|
|
|
|
blueshrimp
Aug 21, 2009, 11:20 AM
Post #1 of 40
(13747 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 24, 2008
Posts: 147
|
So, I'm in the market for a new harness. I tried on the BD Primrose and thought that it had some good points, not least of which the color is cool and not boring black like all others. I found the Primrose quite comfortable because the leg loops are thicker than the corresponding BD Men's harness (I think that would be the Momentum, if I'm not mistaken), so it doesn't hurt my legs as much when you're hanging.
BUT...
The gear loops on the women's harness are markedly smaller than on the men's. WTF?
Are manufacturers assuming women don't carry as much gear up when leading trad as men or what?? As it stands with the Primrose it barely has enough loop space for my stuff and the quickdraws bunch up because the radius of the loop is too small. :(.
Anyone found a cool women's harness that doesn't assume the woman will only be seconding?
And if anyone from BD is reading this: Hey dudes, make the gear loops bigger and add two extra ones. Then I'd buy your Primrose harness in blue!
|
|
|
|
|
clee03m
Aug 21, 2009, 3:47 PM
Post #2 of 40
(13728 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 29, 2004
Posts: 785
|
Agreed that not having gear loops on women's harness is BS.
Woman's version of Misty Mountain's Cadillac. Has 3 gear loops on each side. I can fit my entire gumby rack and slings on them (though I usually use a gear sling). Only down side is that in order to fit all the gear loops, one is lower than the other two, so things hang a little lower on that loop and I just end up not using it. Also got a full strength haul loop, and leg loops come off very easily for your bathroom needs on long climbs.
Very comfortable for hanging belays, and padding is not bulky that I use it for sport climbing.
When I ordered it, the website didn't have the women's version of Cadillac so I had to order it on the phone. I feel like I should get paid by MM for all the advertising I do for them...
|
|
|
|
|
granite_grrl
Aug 21, 2009, 4:31 PM
Post #3 of 40
(13725 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 25, 2002
Posts: 15084
|
IMO gear loops on most harnesses today just suck in general. Though they might suck a little bit more on smaller sized women's harnesses 'cause there's not as much harness to attach them to (thus making them smaller).
But I'm sorry, I don't have any suggestions. I take a size large in a lot of women's gear so I don't have the smallness issue, but I'm terrified of having to buy a new harness at some point know the general suckage out there right now.
|
|
|
|
|
lena_chita
Moderator
Aug 21, 2009, 5:06 PM
Post #4 of 40
(13719 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 27, 2006
Posts: 6087
|
I have metolius safetech, and have the same complaint as well.
Sure, a smaller harness has less room on the waist belt, but as far as I can see the loops on my harness COULD have been at least 1-1.5 inch bigger than they are, and hey, I'll take that! Especially since I have not yet seen a gear sling that can be adjusted to fit me right...
|
|
|
|
|
lvpyne
Aug 21, 2009, 5:07 PM
Post #5 of 40
(13719 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 7, 2005
Posts: 207
|
I went through the same harness gear loop and general suckage crisis a couple of months ago. After deciding to "settle" for one of the Petzl harnesses, I found I just couldn't take it after a week of climbing in it -- the small gear loops, the bad fit, the chaffing, etc., etc. I eventually tried out the MM Cadillac and I've been really happy with it for trad and aid climbing, although I find it a bit bulky for sport climbing and generally drag out my old harness for sport cragging.
|
|
|
|
|
wjca
Aug 21, 2009, 7:59 PM
Post #6 of 40
(13707 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 27, 2005
Posts: 7545
|
blueshrimp wrote: So, I'm in the market for a new harness. I tried on the BD Primrose and thought that it had some good points, not least of which the color is cool and not boring black like all others. I found the Primrose quite comfortable because the leg loops are thicker than the corresponding BD Men's harness (I think that would be the Momentum, if I'm not mistaken), so it doesn't hurt my legs as much when you're hanging. BUT... The gear loops on the women's harness are markedly smaller than on the men's. WTF? Are manufacturers assuming women don't carry as much gear up when leading trad as men or what?? As it stands with the Primrose it barely has enough loop space for my stuff and the quickdraws bunch up because the radius of the loop is too small. :(. Anyone found a cool women's harness that doesn't assume the woman will only be seconding? And if anyone from BD is reading this: Hey dudes, make the gear loops bigger and add two extra ones. Then I'd buy your Primrose harness in blue!
