Multipitch Trad Harness

Kevin Lowe wrote:

I LOVE my Cadillac. The comfiest harness, especially once I broke it in, but the other misty harnesses are supposed to be awesome as well. People seem to like the sonic alot. The Misty guys will also do some customs for you, I think. 

I love my Caddy too

Nate George wrote:

I'm pretty bony, and I used to use a Petzl corax. At the beginning of this season I got a MM cadillac, and I love it. I don't climb much wide stuff but it's held up well to the chimneys that I have done. I really appreciate the extra gear loops and how the harness never feels like it's falling down no matter how much gear I put on it.

Owned  2 coraxs ... love em. Do they still make em?

Ok folks, how about a direct comparison:

Petzl Sitta vs Arcteryx FL-365?

What do people think?

(For a little of everything: trad, sport, long rock routes... Time to replace my BD Chaos)

FL-365 all the way. I feel Sitta isn't as comfortable, and the gear loops are terrible.

The BD solution and the FL-365 would be a better comparison. 

George Hayduke wrote:

Owned  2 coraxs ... love em. Do they still make em?

Sure do, somewhat revised last year https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Harnesses/CORAX

My takes...

BD Solution: very comfortable, gear loops are too small and not positioned well, inexpensive. I use this one if I don't need to carry much stuff.

AR-395a: moderately comfortable, packs small, huge gear loops. I use this one most of the time.

DMM Viper 2: adequately comfortable, slides down a bit when overloaded, love that it can be centered at any size, inexpensive, durable

DMM Viper 2 is almost identical to the Renegade 2, except the Renegade has 2 more gear loops for a total of 7.

My experiences:

BD Momentum - Most people's first harness and mine too. Very useable but not very comfortable. The quickly adjustable leg loops are really nice when you are standing on a ledge and want to give your legs a chance to breathe, but the elastic band that makes it work wears out and breaks very easily. This harness is not nearly as comfortable as almost any other harness for $15-$30 more.

Metolius Safe-Tech - Decently comfortable, and very useable. Double belay loops come in handy more than you'd think. Can sit a few hours hanging in this one, but I always get way too sweaty in it and it doesn't breathe at all. This leads to quick and painful pins and needles when it's warm out.

Arc'teryx AR395a - Wore this one for a while because I love my SL220 for sport. Extremely comfortable and very versatile. Like all modern Arc'teryx harnesses, the thin construction leads to more breathability and a much higher comfort level when hanging for a while in it. Arc'teryx harnesses are quite durable, but I hate how they take on dirt and grime and look well-used after just a few uses. I also never liked the shape and flexibility of the gear loops when you've got a full rack. I've also experienced, frequently, the same problem others have described of the gear loops plastic piece coming apart in the middle of a climb.

Petzl Sitta - Really great idea and great construction, but badly designed comfort-wise. Super lite and useable. Very breathable. But not comfortable to hang in at all. Would compare it to the momentum, but it's more than twice the price. The weight savings just aren't that important to me when I've got a full rack hanging off of it anyway.

BD Technition - Just released. This harness is my current favorite. All of the features you would ever need in a trad harness, but it's light and also works great on ice and sport. It has the same construction as the solution, but the outer later is much more durable. I would compare it exactly to the AR395a in comfort and breathability, but it's half the price. The gear loops are smaller, but they're stiffer and more durable. The rear gear loop is very handy as well and it doesn't tend to taco like the Arc'teryx. It's only been out for a couple of months so we have yet to see long term results, but I'd still recommend it.

No ice slots on the Viper 2 either. 

divnamite: what's wrong with the sitta gear loops? I love the separated front loops. 

lukeweiss wrote:

No ice slots on the Viper 2 either. 

divnamite: what's wrong with the sitta gear loops? I love the separated front loops. 

Back loops are too soft. The front loops separators are actually annoying because when I clip blindly, I end up clipping the separators a few times.

Idaho Ian wrote:

Just ordered a DMM Renegade 2. It is a 2014 design without much press but is what I came up with to replace my 10+yr old BD momentum. I was interested in the Caddillac too, but the DMM is lighter, less bulky, and has a similar number of gear loops. Will give it a preliminary rating once I use it this weekend. 

I'll second the DMM Renegade. I've been using it exclusively for the past four years and will buy another when it's time to retire this one. Lots of loops, ice clipper slots, adjustable everything, lightweight, packable. 

lukeweiss wrote:

No ice slots on the Viper 2 either. 

divnamite: what's wrong with the sitta gear loops? I love the separated front loops. 

No, but the Renegade 2 which has two more gear loops also has 4 ice clippers slots that are BD, Petzl, or just plain carabiner compatible

Idaho Ian wrote:

No, but the Renegade 2 which has two more gear loops also has 4 ice clippers slots that are BD, Petzl, or just plain carabiner compatible

More gear loops is not necessarily an advantage. Moreover, well designed 4 gear loops is almost always better versus 6 poorly designed gear loops.

It is if you are a disorganized organization freak, like me. 

John Wilder wrote:

Pretty sure a forum search will reveal that the Cadillac is most people's favorite along with the Chaos. 

I prefer the Orion from Edelrid, as it's more comfortable than either, imho. 

Upvote for the Orion from Edelrid! Comfiest harness I've ever worn and it's a little bit different/more rare than BD/Petzl etc. so you get extra style points. 

Pavel Burov wrote:

More gear loops is not necessarily an advantage. Moreover, well designed 4 gear loops is almost always better versus 6 poorly designed gear loops.

This is pretty relevant when looking at the Viper vs Renegade. My wife has whatever the women's version of the Renegade is, and the loops are tiny, plus the back pairs overlap quite a bit. I think 4 is better than 6 in this case.

Noah Yetter wrote:

This is pretty relevant when looking at the Viper vs Renegade. My wife has whatever the women's version of the Renegade is, and the loops are tiny, plus the back pairs overlap quite a bit. I think 4 is better than 6 in this case.

The loops do not feel small in practice, and the overlap does not feel like a hindrance.  

Noah Yetter wrote:

This is pretty relevant when looking at the Viper vs Renegade. My wife has whatever the women's version of the Renegade is, and the loops are tiny, plus the back pairs overlap quite a bit. I think 4 is better than 6 in this case.

Interesting. I found the loops on mine just as useful per loop as the loops on my Momentum, but that's not to say that the Momentums loops were above average, and YMMV

Nick Drake wrote:

I'm going to say for the OP that on the comfort note, absolutely no post on here can really help. You need to actually hang in harnesses and see what works for you. 

+1

I had Misty Mountain Sonic for many years because I had heard so much good. I recently changed to Petzl Luna, which was an improvement in fit and comfort and a $40 lower price. 

Bowens wrote:

The loops do not feel small in practice, and the overlap does not feel like a hindrance.  

+1, Never have a problem with mine, actually, the overlap is a plus, because it reduces the unusable section of harness between loops in most cord style gear loops