If you’re in a hurry and just want to find out what the best climbing harness is, then we recommend the Black Diamond Solution Climbing Harness as the best choice!
Whether you are just starting out or an expert climber, you should always get gear that helps you achieve your goals. Gear that accommodates your needs and is safe to use! With a climbing harness all these are important. We have gone through the best options and lined up a review of the best climbing harnesses.
What to consider when choosing the best climbing harness for you?
- Mobility: The harness is there to protect you not to block your movements or strain your muscles.
- Adjustability: To ensure the harness fits with different clothes and that it can be easily put on.
- Fit: The harness should fit you really well to ensure that it is safe and comfortable
- Comfort: The harness is comfortable to be in even while hanging on it
- Versatility: A good climbing harness can be used for a number of different disciplines. This should be without losing key features or additional weight.
- Gear loops: A good number of gear loops depends on what the harness will be used on. Less for sport and more for trad or multipitch.
- Ice clipper attachment spots: If you plan on doing ice climbing then get a harness that has spots where you can attach your ice clippers.
- Durability: The harness should last for a long time even in regular use.
- Sustainability: Are the materials and workmanship on the harness sustainable and ethically produced.
We go through the specs, pros and cons of each harness and give you our thoughts on what are the best harnesses for different uses!
In this article we are going to review these harnesses:
- Black Diamond solution harness
- Edelrid Sendero harness
- Petzl Sama Climbing Harness
- Arc’teryx C-quence Harness
- Black Diamond momentum Harness
- Mammut Ophir 3 Harness
- Misty Mountain Cadillac Quick Adjust
Our number one choice for the best climbing harness is the black diamond solution. This harness is the solution to your sport and gym climbing projects and it’s quite affordable as well. The solution harness is really comfortable, especially considering its weight. It only weighs 11 Oz or 330 grams. The harness has great mobility so you can really send your projects with it. When it’s your friends turn to work on the project the solution harness is comfortable for the belayer as well.
There are no buckles on the leg loops and for some people it has been hard to find a nice fit with this harness. If you are in doubt about the size we would recommend going for a larger size as the consensus is that the sizes are smaller than typical harnesses. This is the case especially if you have larger thigh muscles.
The harness is quite streamlined and we really like the simple design. There are four gear loops that are shaped into a more rectangle shape. This will make it easier to grab a quickdraw or especially if you are trad climbing and you need to get that specific cam. That being said the gear loops are a bit small for carrying enough gear for longer routes. There are also no attachment points available for ice clippers.
There are several different versions of the harness. The women’s solution harness has a specific rise to better fit women. The women’s version has red leg loops while the men’s version has blue leg loops. There is also a green version available that is the Honnold Edition. This limited edition version also features Alex Honnold’s signature on a leg loop. Part of the sales of this harness go towards Honnold foundations charity work.
The solution harness is made with bluesign approved fabric. This means that the material is made in a responsible and sustainable manner.
If you are more into trad climbing and multipitch climbing you might want to go with the Black Diamond Solution Guide harness.
The best prices for the Solution Harness :
- Weight: 11 oz/ 315 grams
- 3D Mesh padding for comfort
- Bluesign materials
- Adjustable leg loops
- 5 gear loops
- 2 Ice screw clips
- Use for: Sport, Gym, Ice, Trad, Alpine, big wall
- Versatility
- Adjustability
- Extra gear loop
- Lightweight
- Not the most comfortable
The Edelrid Sendero harness is our top pick for an all-round harness. The harness works great for pretty much all kinds of climbing. You can successfully use this harness for anything from sport to ice climbing and anywhere from the indoor gym to the glaciers.
This harness is actually marketed as an alpine harness by edelrid. The factors that contribute to the alpine climbing aspect also works for pretty much any kind of use. Combined with the affordability of this harness, you have a great choice here.