If you like BD, write a well thought out and put together letter to their president, copied to VP of Marketing and head of research explaining your problem. Let them know you're not the only women complaining and volunteer to help them test new harness models if they choose to listen to your valid complaints and fix their shit gear. The worst thing is that it falls on deaf ears and you buy a MM Cadillac. I'm a guy and that's the harness I use and love it. The best thing is that someone at BD has enough sense to realize they are isolation half of their target market and you get some free gear to test out.
|
|
|
|
|
carabiner96
Aug 21, 2009, 11:02 PM
Post #7 of 40
(13694 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 10, 2006
Posts: 12610
|
wjca wrote: blueshrimp wrote: So, I'm in the market for a new harness. I tried on the BD Primrose and thought that it had some good points, not least of which the color is cool and not boring black like all others. I found the Primrose quite comfortable because the leg loops are thicker than the corresponding BD Men's harness (I think that would be the Momentum, if I'm not mistaken), so it doesn't hurt my legs as much when you're hanging. BUT... The gear loops on the women's harness are markedly smaller than on the men's. WTF? Are manufacturers assuming women don't carry as much gear up when leading trad as men or what?? As it stands with the Primrose it barely has enough loop space for my stuff and the quickdraws bunch up because the radius of the loop is too small. :(. Anyone found a cool women's harness that doesn't assume the woman will only be seconding? And if anyone from BD is reading this: Hey dudes, make the gear loops bigger and add two extra ones. Then I'd buy your Primrose harness in blue! If you like BD, write a well thought out and put together letter to their president, copied to VP of Marketing and head of research explaining your problem. Let them know you're not the only women complaining and volunteer to help them test new harness models if they choose to listen to your valid complaints and fix their shit gear. The worst thing is that it falls on deaf ears and you buy a MM Cadillac. I'm a guy and that's the harness I use and love it. The best thing is that someone at BD has enough sense to realize they are isolation half of their target market and you get some free gear to test out.
You climb?!?
|
|
|
|
|
clee03m
Aug 21, 2009, 11:18 PM
Post #8 of 40
(13693 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 29, 2004
Posts: 785
|
wjca wrote: blueshrimp wrote: So, I'm in the market for a new harness. I tried on the BD Primrose and thought that it had some good points, not least of which the color is cool and not boring black like all others. I found the Primrose quite comfortable because the leg loops are thicker than the corresponding BD Men's harness (I think that would be the Momentum, if I'm not mistaken), so it doesn't hurt my legs as much when you're hanging. BUT... The gear loops on the women's harness are markedly smaller than on the men's. WTF? Are manufacturers assuming women don't carry as much gear up when leading trad as men or what?? As it stands with the Primrose it barely has enough loop space for my stuff and the quickdraws bunch up because the radius of the loop is too small. :(. Anyone found a cool women's harness that doesn't assume the woman will only be seconding? And if anyone from BD is reading this: Hey dudes, make the gear loops bigger and add two extra ones. Then I'd buy your Primrose harness in blue! If you like BD, write a well thought out and put together letter to their president, copied to VP of Marketing and head of research explaining your problem. Let them know you're not the only women complaining and volunteer to help them test new harness models if they choose to listen to your valid complaints and fix their shit gear. The worst thing is that it falls on deaf ears and you buy a MM Cadillac. I'm a guy and that's the harness I use and love it. The best thing is that someone at BD has enough sense to realize they are isolation half of their target market and you get some free gear to test out.
