Best Climbing Harness for Multi Pitch
We tested five harnesses to determine which is the best climbing harness for multi pitch. I’m aware there are a lot of harnesses out there, we pay for ALL of the gear we test out of our own pockets, so we tested the ones we thought were designed for multi pitch use.
Let’s get to it. I took into consideration many factors such as comfort, durability, number and placement of gear loops to name a few. Some of the harnesses have “automatic” buckles, this is not necessarily a good thing as far as multi pitch climbing is concerned. Sometimes you need to undo the leg loops for one reason or another.
1: Metolius Safe Tech Deluxe Improved Harness
Pros: This is a beefy comfortable harness. Everything on this harness is engineered to withstand a load of at least 2250lbf. That includes the leg risers, gear-loops, haul-loops, and belay-loops. It has plenty of padding and two color coded belay loops. All of the buckles are “double pass” which allows for changing clothes without fully removing the harness. Extremely durable harness.
Cons: Not many, it only has four gear loops and a single buckle for the waist belt, two is better for centering the belay loops.
Specs:
- Weight: 19 oz
- Gear loops: 4
- Two color coded belay loops
- Gear loops stay out for easy racking and rear loops lie flat when you have a pack on
- 10kN-rated rope locator counteracts tie-in errors
- Shaped foam for lower-back support
- Durable tie points for years of use
2: Misty Mountain Cadillac Harness
Pros: This harness comes in at a close 2nd (almost a tie). It has a lot of padding and is very comfortable. Two double pass buckles for the waist belt, which makes it easy to center the belay loop. It has six upturned gear loops and the leg loop buckles are “double pass”. Very durable workhorse as well.
Cons: It only has one belay loop.
Specs:
- Weight: 18.7 oz
- Gear loops: 6 upturned
- Foam padding
- Quick Adjust waist and leg loop buckles
- Side slots for ice tools
3: Black Diamond Big Gun Harness
Pros: This is a comfortable harness with two color-coded belay loops and a 12 kN-rated haul loop. It sports a whopping seven gear loops. The buckles ar all “double pass”. It comes with holster slots which I find useful when bolting to hang extra tools on.
Cons: The harness is heavy coming in at 23 oz. Even though it has seven gear loops, but I’m not that happy with the placement of them. I don’t think the harness is very durable either. I started to see wear in a few places early on. It comes with a hammer holster, but I found to be useless (almost dangerous). Also it seems to run a little small so order one size bigger than you normally do.
Specs:
- Weight: 23 oz
- Gear loops: 7
- Two belay loops
- Full-strength haul loop for your tag line
- Extra-wide padding for improved comfort at hanging belays
4: Petzl Calidris Harness
Pros: The best feature of this harness is it’s adjustability with two waist belt buckles. i’ve personally seen it cinch down enough to fit small children and expand enough for fully grown men. It also has mesh padding on the waist belt and this helps on hot multi pitch days in Potrero chico.
Cons: All the buckles are “automatic” and it only has one belay loop. Only four gear loops but they are large.
Specs:
- Weight: 19.7 oz
- Gear loops: 4
- Extra-wide waist and leg loops for comfort at hanging belays
- large rear gear loops
- Double buckles on waist loops
5: Black Diamond Momentum Harness
Pros: I put this harness in the list because it’s the one I use the most. If you’re looking for the best all around climbing harness that’s good for long multi pitch days as well as single pitch crag days, this is it. It seems to be very durable, after two years of use it still shows little wear.
Cons: It only has one belay loop and all the buckles are “automatic”. Not exactly the most comfortable on the list.
Specs:
- Weight: 14 oz
- Gear loops: 4
- One belay loop