If you only do mountaineering or off-piste skiing you might want to choose another harness. This is because there are more mobile harnesses for walking and skiing, but if you also do other kinds of climbing the Sendero is a great choice. That being said you can use this harness for these activities as well. Especially as the adjustable leg loops are easy to put on with larger footwear as well.
The best prices for the Edelrid Sendero:
- Weight 15 oz / 415 grams
- Fixed leg loops
- Endoframe construction
- 4 Gear loops, two rigid loops in the front and two flexible loops on the back
- Use for: Sport, gym, trad
- Good mobility
- Comfortable
- Durable
- Affordable
- Nice design
- Not very light
- No Ice clipper attachment points
Petzl Sama harness is nicely designed and has a distinct grey coloring. The women’s version Selena harness has a mottled green coloring. These harnesses have good properties for gym, sport and trad climbing. They are marketed especially for multipitch climbing.
One clever innovation in these harnesses is that they have different gear loops in the front and the back. The ones in the front are more rigid and shaped so that the gear moves towards the front. The back gear loops are more flexible to accommodate carrying a backpack while wearing the harness. The back gear loops are mainly used for clipping on a belay jacket or approach shoes.
If you prefer sturdier gear loops all round then this might not be the best harness for you. If you want to wear a backpack with your harness then this might be a bonus. On the other hand the leg loops on these harnesses are fixed so its difficult to put bigger boots through them
Some people also have difficulties with finding the right size for them as there is adjustability on the leg loops.
The best prices for the Petzl Samas:
Arc’teryx C-quence Harness
- Weight 13 oz / 370 grams
- Use for gym, sport, trad, ice. Alpine
- Warp Strength technology
- Fixed leg loops
- 4 Gear loops with rectangular shape
- 4 Ice clipper slots
- Comfort
- Versatile
- Lightweight
- Nice design
- Not so affordable
- Fixed leg loops don’t sit well with everyone
The Arc’teryx C-quence Harness is designed in the unique style like Arc’teryx’s many products are. They are also named in a typical Arc’teryx style, with a little wordplay instead of just going with Sequence. These designs can divide peoples opinions, but we like the sleek design and color of this harness. The women’s version of the Arc’teryx c-quence harness has similar design and coloring, except the insides of the harness and the leg loops, which are red.
Arc’teryx has been making climbing harnesses since the 1980’s. With this harness they spent a lot of time maximizing comfort while cutting down weight. The harness has been trimmed to have a narrower waist. The Warp Strength technology distributes the weight to accommodate a larger variety of climbers and body shapes. The narrower harness offers more mobility as well.
Arc’teryx is not the most affordable brand, but they do put a lot of work on research and development and the harnesses are made in Canada. They have also taken safety into consideration and they have indicators inside the materials that show up when the materials are frayed. When these indicators show up you should discard the harness from any climbing use.
This is a great harness for a lot of uses, but make sure you get the sizing right because there is no adjustability on the leg loops. This is also not the perfect all-round harness, because of the fixed leg loops as they can be difficult to use with crampons and ski boots etc.
The best prices for the Arcteryx C-quence harness:
- Weight 10,9 oz / 330 grams
- Pre-threaded Speed Adjust waistbelt buckle
- Bullhorn-shaped waistbelt built using Dual Core Construction™
- Adjustable leg loops
- 4 gear loops
- Haul loop
- Affordable
- Durable
- Comfortable
- Adjustable leg loops
- A bit bulky
- No Ice clipper attachment spots
The black diamond momentum harness is our budget choice for a climbing harness. Its previous versions have been a very common sight at climbing gyms and crags around the world. One reason is the affordable price of the harness. Another reason is that it’s also sold as a kit with a belay device and chalk bag: Black Diamond Momentum Climbing Harness Package
The latest version of the harness is lighter, but still quite bulky in appearance. The bulky appearance is nice considering that this harness seems quite durable. You should not have to worry about buying a new harness, even if you use the momentum a lot.