Or...you could save yourself the trouble and buy from a company who puts as many gear loops on a woman's harness. I say reward the company that does not make bull shit women's harnesses. That and I am too lazy to write letters in hopes of free goods.
|
|
|
|
|
wjca
Aug 22, 2009, 2:41 AM
Post #9 of 40
(13688 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 27, 2005
Posts: 7545
|
carabiner96 wrote: wjca wrote: blueshrimp wrote: So, I'm in the market for a new harness. I tried on the BD Primrose and thought that it had some good points, not least of which the color is cool and not boring black like all others. I found the Primrose quite comfortable because the leg loops are thicker than the corresponding BD Men's harness (I think that would be the Momentum, if I'm not mistaken), so it doesn't hurt my legs as much when you're hanging. BUT... The gear loops on the women's harness are markedly smaller than on the men's. WTF? Are manufacturers assuming women don't carry as much gear up when leading trad as men or what?? As it stands with the Primrose it barely has enough loop space for my stuff and the quickdraws bunch up because the radius of the loop is too small. :(. Anyone found a cool women's harness that doesn't assume the woman will only be seconding? And if anyone from BD is reading this: Hey dudes, make the gear loops bigger and add two extra ones. Then I'd buy your Primrose harness in blue! If you like BD, write a well thought out and put together letter to their president, copied to VP of Marketing and head of research explaining your problem. Let them know you're not the only women complaining and volunteer to help them test new harness models if they choose to listen to your valid complaints and fix their shit gear. The worst thing is that it falls on deaf ears and you buy a MM Cadillac. I'm a guy and that's the harness I use and love it. The best thing is that someone at BD has enough sense to realize they are isolation half of their target market and you get some free gear to test out. You climb?!?
I used to before I had kids. Actually got to the gym a few weeks ago. I now suck. Can't make it up what I used to warm up on.
|
|
|
|
|
clausti
Aug 22, 2009, 3:58 AM
Post #10 of 40
(13682 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 5, 2004
Posts: 5690
|
lena_chita wrote: I have metolius safetech, and have the same complaint as well. Sure, a smaller harness has less room on the waist belt, but as far as I can see the loops on my harness COULD have been at least 1-1.5 inch bigger than they are, and hey, I'll take that! Especially since I have not yet seen a gear sling that can be adjusted to fit me right...
i used to have a metolius harness where the gear loops *overlapped.* that was the pits, because gear could get caught through both loops at a time.
i find my misty finesse to be sufficient, and i rack all my gear on my harness. it has four gear loops which do not overlap, in size small. (or it might be xs, i forget at the moment.)
i tried on some of the new BD harnesses at a booth at some spring event at the red. there was no size which had a waist belt that could adjust small enough that it wouldn't slip over my hips combined with leg loops big enough to put my thighs in. i have sprinter thighs. that's my story and i'm sticking to it.. adjustablelegloops4lyfe
|
|
|
|
|
blueshrimp
Aug 22, 2009, 4:00 PM
Post #11 of 40
(13663 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 24, 2008
Posts: 147
|
clee03m wrote: wjca wrote: blueshrimp wrote: So, I'm in the market for a new harness. I tried on the BD Primrose and thought that it had some good points, not least of which the color is cool and not boring black like all others. I found the Primrose quite comfortable because the leg loops are thicker than the corresponding BD Men's harness (I think that would be the Momentum, if I'm not mistaken), so it doesn't hurt my legs as much when you're hanging. BUT... The gear loops on the women's harness are markedly smaller than on the men's. WTF? Are manufacturers assuming women don't carry as much gear up when leading trad as men or what?? As it stands with the Primrose it barely has enough loop space for my stuff and the quickdraws bunch up because the radius of the loop is too small. :(. Anyone found a cool women's harness that doesn't assume the woman will only be seconding? And if anyone from BD is reading this: Hey dudes, make the gear loops bigger and add two extra ones. Then I'd buy your Primrose harness in blue! If you like BD, write a well thought out and put together letter to their president, copied to VP of Marketing and head of research explaining your problem. Let them know you're not the only women complaining and volunteer to help them test new harness models if they choose to listen to your valid complaints and fix their shit gear. The worst thing is that it falls on deaf ears and you buy a MM Cadillac. I'm a guy and that's the harness I use and love it. The best thing is that someone at BD has enough sense to realize they are isolation half of their target market and you get some free gear to test out. Or...you could save yourself the trouble and buy from a company who puts as many gear loops on a woman's harness. I say reward the company that does not make bull shit women's harnesses. That and I am too lazy to write letters in hopes of free goods.
