A decent trad multipitch harness that won't break the bank?

Patrik wrote:

She was asking for a trad harness, not an aid harness. The more gear loops you have, the more (useless) gear you carry. 

Oh no way, was she?! Dang, it's almost as though the context of my post would make it clear that's exactly what I knew her question was and was suggesting a range of options in addition to to the Ocun. Other suggestions have been made in this thread that straddle the line between trad and big wall harnesses (MM Cadillac, Metolius was suggested too, for example).

Perhaps the more gear loops you have, the more useless gear you carry. One could easily want more gear loops simply to space out the gear they carry, rather than to add more to the pile. She wanted something comfortable to hang in, more than 4 gear loops, doesn't break the bank, and needs more room on her belay loop (i.e., a second belay loop is the answer). The MM Cadillac fits that criteria except it's expensive. The Webee fits that criteria and is more affordable. A harness can be used for more applications than just the broader classification it's advertised under.

I used to use the misty caddy for years. Its a good harness but had a few things I didnt like, like the leg loops not staying tight. I stayed with it because of being a loyal NC climber lmao. I switched to the Wild country syncro and am very happy with it. Very comfy and still has the double waist buckles to keep it centered. The gear loops are a little interesting, the extra loops are a bit small but still plenty of extra space compared to a 4 looper. Its great for all around climbing too as its not to bulky. 

I don't have harness recommendations, just some thoughts. Looking at your criteria, I would just prioritize comfort. Don't worry about having more gear loops or a longer belay loop.

I am someone who brings way more gear than I should for trad climbs and I'm able to fit it all on a 4 loop BD Solution without issue. Some things you can do are stack similar cams so that for your double rack, only one carabiner connects to your harness for each size. Additionally, you can stack items that you rarely use. For instance, I'll stack my ATC, prussik, and double length sling since I usually only use these at the end of the day when rappeling. Also stack your draws and use some over the shoulder slings instead of just alpine draws. Finally, utilize the loop in the back of the harness to put things that you rarely use (shoes obviously, but maybe other things too).

I don't think a longer belay loop will help you with your checks when abseilling. Maybe just consider ways of simplifying your setup. Consider keeping things separated more. I.e. extend your rappel device, use your leg loop for your prussik.

You could look up harnesses by Ocun. Seems like a european brand so I don‘t know if they are available in the US. I have the Ocun Twist Quatro which has 6 gearloops and is still quite light. I‘m not sure if they still produce it but you could check out their website – I think they have some harnesses designed for women.

No way I buy a harness without trying it on first.

Take this with a grain of salt because I literally just got this harness a few days ago and haven't even climbed in it yet, but you might check out the Wild Country Mosquito Pro. I don't want to over-sell it, there are some things I was a little dissappointed by when I actually got it in my hands but I like it alot for the most part. It's reasonably light and compact, has a fifth gear loop (albeit a small one, which personally I like) and whatever construction mumbo jumbo they do makes it comfy for my boney lil ass. Again, I haven't climbed in it, just hung for a lil bit, so grain of salt. Something about some of the materials (not all!) feel a little cheaper than I was expecting, but that's the worst I have to say. Worth a look anyway. 

I love my beal phantom- and it’s cheap and light as well. Had mine for a few years and have a replacement sitting in the closet for when it wears out! 

Hey Cosmic (or anyone),

I have a worn 3 times Sonic. It's in mint condition by all accounts.
its a medium. Just little too small for me and I have so many other harnesses.
LMK if you're interested and I'll dig it out and confirm details and send pics.

I have a Misty Mountain Cadillac in size L with an extra belay loop that’s too big for me. I’ve worn it to put up a 3 pitch route out at Cal Domes, climbed Silk Road, plus a few other short routes. Basically brand new. Paid $200 for it. I’d trade it for that Sonic. 

I'll shoot ya a DM Chad. I'd be down to trade.

Hi Vicky,

For what it’s worth, I’ve owned 2 or 3 petzl harnesses (lost count) and in my experience durability is their weakest aspect. The metolius SafeTech harnesses all cost $130-150. I’ve been using the woman’s version of that for all my outside climbing for 6 years now and it’s holding up very well. It’s got about 200-300 days of climbing on it? I typically retire my soft goods at 8-10 years or when worn out so no matter what harness I buy, the cost is trivial  compared to rope and shoe costs, for example.

Sorry I cannot speak to the gear loop issue. I only rack on my harness when I am sport climbing and use gear slings for crack gear. But a few folks upthread have proposed ideas for gear organization. If you don’t already, color coded biners is quite useful, as is stacking mentioned above. Honestly if you’ve never given gear slings a try you might consider it. I think the crack climber Steph Davis sells one. 

Mr Rogers wrote:

Hey Cosmic (or anyone),

I have a worn 3 times Sonic. It's in mint condition by all accounts.
its a medium. Just little too small for me and I have so many other harnesses.
LMK if you're interested and I'll dig it out and confirm details and send pics.

Much appreciated man, I also have too many harnesses and may have possibly definitely recently bought another (oops) so I'm all set. Ended up getting a Mammut Comfort Fast Adjust so we'll see how it is. Hope the trade works out for you guys, sounds like a good match!

For anyone curious, I was looking at the MM Sonic, The Wild Country Mosquito Pro, and the Mammut Comfort Fast Adjust. 

• I decided against the Sonic because the mustard yellow color isn't for me and the $20 shipping they charge is a great stupid way to lose potential customers. 
• The Mosquito Pro looked solid except for the front gear loops appear that they would push gear really far forward and reviews of it confirmed that. If you could flip the direction of the loop plastic things like you can on the Arc'teryx AR-395, maybe I'd have reconsidered.
• Ultimately the Mammut seemed like a good option for carrying a heavier rack for single pitch stuff and reasonable for multi-pitch days as well. The larger gear loops look well designed, the padding and waist/leg loops look wider and seem well reviewed comfort-wise, and the rear 5th gear loop hangs loose enough to not be a pain in the ass to use (as opposed to my BD Solution Guide which has the 5th gear loop stretched so tight across the back that it causes issues trying to clip/unclip gear from it. Plus, though not related to function, a mostly black harness looks good with everything