabric for for the buckle can be mistaken as the tie in point if one isn’t paying attention. My only complaint is that its not ideal for rappelling or being lowered.

The leg loops seem to ride higher up my legs as I get lowered off a wall.

While these were made for moving in the mountains, I bought them for use at work as a high rise window washer. A lot of people will use regular bulky rubber style rain pants to stay dry but I have always hated how those feel and the lack of stretch that comes with them.

In the few days that I have used these, I like how mobile and stretchy they are and I have always been a fan of integrated belts as they are much more comfortable under a harness than wearing a separate belt.

I was expecting them to be slightly thicker than they are but that’s what comes with buying online and in reality they will work well for winter months with a pair of long underwear underneath. In the spring and fall they should be the perfect weight.

My long underwear also stayed dry despite having plenty of water get on these while working so so far the claimed water treatment on them seems legitimate. I am curious to see how it holds up through a few more months of work.

I would be plenty confident wearing these in the mountains with the possibility of rain. I got these in a size medium, I’m 5’11 175lbs and normally wear a 32″32″ and they fit very well on me.

I purchased the Solution Guide after wearing and really liking the regular BD Solution harness over the past year or so. I wanted a similar fit as well as the comfort and simplicity of the regular solution and was drawn to the Solution guide for the the additional features (haul loop, tech fabric) it offered making it a more versatile harness for multi-pitch and trad as well as sport.

I ordered a Small (have a 31″ waist) and have to cinch the webbing all the way back to get a snug fit around the hips. Out of the box, the harness is stiff and seemed a little thin on padding and didn’t have the same fit as the regular BD Solution, especially in the leg loops where there’s a little extra room.

On this note, I wish BD would have used the same leg loop design from the regular solution as they are more form fitting. The abrasion resistant material is noticeable in texture and might also lend to being a less flexible across the material.

I look forward to seeing how this fabric will hold up to abuse over time. Regardless, I have worn the Solution Guide once so far on a 7 pitch trad route in Lumpy Ridge. After climbing, hanging, racking and rappelling in the harness over the course of the day the extra room in the leg loops wasn’t noticeable.

The harness seemed to move well with me when climbing and was also not uncomfortable or bulky. The fit felt fine although, I did have to hike it up back on the hips and re-cinch the waist as there was some sag hauling a full rack.

The thin haul loop on the back was nice to have and not bulky, perfect for clipping shoes or a small water bottle. The glaring issue I noticed with this harness, especially since it is intended for trad and multi-pitch climbing, are the tiny gear loops (think they are the same size as the regular solution).

With this, space is noticeably limited and tight when racking and cleaning gear. That said, in summary, the Solution guide is essentially the regular Solution harness with different fabric (supposedly more burly and abrasion resistant) around the leg loops and waist in addition to a skinny haul loop on the back.

I was initially drawn to the sleek minimalist design as I didn’t want any extra bulk or weight. But the tiny gear loops are a massive oversight for the intended use of this harness. If the two front loops were larger this harness would be a really solid option.

However, as is, this leaves more to be desired for the price and minimal features you get in the Solution Guide. I wish I either invested a little more to get the Petal Sitta or tried the Adjama or Edelrid Sendero.

This is by far the most comfortable harness I have ever used. I have only used in the climbing gym so far, but it has far outperformed my expectations. I really appreciate the wide leg loops that distribute the load so evenly.

Coming down off of the 40 foot wall is totally comfortable even if I don’t have it cinched down completely tight. This harness is also the easiest I have ever used to get on and off! There is only one buckle at the waist that is both easy to tighten/loosen and extremely secure while climbing; the leg loops have elastic closures instead of buckles (which at first I didn’t think I’d like, but now I love the range of motion!).

My recommendation is to go to Black Diamonds website for sizing info. Check your waist and leg measurements closely because there is only so much adjustability. I was able to get a perfect fit ordering online using the size chart.

Can’t recommend this harness enough!.

I was eager to try this harness as it was advertised to be a comfortable all-arounder for top rope, sport and multi-pitch trad climbing days at the crag. Over the past three years, I’ve worn a few other harnesses for a mix of top rope and sport climbing.