Indeed. Why does it have to be up to the customer to tell the manufacturer that their products are inadequate? Is it too much to ask for companies to get it right the first time (do you hear this BD marketing department)? Honestly, putting loops on women's harnesses isn't rocket science. (shrug).
In the meantime, indeed, I vote with my feet and wallet, and am off to find me a comfy men's (or women's) harness with three gear loops to the side, or at least two big ones. Thanks for the suggestions on the MistyMountain Cadillac, will check it out.
And BD in case you're reading this: well, read this thread. Your colors are awesome, though. Your women's harness definetely wins above all others in the "pretty" (if a bit vapid) category. If I weren't interested in climbing, I'd buy your harness for sure. Or then again, I might spend the money on a pretty dress instead. You know, one that matches my elegant gold and silver-colored evening chalk bag. 
|
|
|
|
|
tavs
Aug 24, 2009, 1:53 PM
Post #12 of 40
(13613 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 26, 2002
Posts: 303
|
First, my guess is someone from BD HAS read this. BD, Petzl, etc all have folks on staff who peruse the message boards regularly. Second, I don't really get the antagonism towards telling a company what you think of their product--OF COURSE it's up to the customer to tell the company what they do and do not like....Really, you think they're mind readers? All of these companies have field testers that get first looks at the new stuff and provide feedback before it goes to market. So, hard as it may be to believe, someone (probably multiple someones) used the Primrose and liked it. So yeah, if you don't, you should let them know.
Now, that said, I actually don't think this problem is a gender thing. I was last in the market for a new harness about 1.5 years ago, at which time my current harness was a BD Momentum that I'd had for about 4 years. When I looked at the new BD models, I found the gear loops too small on ALL of them. (I don't wear women's harnesses--I have a short torso and so don't like the longer rise most of them feature.) I've also never given a thought to what color my harness was.
FWIW, I currently climb in a Petzl Corax (or Calidris, I can never remember which) and have never had problems with the gear loops. My husband just got a Sama and loves it.
|
|
|
|
|
blueshrimp
Aug 24, 2009, 9:50 PM
Post #13 of 40
(13587 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 24, 2008
Posts: 147
|
tavs wrote: First, my guess is someone from BD HAS read this. BD, Petzl, etc all have folks on staff who peruse the message boards regularly. Second, I don't really get the antagonism towards telling a company what you think of their product--OF COURSE it's up to the customer to tell the company what they do and do not like....Really, you think they're mind readers? All of these companies have field testers that get first looks at the new stuff and provide feedback before it goes to market. So, hard as it may be to believe, someone (probably multiple someones) used the Primrose and liked it. So yeah, if you don't, you should let them know. Now, that said, I actually don't think this problem is a gender thing. I was last in the market for a new harness about 1.5 years ago, at which time my current harness was a BD Momentum that I'd had for about 4 years. When I looked at the new BD models, I found the gear loops too small on ALL of them. (I don't wear women's harnesses--I have a short torso and so don't like the longer rise most of them feature.) I've also never given a thought to what color my harness was. FWIW, I currently climb in a Petzl Corax (or Calidris, I can never remember which) and have never had problems with the gear loops. My husband just got a Sama and loves it.
Well, I disagree vehemently. It is not to the customer to tell the manufacturer that their products have bugs (remember Microsoft?) or lack features. That's what a company's marketing department is for, so that they test (i.e. work out the bugs) and add the necessary features (via market research that may as you suggest even involve focus group testing...) but well BEFORE the product is released/put into production. Once the product is out, a company who then waits for the customer to complain about a crappy product then is a company behind the times.
