Petzl Fly vs Choucas Light/Pro

Considering the three harnesses in the title. Main use will be for rappelling/bailing after soloing on ice and alpine climbs. 

Has anyone used the Petzl Fly? Not much online from actual users, at least not that I could find. The leg loop adjustment cords look annoying-- like they would rub between your legs all day. Looks like I can get the Fly or the Choucas Light for about the same price right now, any advice between those two?

Am I correct that the Choucas Pro has a step-through waist band? I do not currently ski (but want to), so I think this would be ok with me. The Pro certainly looks like the most comfortable for doing much rappelling. Is it worth the extra $30?

I'd pay $30 for ice clipper slots and better gear loops, but you've got a better idea of what you're soloing, what gear you're bringing, your preferences. 

You can put a 3 buckle harness on over skis, just unclip the drop seat. 

I'd personally never buy an ice harness I had to step through (ie fixed leg loops) regardless of skiing, but again preferences. 

I have been using the Choucas Pro for a little over one year. I have not used the others, so I can’t compare. I love that it is very light, and very compact and has all the features you might need for ice climbing: 4 clipper slots, 4 gear loops. Also, it is (relatively) comfortable for being so minimal. I don’t have it sitting in front of me—so I can’t recall if you can undo the waist strap completely for wrap-around putting on, and I usually just step through. pretty easy to put on with crampons already on though, and doesn’t get in the way of a backpack, or make stupid noises while walking of material rubbing together (Petzl Hirundos). Actually, for hanging, I find it more comfy than the Hirundos. The Choucas Pro is really a harness you don’t notice, as it doesn’t interfere with anything. Not the case with the Hirundos. 

My only complaint about the Choucas Pro: the waist band, being a sort of web-like yet stiff material gets a bit wrinkly and hard to straighten out after repeated shovings in a pack and loaded ice clippers. That’s really all I don’t like. When I retire this, I want to try the Blue Ice Addax, as the waist belt should be a bit stiffer (thin foam) yet has all the other features. That’s my opinion on the Choucas Pro!

jdejacewrote:

You can put a 3 buckle harness on over skis, just unclip the drop seat. 

I am a little confused by this; are you assuming that they are old school double back buckles that come all the way open? The Choucas Pro has a "Speed Buckle" (their term), and it looks like the end of the webbing tail is stitched over itself to form a stopper, to either prevent or discourage unthreading the buckle. Have you had success unthreading/rethreading a two part buckle? It looks hard, but I've never really tried.

The webbing can come out of every double D ring buckle I've ever used and they've all been stitched over on the ends. I think speed buckle is just a fancy term for the double D ring buckles 99% of modern harnesses use.

That said, I don't have a Choucas. It would be kinda silly to have an alpine oriented harness be any other way. DeLa Cruce can tell us for sure?

You would hope it would act like a "stopper" if the webbing slipped while loaded and the "notch" of the doubled webbing caught on the edge of the buckle. Seems an incredibly unlikely scenario. But unloaded it's not an issue. 

Edit: ok I dug up my only current plain Jane double D harness, my others have fancier buckles. It's a Petzl Altitude. Doubled back webbing definitely passes through. 

Ok thank you for explaining. As stated I have no ski experience, so I've never really needed to do that.

Probably will get the Pro, largely because it has a belay loop instead of two points. I like umbilical tethers, and I like to have them pre-hitched on my harness so I don't have to rummage for them. The belay loop style facilitates this much better than the other harnesses.

ECD H wrote:

The Pro is much more of a 'real' harness.

How comfortable is it for walking, compared to the Choucas Light or similar? 

I posted about this recently. I bought the “midweight” Choucacs and it was like a ball torture device. Just walking in it hurt. Hanging in it was pretty painful. If you took a fall in it it might smash your junk. Def for the ladies. I returned it for the Choucacs Pro, and I find it superior in every way. Quite comfortable to walk in, barely heavier, packs down just as small. I’d recommend the Pro. Imm looking forward to it as an Alpine/glacier harness this summer.

Choucas Pro is comfortable for walking, then again, I don't think I've found any harness uncomfortable for walking. I just used mine for the first time this weekend and really like it. It weighs as much as the Petzl Altitude, but is a full featured lead harness. The mesh material repels snow and is surprisingly comfortable for hanging. Yes, it's fiddly to put on and take off, but I like the lack of plastic buckles which I'm worried might break in some freak way (not in a fall necessarily, but if I stomped on it on a rock with crampons while putting it on, or something weird like that).

YOLOLZ Bicarbonatewrote:

I posted about this recently. I bought the “midweight” Choucacs and it was like a ball torture device. Just walking in it hurt. Hanging in it was pretty painful. If you took a fall in it it might smash your junk. Def for the ladies. I returned it for the Choucacs Pro, and I find it superior in every way. Quite comfortable to walk in, barely heavier, packs down just as small. I’d recommend the Pro. Imm looking forward to it as an Alpine/glacier harness this summer.

Your thread was helpful. Should have my Pro in a couple days.