This is my 3rd BD harness! Love them! They are really nice harnesses for the money and have everything that you would ever need in a harness. I own the Bod and the Alpine Bod harnesses - both are great. The Bod is a tad nicer for summer time and hanging belays - and the Alpine is perfect for what it's intended to do - be it ice climbing or Alpine climbing where you have clothes underneath it for a tad more cushioning. Even the Alpine harness is a pleasure to hang from per se.Great fit - I l love mine and would consider nothing else!
"Great Harness for winter mountaineering. Everything you need & nothing you don't."
12/31/12
SO glad they are still making this after 30 some years, it's still the one I recommend over all others for Alpine Climbing. It's light, cheap, has everything you need and nothing you don't. The drop-seat design makes it easy to put on when you're on the side of a mountain & wearing boots & crampons. Unclip the leg loops and put on the belt, then reach down & clip your legs. The only slight challenge is that you MUST remember to double back the buckle, which is why some people don't like it. But ya gotta remember to tie in, too. It's called climbing.
This is a great alpine harness. The leg loops release for easy gear-up over layers and it's so light-weight you don't realize you're wearing it. If you're wearing this for sport/trad climbing, you're cheap and deserve to be uncomfortable. For alpine climbing, clothing layers are all you need for padding (I've hung in a crevasse for a good 45 min and was fine).
I love this harness because it is small and easy to carry. I use it for caving because is also very light and easy to put on. Just use a carabiner to keep it together and to do rappelling. For this price you cant ask for more.
This is the best designed alpine harness out there with the dropping leg loops. The sizing it not entirely accurate though, so I'd recommend trying different sizes on before you buy. I bought the large since I have a 32" waist and it said 32-36", but it is too big, only going down to 34" when I actually measured it. And when it's cinched down all the way that puts the buckle right where you need to attach a carabiner to belay or rappel. If you can't try one on and are in the overlap range between sizes, definitely get the smaller size. The description doesn't say this, but it comes in a mesh bag with a velcro closure.
There are always a plethora of complaints about how uncomfortable this harness is. It was never designed for comfort. It is a light weight, packable, bomb proof harness for the alpine back-country. This is no sport climbing harness and if adjusted wrong will probably chop your balls off in a big lead fall. I love using it on long alpine traverses, glacier climbs, and any trip when I am not sure if I will need a harness.
I'm so cheap, I've been sport climbing in this for 2 years. Only if you prefer the classy appearance of the traditional double-back-through buckle over features such as a belay loop and your genitalia, might this be the right harness for you (or if you're buying it for it's intended alpine/mountaineering purposes). Hurts around the back and inner thighs to lower, hang-dog, or fall. On the plus side, it has kept me alive, has a haul loop, and the gear loops have held up fine.
I think this is a good beginners harness. The material is very durable, it fits great, I love the four gear loops. The only draw back is it's not very comfortable when hang-dogging or rappeling. It's actually bruised my hips a bit. But if you want a simple beginners harness that gives you added motivation to send and not hangdog, this is the one.
"Easy on the Wallet and the Back, hard on the Crotchal Region."
04/30/11
Bought this to get into rock climbing, with mountaineering in the back of my head. I've taken in climbing 5 or 6 times, and it has kept me safe and sound. Not too fun to fall on because of the low padding. But it is easy to get in and out of and very light (easy on the back if you're packing it in). If you are into the minimalist ethic, this is the way to go.
if you are concerned about weight and ease -to-use, this is it. Not good if you need to hang on it for a long time, it's not that well-padded at the hips (and no pad at all at the legs)
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