I guess you don't mind the colors on your harness, but I HATE boring black or the clashing colors (purple?? Orange?? boring brown??) on some others. The primrose is pretty....I might have bought it on simply "pretty" grounds...if it weren't because I happen to lead my climbs and need more gear loops for my gear. (Why most women's harnesses--not just BD's-- don't have adequate gear loops is beyond me). If BD's men's harnesses are also inadequate, well... what can I say?? I guess BD sucks for harnesses then.
Here's a cool harness (and not black! It is spiffy black and red) I found, with--do you hear this Black Diamond?--7 gear loops! That's right. And only 480 grams. Cool, huh?
http://www.dmmclimbing.com/...sp?pid=7&pid2=24
http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=1333
(Now if only DMM would put a little haul loop at the back instead of the gear loop which hangs too low---then this harness would be perfect. Oh well, at least it beats the Primrose hands down...)
|
|
|
|
|
granite_grrl
Aug 24, 2009, 10:05 PM
Post #14 of 40
(13583 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 25, 2002
Posts: 15084
|
Nope, that still looks like it'll suck. The gear loops are all on an angle, it's going to push your gear forward 'causing it to bunch and create a clusterfuck (note: many of the petzl harnesses have the same thing going, great if all you're carrying are sport draws, no good if you're loaded down with gear).
Second, the loops overlap, and while I have no experience with this, you may note that a previous poster in this thread (clausti?) said how much that sucked on a previous harness of their's.
Besides, 7 gear loops? That's ridicules. If you ever carried enough gear to require that many gear loops the harness would be so weighted down your hips your be crying in agony.
|
|
|
|
|
clausti
Aug 24, 2009, 10:32 PM
Post #15 of 40
(13578 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 5, 2004
Posts: 5690
|
granite_grrl wrote: Nope, that still looks like it'll suck. The gear loops are all on an angle, it's going to push your gear forward 'causing it to bunch and create a clusterfuck (note: many of the petzl harnesses have the same thing going, great if all you're carrying are sport draws, no good if you're loaded down with gear). Second, the loops overlap, and while I have no experience with this, you may note that a previous poster in this thread (clausti?) said how much that sucked on a previous harness of their's. Besides, 7 gear loops? That's ridicules. If you ever carried enough gear to require that many gear loops the harness would be so weighted down your hips your be crying in agony.
i concur with GG. "fast foward" type gear loops are generally not best for trad climbing, though they're nice for sport climbing because draws simply don't get tangled like trad gear does. and overlapping gear loops do suck, though mine were more "stacked" than that, so maybe it'd be easier with the slope of those to not get stuff stuck through both.
also, misty harnesses come with padding in a bunch of colors, including yellow and purple red and grey and webbing including navy and black and blue and grey. and i bet if you called and asked real nice, they'd sew you up one in whatever color you want from the colors they have, for a fee.
but again on the prettiness front, my sport harness looks like this, stock:
and i've climbed a fair amount of trad in it. on multipitch i usually wish it was a little more padded, but they sell more padded versions that are also cute and one that even comes in the pretty pretty purple.
(This post was edited by clausti on Aug 24, 2009, 10:34 PM)
|
|
|
|
|
clee03m
Aug 25, 2009, 12:53 AM
Post #16 of 40
(13568 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 29, 2004
Posts: 785
|
FYI, my cadillac has exact same lilac coloring as above.
|
|
|
|
|
lena_chita
Moderator
Aug 25, 2009, 1:10 AM
Post #17 of 40
(13567 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 27, 2006
Posts: 6087
|
blueshrimp wrote: Well, I disagree vehemently. It is not to the customer to tell the manufacturer that their products have bugs (remember Microsoft?) or lack features. That's what a company's marketing department is for, so that they test (i.e. work out the bugs) and add the necessary features (via market research that may as you suggest even involve focus group testing...) but well BEFORE the product is released/put into production. Once the product is out, a company who then waits for the customer to complain about a crappy product then is a company behind the times.
What makes you think that they haven't made that research? Different products fit different niches. While I can't read the mind of folks at BD, IMO the Primrose is a harness for relatively new sport-climbing female, e.i. she would rarely need to rack anything more than draws, and even more rarely would she need more than 10 draws, 5 on each side.