I found them all to be comfortable for long days in variable conditions. So far I have only used the Adjama for sport climbing at the gym but I was surprised that I experienced noticeable pulling and bunching with the adjustable leg loops while lowering from the anchors, both as the climber and while belaying.

The issue improved when I tightened the leg loop buckles down significantly but that provided for less freedom of movement while climbing. One possible contributor to this concern is the thickness of the padding around the back and sides of the leg loops.

The thicker padding may provide some additional comfort on the back of the thighs while lowering but the additional material on the inner thighs seems superfluous and increased the opportunity for bunching when the leg loops were not tightened to the point of immobility.

One feature of the harness that I preferred over my daily workhorse Wild Country harness is the angled placement of the gear loops. I found that on a quick test for load capacity that I was able to easily fit six quick draws on each loop due to their offset positioning.

It’s not often that I find myself needing more than 12 quick draws for a typical single pitch climb but this capacity would prove beneficial for trad climbers who like to bring a variety of cam options for each climb.

All gear loops are easily accessible and their size allows for good organization of draws and cams. Overall the harness fit was true to advertising with a sufficient range in the waist adjustability.

I received this harness for free in exchange for an honest review. This is my first experience with a harness designed specifically for women, and I’m never going back. When I first put the harness on, it felt odd because I was used to using my boyfriend’s old harness, and there is a definite difference between the “standard” harness made for men and a harness made for women.

But after my first climb I was a convert. The waistband is curved and padded, which results in a supportive, more comfortable fit. I love the elastic on the leg loops, which give a secure but not overly tight fit that still allows for maximum movement.

I’ve comfortably spent several hours at a time in this harness (and those are words I never thought I would type). And most importantly (to me), the belay and tie-in loops are incredibly sturdy — thick and durable, with multiple rows of reinforced stitching.

I’m looking forward to using this harness for years. For reference, I’m an athletic size 4, and the Small fit me perfectly (waist 28-30 inches, leg loops 20-24 inches). Although I’m a size 4, I do have curvy hips and a butt, which is perhaps why I find this harness so much more comfortable than those designed for men.

On a completely superficial level, I also like the violet color, which is a pretty light purple with dark purple accents. Isn’t it great when useful things are also beautiful?.

First, I loved the plethora of racking space, but would never recommend this harness to any trad climber who finds themselves in chimneys or offwidths. This is because of the gear loop failure issues that have also been highlighted by a couple of the other reviewers.

The issue originates from the fact that there’s hard plastic on the *inside* of the fabric for the front gear loops, but only the fabric itself is actually stitched into the harness. This means that abrasion of the fabric (which can happen quickly if you’re one who enjoys the wide) on the outside will break through to the plastic core, which doesn’t have any connection to the harness other than being sheathed by the (now gone) fabric.

Think of it as if you only tied into the sheath portions of your rope, but the core was still there. Luckily i caught it before it was able to dump a bunch of cams off my harness on a multipitch climb.

Beware!.

My 3yr old absolutely loves this! It’s extremely adjustable and is comfortable. She feels quite secure in it. We turn it around backwards and hook her up to the ceiling and she can swing for hours. We also climb in it and works well forwards and backwards.

I bought these harnesses about a month ago and my 3 and 2 year old boys love it them. Adjustable to their size (40lb and 32lb) and comfortable. Awesome purchase.

I bought this for my 5-year old, and have been climbing at a gym 4-5 times with it. It is easy to slip on and off and he has never complained of any discomfort. It’s pretty adjustable. My only small gripe is that the shoulder straps are so long that there is a lot of tail after I tighten on him.

Maybe he’ll grow into it, but by that time he’ll probably want a standard harness.

I did not attack any steep ice, rime crusted alpine faces; nor did I send any granite big walls or limestone sport routes in this Black Diamond Technician Recco Harness. I was able to strap this RECCO around my undercarriage for some sick gym grabs though, and my standard is the Black Diamond VISION ($174.

