Misty Cadillac Harness Crunching Nuts

Dave K wrote:

You can have a Misty for about 1/3 of what I paid for it!

http://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/117607020/fs-misty-mountain-ballcrusher-harness

im too skinny or your too fat :D

Petzl has used those “teardrop” leg loops on the Adjama and there are few other harnesses out there that are similar. Strange design, you can tell by looking at them that they wont be comfortable. Good to see MM has discontinued them.

OP, I understand your frustration. At this point it’s probably better to get on the phone and handle it in private. But still... you bought that harness and specifically chose those leg loops, even though it was pretty clear on their website that there were other more traditional options available. I assume you bought it without having hung in them?

Just curious, why did you choose that design instead of the regular crag or wall options?

Hello All,

Me again. I just wanted to address the remaining issues and comments that have come to light.

Charlie: I appreciate the comment. At the end of the day, I'm here for all of our climbers. I understand that this is a rough situation and I'm committed to getting everyone not only what they desired out of a harness, but what they want out of their day on the wall as well.

Danny: I'm not the owner, just a customer rep. The owner and I work side by side through out our day so he is FOR SURE caught up to speed on the situation. For what it's worth, I can assure you that there was a sense of unhappiness when we saw that this was an issue.

Dave: Please let us know what harness and size you'd like to replace the custom harness with tear drop leg loops, and we'll gladly replace it, no charge. We want you to be comfortable and happy. We would like to get the original harness back from you and will send a label for it's return.

Dave K wrote: This is the page that lets you choose the leg loops on their custom harness designer. They no longer have the "teardrop" design:

I am wondering if the "Teardrop" design wasn't intended for women, or shorter climbers or climbers with skinny legs or XXX, and not for average men???

I can't imagine why MM, with their market leading harnesses, would change a design based on a whim? Maybe I'm wrong, but there has to be more to it than just a bad design, because after the first set of crushed nuts, I would think they would stop selling them.

5.Seven Kevin wrote: I can tell your Nuts never got bruised by that Harness Dave K.

 Clearly too small.

lol, the Misty fanbois are triggered!

I think "big nuts" 5.Seven Kevin should buy the ballcrusher and take it for a spin.

Sorry, you know how some Women's rear ends are too big for certain harnesses or pants to get into??

I have that same problem, but in the front :)

5.Seven Kevin wrote: Sorry, you know how some Women's rear ends are too big for certain harnesses or pants to get into??

I have that same problem, but in the front :)

I'll ignore the misogynistic comment, but I call BS on your other claim.

Talk is cheap. Show us your stuff and send some pitches in the ballcrusher.

We don't care if you have to hang at the crux, that will add to the fun!

Walk the walk!

Attentive Follower wrote:

I'll ignore the misogynistic comment, but I call BS on your other claim.

Talk is cheap. Show us your stuff and send some pitches in the ballcrusher.

We don't care if you have to hang at the crux, that will add to the fun!

Walk the walk!

Yeah I oppressed women everywhere with my comment,  all while you're sexually harrassing me and asking me for a picture of my "stuff"?

Send me a Pm, show me yours and I'll show you mine:)

This thread somehow contains both the high point and the low point of the Internet.

Dave K wrote: This is the page that lets you choose the leg loops on their custom harness designer. They no longer have the "teardrop" design:

They all look about the same from the diagrams. There's some descriptive text above that says a little about each selection when you click on it, with information about the width and padding. I don't know what the text said when I bought it, since it's gone now, but I recall it described the teardrop as having a more pronounced taper. But the problem is that it's just completely different and sewn directly together at a harsh right angle.

Why did I choose the teardrop? Because from the sketch is seemed the only difference was width, and it was described as wide, but not the widest.

I didn't try it on before buying. It's a custom design so that's not really possible. There aren't many shops in Southern California that have a selection of Misty harnesses. I trusted that Misty wouldn't' sell me a flawed design because I had used them in the past for many years and because of their reputation. I've owned about six harnesses from Metious, BD, Mammut, etc. before this one and never saw even a minor issue with leg loops. The only difference was padding and adjustability. I've never had a partner, or even heard of anyone having this problem on internet forums until I read this thread. I never gave much thought to leg loops in 20+ years and any discomfort I've ever experienced was usually in the waist only after hanging a while. This is a very specific problem, specific to this flawed design, so it never occured to me that a reputable harness manufacturer could screw it up.