Every person I have met who was wearing Primrose harness fits the above description.
if you don't fall in the above category, than maybe you are not in the market niche for which the primrose was designed and you should look for harnesses that fit you, instead of looking for harnesses of specific colors.
blueshrimp wrote: I guess you don't mind the colors on your harness, but I HATE boring black or the clashing colors (purple?? Orange?? boring brown??) on some others. The primrose is pretty....I might have bought it on simply "pretty" grounds....
Once again, I think the market research has been done, and the likelihood is that the majority of climbers do not place the color of the harness in the important category, which is why a lot of harnesses out there are basic black, or black with stripes of primary colors, none of the rainbow pastel stuff...
Liking a harness becuase it is purple reminds me of someone I know buying the skiing boots 2 sizes too big b/c they where the smallest ones in the color that matched her skiing jacket. She eventually concluded that Rossignol boots simply suck and her skis are not maneurable enough. Sort of reminds me of your conclusion about BD harnesses...
|
|
|
|
|
tavs
Aug 25, 2009, 3:01 AM
Post #18 of 40
(13556 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 26, 2002
Posts: 303
|
Read my post: I DO think BD did "market" (i.e., field testing) prior to public release. BD--and all climbing companies--are in fairly small niche markets; they can't really afford to release products that are going to bomb. So they use employees, friends of employees, their pros, etc to test early runs of new products. On the other hand, they are small companies that don't have Microsoft-size marketing departments. They rely on climbers--like you and me--to give them feedback so they can make the next generation of gear better. If you truly believe that small, niche companies catering to a small contingent of people should be prescient enough to know exactly what all climbers are going to want, well, then I suggest you get used to being disappointed.
I "lead my climbs" too, and all I can say about a harness with 7 gear loops is this: if I ever find myself needing that many and I'm not aid climbing, it's time for me to get out of the game, because I'm clearly carrying way too much gear.
|
|
|
|
|
erisspirit
Aug 25, 2009, 8:03 PM
Post #19 of 40
(13523 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 15, 2004
Posts: 3770
|
lena_chita wrote: What makes you think that they haven't made that research? Different products fit different niches. While I can't read the mind of folks at BD, IMO the Primrose is a harness for relatively new sport-climbing female, e.i. she would rarely need to rack anything more than draws, and even more rarely would she need more than 10 draws, 5 on each side.
In the case of the primrose I tend to agree with this. I have a BD harness that is basically the primrose (a bit older, different coloring but same styling, padding, etc)
I got it when I first began climbing, and for the beginner gym/sport climber it was a great harness esp for the price. Now that I find myself more often loaded down with trad gear, I do notice my gear loops fill up quickly, and the downsides to the harness become more apparent. At this point I could really use a different harness more suited to me, but this one is in good shape so it works well enough. I will probably "upgrade" when I find a harness I really like that is better suited to my current/ future needs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
tavs
Sep 1, 2009, 2:19 AM
Post #21 of 40
(13442 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 26, 2002
Posts: 303
|
My standard 4 gear loops have gotten me up 120' pitches in Indian Creek, long (8-14 pitches) routes in the Bugaboos and Wind Rivers, mixed ice and rock routes in the Sierras, and FAs in the desert. I cannot imagine how heavy I would be if I was carrying enough gear to fill 7 loops. And I definitely can't see the harness sitting comfortably and evenly around my waist! In 10+ years of climbing, the only people I've seen with more than 4 gear loops on their body have been wearing a gear sling in addition to a standard harness. If you really feel like you need more loops, I would strongly suggest looking into a gear sling.