95) so I may be BD biased, bear that in mind. Easy on, easy off. Very uncomplicated. Felt settled and secure. Good support under the biceps femoris and did not compress the iliotibial tract. Weight comes in almost twice as much as the VISION, but you won’t notice it when it’s on.

So if you’re not ultra-lightweight portaledge packing, so if you’re only hitting the local gym to for social hour or trying to score a date with your gym crush, you won’t care this harness is heavier and you can feel accomplished that you’re in the >$100 harness crew now.

What I liked: The integrated Recco safety reflector passive transponder is a well thought-out addition. Waist belt is comfortable and provides good range of motion The four pressure-molded gear loops feel rugged and are convenient with their pre molded flared, offset position.

What I did not like: Nothing comes to mind. Happy to own. Do recommend. A solid middle market addition to the arsenal.

Comfortable harness that strikes a good balance between sport/trad and alpine use. The padding is more minimal than other harnesses (that are geared towards sport), but it’s still pretty comfortable to hang around in all day.

It has gear loops galore – four with a rubberized coating on the left and right, and one on the rear that is a thin black loop. The speed adjust buckles are pretty common these days, and very easy to use on this harness.

I do wish that the leg loops had a ‘keeper’ loop where you can tuck away the excess of a long leg loop strap. I really like the thin belay loop design – when you have a lot of stuff tied into that area, it makes it a bit easier to manage.

RECCO is a nice bonus that I hope to never need, but the antenna/reflector weight are negligible, so there’s no downside to having it. I appreciate the low key black and white color scheme when most harnesses are typically flashy colors.

The harness comes with a lightweight zipped mesh stuff sack, and it’s easy to pack the harness down and stash in in your pack.

I bought this harness for the leg loops. The part on the inner thigh is wider than almost all harnesses out there. Also bought it for the gear loops. BD has my favorite gear loops. Rigid and sticking out.

Most of their harnesses have kid size gear loops, but the front ones are SLIGHTLY larger. Only improvement I would want is for the leg loops to have padding go all around. There’s none on front of the inner thigh, but since the webbing is wide, it doesn’t feel bad at all, but having the padding go across more would’ve made the leg loops perfect.

Waistband is a little stiff till it gets broken in, especially right in the back where the haul loop is. As far as fit goes, fixed leg loops harnesses fit best if you have small waist and big legs. Otherwise the leg loops will be a little loose.

I’m very happy with this harness since these usually go for about $130. Right now this is my gym harness since it’s a pretty snug fit right now and I’m wearing thicker pants when I climb outside in winter, but in spring and summer I look forward to taking it outside.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

I bought this harness for photographing climbing on fixed ropes. I’ve spent up to 2 hours in this thing, and I’d say after about 20 minutes my legs start to feel it. I tend to get some relief by getting on the wall every 10 minutes to get the blood moving more freely to my legs.

I’m using this is a very hot climate, so I’m in shorts, but I imagine if you were using this in an alpine scenario, it could be more comfortable with more layers underneath. The gear loops could use a bit more space.

The upper loops don’t come off the harness very far and it makes it hard to rack gear quickly. I really wish it had an auto lock (doubled back) waist strap. It’s the old style that requires manual doubling back to close the system.

Ill probably end up painting half the buckle red as a reminder. All that aside, it’s doing it’s job well enough, and I’m happy enough with it that I’ll continue to use it. If you just want a comfortable harness to climb in? Maybe single pitch, or a few pitches? This is pretty great.

Not too heavy considering the size.

I used this to do some wall style climbs. Pros: -It’s very comfortable for hanging belays. -it’s not too bulky and very reasonable to throw in a pack or normal climbing. -two layers of gear loops means you can fit a ton on this harness.

Cons: -The gear loops are TINY. Why would BD think that these are adequate? This is an issue with their Solution Guide harness as well. It makes it very difficult to clip/unclip gear, especially on the rear gear loops that are out of site.

I will keep it since it’s comfortable and was fairly inexpensive. I am neutral over whether or not I recommend it. It’s not good or bad, just ok. I would encourage others to look at other options like the Misty Mountain Cadillac, which has bigger gear loops.