I'm curious why you are defending a gear manufacturer that would even sell a product that you say is obviously uncomfortable. I'm not an expert on harness design and I don't think I should have to be to avoid a subtle but significant design flaw. I trusted that Misty Mountain knew what they were doing. They made a mistake, one that they admit, and passed that mistake along to their customers. It's great that they no longer sell this design, except for the people that are stuck with it. It's like I have a Ford Pinto in my garage. What do I do with this thing?

I did attempt to address this privately after reading the OP of this thread, taking another look at my harness and realizing there was something off. I wrote to Misty, asked them if I could replace the leg loops at my expense. The response I got was an offer for 40% off a new harness. I appreciate that they responded, and I understand that they don't necessarily owe me anything as they did send me what I ordered. But their offer really is not a solution since I still end up having to buy a new harness, and 40% off a Misty is about the same price one could get for another high-end harness on sale.

I have an Osprey backpack that is has seen heavy use. There were rips on the corners over the frame from wear. I often just drop my pack on the ground so much of the wear is due to abuse. I sent the pack back to Osprey and they repaired it for free. A few years later it started to tear again. I recently sent it back to Osprey and they sent me a brand new pack. I didn't get any cute emails from Osprey, but I did get a solution that went above and beyond.

BTW, the harness is still available. Like new condition. A 32" - 35" waist should fit many climbers.

http://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/117607020/fs-misty-mountain-ballcrusher-harness

I wasn't defending them. Although, Richard's subsequent response is why I usually defend them. 

I was honestly wondering why you would pay extra money to customise a harness and then pick a random set of leg-loops? The ONLY leg loops they offer than are different than the ones on your admittedly comfortable Cadillac from 5 years ago. You had a MM harness that you liked. Why didn't you just buy another one?

I understand that you weren't able to hang in the specific harness that you put together online but I find it hard to believe you couldn't have gone to a shop in SoCal and hung in a Cadillac.

Jared Chrysostom wrote: This thread somehow contains both the high point and the low point of the Internet.

^This. 

Right on Misty. Keep on keepin on - you guys rock and I miss the couple of Cadillacs I've burned through. Maybe next time I'm in the market. 

a d wrote: I recently got a new Misty Mountain Cadillac harness (my second; I had one about five years ago).  The leg loops on this one ride up to the point where my nuts get crunched when being lowered; I haven't yet taken a fall with it, but I'm genuinely concerned that I might get injured if things aren't situated exactly right considering what it sometimes feels like on a simple lower.  I've never had this problem before with any harness, even my old Cadillac  Adjusting the leg loops hasn't yielded any benefit.  Has anyone had this problem with a Cadillac or any other harness?  Super frustrating considering its otherwise a great harness.  

Any recommendations on how to eliminate this problem?  Nuts-related jokes also welcome.

Obviously you have never worn a Whillans Harness

Cosmiccragsman AKA Dwain wrote: Obviously you have never worn a Whillans Harness

Dude: my first harness was a BD Alpine Bod, which isn't that far off from a Whillans. They are NOT fun to hang around in...

Buck Rio wrote:

Dude: my first harness was a BD Alpine Bod, which isn't that far off from a Whillans. They are NOT fun to hang around in...

Nope.
That's why I went back to a 2 inch swamie  with leg loops made from a runner.
Then I got a Forrest Swami and added their leg loops made for the swami. 

3rd hand info, but I heard Don W. never actually wore his namesake harness. 

Dave K wrote:

I really don't get the motivation behind the hostility directed my way from your posts and others here. All I've done is relay my experiences about an issue with a product that the manufacturer acknowledges had a flaw in the design.

For those of you trying to blame the consumer for a bad design, I suggest you never start a business. "You should have known it was a flawed product" is never the right answer to a customer inquiry.

I used to have a pretty high opinion of Misty Mountain and I still do, but this experience has been interesting. I have to remind myself that the company has been pretty cool throughout, and it's only a few of their loyal fans that have been assholes. Nobody from Misty Mountain has ever made a childish insult about my anatomy.

If anyone is reading this thread and considering a Misty Mountain product, don't let the jerks here deter you from buying.

I can’t speak about other posts but I really don’t see how you can call my responses hostile. I am asking fair questions and you refuse to answer them. I actually said I understood your frustration and that was the truth. A discount on a new item never really solves the problem in this type of situation, which is why Misty offered more than that in the end. 

My question still stands... in all of the threads out there about harnesses, EVERY SINGLE ONE contains plenty of people saying you really need to hang in a harness before you buy. You had hung in their other leg loop options but chose to go with the one option you had never seen before. I’m not saying you should have known that the teardrop o wouldn’t work... I’m just wondering why you took a chance when you didn’t have to?