In all seriousness....if you feel like you need that many loops, I'd take a close look at how you're racking. I frequently double-rack cams (e.g., clip one #2 Camalot to the gear loop, then any additional #2's I'm carrying get clipped directly to that cam's biner). I carry an anchor set-up of a tripled-and-twisted 48" runner plus extra biners all clipped onto ONE locker that gets clipped to the gear loop--nice and compact. If I'm on a long route, I'm wearing a very small pack with a hydration system in which I have any "extra" gear that won't be needed regularly while climbing but could come in handy at some point. I try to keep the clutter on my harness to a minimum--in the long run, it makes for more efficient climbing because I don't need to search thru loads of crap to find what I need.
|
|
|
|
|
lhwang
Sep 1, 2009, 3:22 AM
Post #22 of 40
(13436 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 4, 2005
Posts: 582
|
I would second tavs' recommendation on getting a gear sling. I rack my cams, hexes, nuts, etc. on a gear sling, and only the runners on my harness. Thereby avoiding the hula skirt look.
It helps if you tuck your jacket into the harness (instead of over, like in the photo). And I would highly recommend developing some kind of organizational system for racking your gear... as well as turning your runners into "quickdraw length". If you get into ice/alpine climbing, you'll find it really easy to catch a crampon on gear that hangs down low like that.
ETA: The times I do rack on my harness, I almost never rack everything I own. I usually look at the route, decide which pieces I need, maybe take a few extras on either side of the sizes if I'm not sure, then leave the rest on the ground.
(This post was edited by lhwang on Sep 1, 2009, 3:25 AM)
|
|
|
|
|
blueshrimp
Sep 1, 2009, 7:40 AM
Post #23 of 40
(13426 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 24, 2008
Posts: 147
|
O.K I see.
I ask a question asking if any women know of any women's harnesses with more than 4 tiny-sized gear loops that are not boring black, and in reply I get:
a) Criticism as to my taste in harness color from lena_chita
b) gratuitious climbing spray from tavs
c) Admonition due to sloppy dress style (untucked jackets="bad") from lhwang.
d) Suggestion to "just get a gear sling" (various).
To those few replies that were helpful (i.e. misty mountain cadillac recommendations), I thank you.
To the others providing the entertaining (but irrelevant) replies, I thank you too.
(This post was edited by blueshrimp on Sep 1, 2009, 7:49 AM)
|
|
|
|
|
lvpyne
Sep 1, 2009, 2:40 PM
Post #24 of 40
(13411 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 7, 2005
Posts: 207
|
I think that the consensus answer to your question in this thread was pretty much "options for women's climbing harness suck, the options that are out there are limited, however, we have found that there are various ways of dealing with it."
For example, OK, BD harness suck in terms of their gear loops, but maybe you could be a little more flexible on the color of your harness and that would open up other options for you? Or, since gear loops are fairly ubiquitously small, perhaps carrying a gear sling would help? Perhaps finding another way of racking gear would help? Sometimes I've found suggestions that pop up in threads in the ladies' room -- that aren't a direct response to the question that a poster had -- have use and merit and get at the "bigger question" (in your case, "How do I find a way to lead routes with climbing harnesses that suck?") that can be answered in a round about way. There's a lot of experience and useful suggestions that can come out in suggestions here. 
Also, and I know this isn't directly what you were asking, but I thought I'd show you another option for racking. I aid climb and end up using a double gear sling for a lot of longer routes. I'm not suggesting that you try a double gear sling ('cause they can be a real pain unless you need them!) but thought that I'd point out that using a gear sling can make it possible to do long, long routes with only four gear loops. (The harness in the picture, if you can see it under the Hawaiian Hula Skirt of Gear, only has 4 loops.)
|
|
|
|
|
clausti
Sep 1, 2009, 4:11 PM
Post #25 of 40
(13392 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 5, 2004
Posts: 5690
|
blueshrimp wrote: O.K I see. I ask a question asking if any women know of any women's harnesses with more than 4 tiny-sized gear loops that are not boring black, and in reply I get: a) Criticism as to my taste in harness color from lena_chita b) gratuitious climbing spray from tavs c) Admonition due to sloppy dress style (untucked jackets="bad") from lhwang. d) Suggestion to "just get a gear sling" (various). To those few replies that were helpful (i.e. misty mountain cadillac recommendations), I thank you. To the others providing the entertaining (but irrelevant) replies, I thank you too.
you really are a pill, aren't you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
(shrug). 
1