It is not the most comfortable harness, but it should work if you aren’t going to be hanging on it for very long periods. The sizing is a bit small for this harness and if you are close to two sizes then it’s probably better to go with a bigger size.
The best prices for the Momentum harness:
Specs
- Weight 14,8 oz / 420 grams
- Slide-bloc buckle
- Adjustable leg loops
- 4 gear loops
- Haul loop (2kN!)
- 4 Ice clipper attachment spots
Pros
- Good adjustability due to 4 buckles
- Versatile
- Durable
Cons
- Not very light
- Bulky design
The Mammut Comfort fast harness is a great option if you want a harness that has good adjustability. You can adjust the harness to fit well if you are summer sport climbing in the sun or if you are layered up for belaying your ice climbing friend. This harness is also a good choice if there are two or more people using the same harness. If you want to have a harness to take several of your friends out to try climbing. Another case might be for two parents who are taking turns to belay their kids on the same harness.
This harness is a bit bulky, but on the other hand it is really durable. The harness has an extra protection on the tie-in-point. This is usually the one of the first spots on a harness to start fraying so this protection should be able to give a longer life to this harness. Like the Arcteryx C-quence harness the Comfort fast also comes equipped with wear indicators. These red threads that are embedded in the materials of the tie-in-loops and the belay loop. When the material is frayed the red thread will become visible. That is when the harness should be removed from climbing use.
The harness also comes with a haul loop that has a 2kN weight rating. Most harnesses have a 0kN haul loop these days and it’s a nice bonus to be able to trust more weight on the haul loop as well.
The best prices for the Mammut Comfort Fast adjust:
Misty Mountain Cadillac Quick Adjust
Specs
- Weight 18.7 oz / 530 grams
- Quick adjust buckles
- Adjustable leg loops
- 6 gear loops
- 2 Ice clipper attachment spots
Pros
- Good adjustability
- Really comfortable
- Great for a lot of gear
- Durable
Cons
- One of the heavier harnesses
- Bulky design
The Misty Mountain Cadillac Quick adjust harness is quite like its namesake the car. Its bigger and heavier, but really admired for its comfort. The QA version of the Cadillac harness is a bit bulky, but at the same time it has that local business feel when compared to the flashier brands available.
You can carry a lot of gear with this harness as there are six gear loops and two ice clipper attachments. The harness also has quite a lot of cushioning so you will also be comfortable with the gear hanging from the harness.
The best prices for the Misty Mountain Cadillac:
Our recommendations for the best climbing harness
We recommend the Black Diamond Solution harness as the best climbing harness! This harness is comfortable and well designed to accommodate all your sends.
A great, versatile, option for anyone who also likes to do alpine climbing, ski touring and ice climbing is the Edelrid Sendero! Edelrid sendero is a really versatile harness for an affordable price.
If you want a super comfortable harness we recommend the Misty Mountain Cadillac QA harness.
The Evolution of Climbing Shoes
Discover the fascinating evolution of climbing shoes from the beginning of the sport to modern times. See how advancements in materials and design have revolutionized the sport of rock climbing.
Edelrid Ohm review
The Edelrid Ohm Climbing Device is a nice piece of equipment designed to enhance safety and improve the climbing experience for both climbers and belayers.
Red Chili Jamrock Crack Gloves – review
The Red Chili Jamrock Crack Gloves offer climbers a comfortable and versatile option for crack climbing. With good padding and coverage despite their thinness, these
New climbing shoes – review
Climbing shoes are always evolving and its great to be reviewing the new climbing shoes and testing their new innovations!
In this article we will write about all the new climbing shoes, whether its a sneak preview or a hands-on, in-depth review!
Belay Glasses vs. Neck Strain
Neck strain is a common issue that climbers, particularly belayers, encounter during climbing sessions. It occurs when the muscles and ligaments in the neck become
Skin care for climbers
As climbers we’ve all had those days when the send has been denied by problems with the skin of your fingers. Whether you’re scaling towering