My legs kept going numb on hanging belays in my Sama, so I went straight to the limit of harness comfort without getting a belay seat. Man. What a treat this thing is. The gear loops are staggered and plentiful.

The long loop across the back is a great repository for emergency and seldom used gear that leaves the more accessible loops clear. Not as sweaty as I thought it would be thanks to the pillow padding, but you’re definitely going to feel the heat of more coverage.

Haven’t personally had any cause to use the double belay loop, so I just stacked them together to keep the tie in points clear. Does make smaller carabiners a bit finicky to load, but well worth the comfort and carriage.

I bought this as a rooftop safety harness. The padding and quality is excellent. One odd thing is it is different from other harness designs as the front section forms a V shape. Most safety harnesses seem to have a H section in the front.

This harness is better for larger person. I’m 86Kg, and height 176cm. You would not want to be any shorter, or front strap may be too long and not do up properly. Other than that it’s an OK harness for the price.

It does have a date of manufacture and loading rating sewn on to harness.

Good quality. Received it very quickly, happy with it.

good item although rear leg strap needs to be a little longer..

This harness is great value for money and is as advertised. Happy with my purchase.

Purchased the small Canyon XP Harness and you would have to be huge not to fit into it – I’m 32-ish inch waist and the excess waits strap reaches around my back to the opposite hip. It does fit but the angles of joins in the webbing indicate that this harness is designed with some real heavy people in mind so it feels rather like putting a tight belt on a baggy pair of trousers.

for what that is worth. The harness is as modular as I hoped, so the sit protector and/or the waist belt padding can be removed with minimal muttering. The make appears to be top quality with not a stitch out of place, the webbing of the harness is also large and confidence boosting if you happen to be lending it to a nervous friend.

I’m yet to throw myself down a canyon in it but the various tests and abseils I’ve done at home suggests it will be exactly what I am looking for. I suppose my only complaint is that there isn’t really anything to manage such a surplus of webbing to stop them getting caught so you may need to get creative.

I got the wrong size initially. 5’6″ and 150 pounds – the m/l is not for me. Great quality product. I recommend.

Quite comfortable, only drawback is that they do not send the one that appears in the image, they send the yellow one with the black culera …

From the perspective of a route setter these are the best and other setters I’ve worked with agree. I have to spend most of my time hanging in the harness and the other 10% of the time trying out moves.

A burly chest harness is more comfy but you can’t really work hard moves wearing those. This is comfortable enough to hang in for a couple hours at a time. The gear loops are full strength for clipping into the wall at weird angles to find the perfect angle to remove a tight hold.

Two belay loops because sometimes it’s nice to have an extra. Extra gear loops because you’ve got to carry so much crap up the wall with you. There isn’t really an other harness like it and it’s much better than every other climbing harness for route setting.

I have used it climbing outside a few times when I’m in a bind and I need an extra harness and it is admittedly bulky for some climbs outside. I can see how it could make a tight chimney just a bit tighter, but you do definitely appreciate that cushion while belaying for an extended period of time.

In a low key setting where I’m belaying kids or teaching a friend it’s my preferred harness. The thing is like climbing with a sofa to sit in, actually comparable to the comfort offered by a bosun chair.

It’s definitely not the harness I use for projecting, but for 50% of the climbing I do, and 100% percent of the gym work I’ve done this is the best by a wide margin. I’ll be buying an other one here soon once mine finally wears out.

I’ve been using it for about 4 years heavily and I’m excited to get a new one.

First, if you’re looking for a really light sport harness or a harness for the gym, then this probably isn’t for you. This harness is really geared towards climbers putting their harness to the test on the crag.

As a crag harness, the Safe Tech Trad really excels. Technically, you can feel safe that all the loops on the harness are rated strong enough to clip into just in case Murphy’s law steps in and your A-game doesn’t.

The gear loops are large enough for at least 12 draws, a set of stoppers, a dozen extra biners, and half a dozen cams if you load your gear well. The harness doesn’t need to be doubled-back, it just needs to be tightened enough for the waist clips to auto cinch.