Dave K wrote:

I really don't get the motivation behind the hostility directed my way from your posts and others here. All I've done is relay my experiences about an issue with a product that the manufacturer acknowledges had a flaw in the design.

For those of you trying to blame the consumer for a bad design, I suggest you never start a business. "You should have known it was a flawed product" is never the right answer to a customer inquiry.

I used to have a pretty high opinion of Misty Mountain and I still do, but this experience has been interesting. I have to remind myself that the company has been pretty cool throughout, and it's only a few of their loyal fans that have been assholes. Nobody from Misty Mountain has ever made a childish insult about my anatomy.

If anyone is reading this thread and considering a Misty Mountain product, don't let the jerks here deter you from buying.

Don't buy MM, period. Their harnesses are outdated. I used MM when I first started climbing, love them because they were better than most other harnesses. Now, Arcteryx harnesses are king for me.

Ryan Williams wrote:

I can’t speak about other posts but I really don’t see how you can call my responses hostile. I am asking fair questions and you refuse to answer them. I actually said I understood your frustration and that was the truth. A discount on a new item never really solves the problem in this type of situation, which is why Misty offered more than that in the end. 

My question still stands... in all of the threads out there about harnesses, EVERY SINGLE ONE contains plenty of people saying you really need to hang in a harness before you buy. You had hung in their other leg loop options but chose to go with the one option you had never seen before. I’m not saying you should have known that the teardrop o wouldn’t work... I’m just wondering why you took a chance when you didn’t have to?

Oh man the Misty fanbois are like a pack of rabid dogs! Who knew that buying a harness included an interrogation?

"Why did you choose these legloops? Why did you get a custom? Why did you not drive all over So Cal to try one? DO NOT REFUSE TO ANSWER MAY QUESTIONS!!"

You already got a pretty long explanation but you want MORE! And you missed the only relevant fact: Misty Mountain fucked up.

Now I don't own a ballcrusher, but I can answer a couple of questions for you:

- There are not many shops in So Cal that have MM harnesses. REI has never carried them and small shops, which are less common than you might think, may only have one or two if they carry them at all. Many of the people I know that use MM harnesses order them directly.

- People buy custom stuff because they want it to be... customized!

And the "hang test" is for noobs and salesmen. It doesn't tell you much. Any quality harness is going to be reasonably comfortable for a short hang in a store. The real test of comfort comes after a long day, after belaying, after lowering, after falling, after hanging gear on it and actually climbing. The hang test is about as useful as going to a car dealership taking a test drive around the block. It's not going to tell you that the car will break down a month after you buy it.

It's your fault your Tesla caught on fire after ten thousand miles, you should have test drove it first!

Attentive Follower wrote:

Oh man the Misty fanbois are like a pack of rabid dogs! Who knew that buying a harness included an interrogation?

"Why did you choose these legloops? Why did you get a custom? Why did you not drive all over So Cal to try one? DO NOT REFUSE TO ANSWER MAY QUESTIONS!!"

You already got a pretty long explanation but you want MORE! And you missed the only relevant fact: Misty Mountain fucked up.

Now I don't own a ballcrusher, but I can answer a couple of questions for you:

- There are not many shops in So Cal that have MM harnesses. REI has never carried them and small shops, which are less common than you might think, may only have one or two if they carry them at all. Many of the people I know that use MM harnesses order them directly.

- People buy custom stuff because they want it to be... customized!

And the "hang test" is for noobs and salesmen. It doesn't tell you much. Any quality harness is going to be reasonably comfortable for a short hang in a store. The real test of comfort comes after a long day, after belaying, after lowering, after falling, after hanging gear on it and actually climbing. The hang test is about as useful as going to a car dealership taking a test drive around the block. It's not going to tell you that the car will break down a month after you buy it.

It's your fault your Tesla caught on fire after ten thousand miles, you should have test drove it first!

I just think it’s strange that he chose the only unfamiliar product on the website. You’re just asking for trouble by doing that. 

Obviously hanging in a store is not going to tell you everything, but I’ve had plenty people come into my store and ask for a specific harness based on “research.” They hang in it, and decide on a different harness based on comfort. Hanging in a harness tells you more than any amount of internet digging can tell you. 

And BTW, the last harness I bought was an Arc’Teryx. I love MM but I would have asked the same question if he had come on here complains about a Petzl harness.