That cool plastic piece on the tie in point of Mammut and Edelrid harnesses?

Ya know how most of the new Mammut and Edelrid harnesses have a plastic cover on the lower tie in point, what is everyone's opinion on that. From what I know it seems like a great idea and I have been trying to come up with a way to make one for my BD chaos harness. It seems like that is the place all my harnesses wear out first, and could potentially add years to the life of a harness with a few cents of plastic. Any thoughts on how to modify a harness to add one of those to it? And does anyone know the technical name for this piece of plastic?

Just as an example if you dont know what im talking about

So far so good. No problems tying in, rapping, etc. Several leader falls, no problemo with el plastic thingy. Hope it adds life to my harness... Bonus!

you could probably jury rig one out of thin PVC...heat it up in a microwave or using a lighter and bend to an approximate shape of the desired curve...tape/stitch/ or tie on with some thin accesory cord

The older Mammut harnesses had that piece break. My current Mammut harness has been great and the plastic protector has worked fine. The harness is very light so I'm certain the protection has helped.

Probably made out of hdpe or nylon. I could think of a few ways to jurry rig one easy.

Brilliant idea by Mammut. My Arc'teryx harness didn't have one and that area wore at an alarming rate, even though I never pulled the rope over the tie in points. I've had my Mammut twice as long as my Arc'teryx and it's in great shape. I don't know what the technical name is, but a yoke or cradle seems appropriate.

Ranar wrote:Probably made out of hdpe or nylon. I could think of a few ways to jurry rig one easy.

Im all ears, Id love to hear what you would do if you wanted to make something like this? :)

Edelrid harnesses have them too now.

GREAT FEATURE!

I wish it was more common among harnesses.

There is a hard, smooth conduit (similar to PVC) on the market for electricians that, when heated will bend and retain its new form when cooled.

I don't know what it's called, sorry.

i have been gear testing many product, from many company.
the mammut harnesses do seem nice with this. you could always
maybe make one out of a thick water bottle, or something similar,
with 2 tip ties to hold it...

as far as harness wear. that area does wear out. first if you just sport climb, maybe?? my harness, from cracks & offwidths wears out
in other areas first.

it does (the plastic part) make threading the rope in (from the bottom up) easier than other harnesses on the market.

maybe i will have more thoughts later, after wearing it a bit more...

c

Does anyone think this would work?

Insta-Morph, mold-able plastic

Not sure if it would last very long, but how about just a few wraps of thick duct tape?

I honestly thought about it, and it might do the job just fine, but part of me wonders if the adhesive compounds in the tape would adversely effect the harness, I'm not sure, and for all I know the mold-able plastic would be worse. On the plastics products website, they show people making fake teethe, so if it can go in your mouth I assume its fine.

Has anyone had experience with the good ol' duck tape?

I have a Mammut with the plastic guard. FWIW, I've climbed in it for 8 years now and every part of the harness' nylon looks practically new. I KNOW that's well past the recommended use...but I just can't throw it away; it looks perfect.

That being said, I WILL chop it up, throw it away, and buy a new one for next spring. 9 years would be pushing the envelope...further

Danger-Russ Gordon wrote:Does anyone think this would work? Insta-Morph, mold-able plastic

My buddy bought some of that stuff to play around with, and it's pretty fun. I wouldn't be surprised if if does work...and even if it doesn't, you can reheat it and mold it into anything else you want, so it's not like it would just go in the garbage. The only thing I'm not sure about if it would be durable and flexible enough to withstand repeated bending when it's weighted. I guess there's only one way to find out, eh? =)

Basically just a beefed up piece of webbing with some velcro that can be attached around one of the tie in points. Same idea as the plastic piece in question. The webbing piece can be replaced over time as it would take all of the wear and tear. It's out there:

backcountrygear.com/wild-co…

$3.00

Wild Country Tie In Protector

Tubular webbing?

I look forward to when my harness wears out so I can try a different one.

Love mine - it's my second Mammut harness with this feature...it works great. Keeps the loop from getting sawed through when walking around in it.

Instead of messing with something that'll be untested why not bust out for a new harness that has it installed at the factory. I've seen them recently on sale for $35.

oh the tecnical name for it is "partial shade"..get it?..haha

One issue with after market additions and especially Duct Tape is the IN-ability to visually inspect your tie in points on a regular basis. wear and tear, unravelling bar tacks, etc. can go unnotticed under the surface just waiting for the right time (read: fall) to strike.

+1 for pony-ing up the cash for a new rig!

rock_fencer wrote:you could probably jury rig one out of thin PVC...heat it up in a microwave or using a lighter and bend to an approximate shape of the desired curve...tape/stitch/ or tie on with some thin accesory cord

Just be very careful with that. Burning PVC releases hydrochloric acid, which can kill you if inhaled.