Comfort-wise, I’ve hung on the crag for up to an hour consecutively and climbed in the harness for up to five hours without any pain; this was the major draw for me as the fit was so cozy.

I have had this for a couple months. Wearing it is comfortable, and the gear loops work well. I really like having two belay loops too. It is uncomfortable to hang in for long periods of time, and because part of the waist band is not stitched to the tightening strap, it can be a little annoying to get on just right.

For trad climbing or multipitching without hanging belays, it’s great. It just won’t replace a sport climbing harness.

The Vario Speed Harness is perfect for educational and institutional programs. Black Diamond’s no frills approach means that the harness is intuitive and easy to navigate for inexperienced folk, as well as being easy for facilitators to fit quickly.

Additionally, participants cannot unlace the buckles without considerable effort, which makes the Vario Speed a safer choice for beginners than a more complex harness. The size and the shape of the belay loop is also very convenient for helping students tie-in.

The Vario Speed Harness is very affordable, and is an excellent choice for a beginning climber, or someone who climbs infrequently. I work for an outdoor education company in Southern California, and we use the Vario Speed Harnesses for our students in our rock climbing and challenge course programs.

For these participants, the Vario Speed is perfect and extremely durable when subjected to amateur users. For some reason, it does have a tendency to lose the back elastic straps, whether by participant removal or snapping.

It would be nice to be able to replace them without a doing a home sewing project. The only complaint I have about the Vario Speed Harness is its sizing. While the majority of students have no trouble fitting into it, larger participants, particularly ladies with wider hips, have trouble with the size of the waistband.

This is particularly disheartening for these students, who may already be trepidatious about trying climbing. I would like to see a larger size available so that my larger students could participate more easily.

The Vario Speed Harness is an excellent starter harness for a weekend climber or for a gym, outdoor education, or challenge course program. It does everything those folk need and nothing else. I highly recommend it.

We ordered these updated models as we had a previous version of this harness for our facility. The harness seems to be of good quality which is why we stuck with the Black Diamond brand. We have a various size group of climbers and tightening and loosening these harnesses can be a bit difficult so we could not give a 5 star rating due to that aspect.

Overall though we are happy with the product as there are few one size fits all harness options out there.

We just purchased a bunch of new gear for our outdoor adventure summer camp, Missoula Outdoor Learning Adventures, including stoppers, cams, rope, ATC’s, locking biners, harnesses, etc. As owner of the camp, BD is the clear choice for me when I’m putting other people’s children (and my own!) on the rock.

We’ve been using BD gear for 20+ years, I’ve never been disappointed, and I always feel confident sending groups out to climb. With excellent attention to details of safety and functionality, BD earns a 5 star rating from me.

Awesome package that should give you everything you need to start climbing. The harness is great, lightweight, unconstructive and comfortable for hours – but I’ve never been able to use the belay device.

I learned upon first attempted use that my gym requires belay devices with assisted braking. So if you’re just starting out in the gym like I was when I bought this, check to see if your gym has any rules like mine did, and if they do I’d recommend just getting the stand-alone harness, a karabiner and something like a Mammut Smart 2.

0 – that’s what I got, and honestly I’m really glad I did, it’s fantastic.

This harness has poor padding in the inner thigh and when I pulled on the loops, the material instantly dug hard into my inner thigh and crouch. I can’t imagine what it would feel like once all my weight was being lifted by it.

A short session of climbing would probably leave my skin raw and would not be worth it. I am going to return this and invest in a higher quality harness. I do not recommend.

Started climbing at a local gym as part of my weight loss journey and needed my own harness. Loved the climbUSA harnesses, but wanted a double system as they allow for a great range in size. This is important to me as I’ve been losing weight and didnt’ want to have to buy another harness shortly after.

Great shipping times from MooseJaw and climb in this harness 3-4 times a week. It’s light and comfortable, perfect for the gym. I’ve worn it for about a month now and have no issues or complaints. All is good.