8 Best Climbing Harnesses (Review) In 2020

Our Best Choice climbing harness is the Black Diamond Momentum Harness. We absolutely love this harness, and so does pretty much every other reviewer on the internet. The reason? It’s a super high-quality harness that gives the performance of harnesses that cost twice as much. At less than $60, this is a very affordable option. It’s not the cheapest harness on this list, but for beginner to intermediate climbers, this is one of the best options out there. 

It actually feels and performs like a top-of-the-range Petzl harness or the Black Diamond Chaos, which is near twice the price. That’s why we’d recommend it to anyone looking for a great value all-purpose harness. You can use it in the gym or in a trad climbing situation, thanks to the fact that it’s both lightweight and comfortable. It doesn’t have any frills, except for four gear loops. But there are a couple of features that make this harness really stand out.

The next product in our list is the Oumers Safe Seat Belts Climbing Harness. Before we get into the review, it’s important to say exactly what this harness is for. It’s not really a rock-climbing harness. The reason we thought it deserved a place on this list is for the sheer value of the product. It’s less than $20, which makes it the cheapest harness we have featured. There are a few reasons it is so cheap. The first, and most important, the reason is that it doesn’t make any mention of being safety certified. In the product description, they reference a bunch of certifications that aren’t relevant to climbing, so we’d ignore them. For a climbing harness, you should look for a 3-Sigma or UIAA certification.

So, if it’s not designed for trad climbing, what is this harness for? Basically, it’s an entry-level harness for indoor climbing, tree climbing, and other similar activities. It’s designed for beginners and young people, so we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re a heavy-set adult. On the plus side, it does have reinforced webbing and connections and it even comes with a large gear loop.

Next, we have a second product from Black Diamond. They are one of the most trusted brands in the climbing world, so we knew this was going to be another favorite. Actually, the Black Diamond Vario Speed Harness is very similar to the Momentum harness we looked at first. The main difference is that it’s less comfortable. Which begs the questions: why would you choose this one? Well, the first harness was more of an all-purpose harness, so you can use it in any setting. This one’s primary purpose is for use as an indoor harness. You can tell because it doesn’t have any extra padding on the inside of the harness. This makes it much quicker to put on and adjust, but not suitable for long, difficult climbs in tough conditions.

One of the best things is how easy and quick it is to adjust. The large buckle is pre-threaded and doesn’t require doubling back. That basically means that you don’t have to mess around with any annoying straps. You just buckle in and adjust the harness to fit you perfectly. The leg loops also have quick-adjust buckles. Not only does that make it quick to adjust, it means that you can adjust it to fit children or adults. This makes it a versatile climbing belt for families that are teaching their children how to climb.

The PetzlCorax is another all-purpose rock-climbing harness that is suitable for pretty much all types of climbing. The reason it’s so versatile is that it’s adjustable, functional, and very comfortable. It’s actually really similar to the Black Diamond Momentum and the price is about the same. We actually think that the Momentum is a better all-rounder, but this harness is a lot more adjustable, which is the main reason why some climbers choose it. Not only does it have adjustable leg loops, but it’s also got a double belt buckle. That means you can easily find the perfect fit for your waist and keep the rest of the loops perfectly centered. This is a feature that you don’t see on a lot of harnesses in this price range, so it certainly helps it stand out.

The other reason that people love this harness is that it has large gear loops. They’re much bigger than the ones seen on similar Black Diamond harnesses, which is great for holding tons of gear. That makes it a fantastic, affordable option for trad climbing and mountaineering, and a suitable option for use in the gym. The only thing it’s not really suitable for is alpine climbing because it hasn’t got any ice-clipper slots.

The Edelrid Jay II Climbing Harness is one of the best-looking harnesses we could find. It comes in two bright color schemes that will make it easy for people to pick you out from the other climbers on the rockface. Of course, when it comes to climbing gear, aesthetics is way down on the list of what’s important. You need to know you can trust your gear before you start worrying about the way it looks. Luckily, this harness isn’t just a pretty face. It’s made by Edelrid, one of the world’s oldest climbing company. It was founded in 1863 and have been one of the main innovators in the climbing industry.

The Jay II harness is one of their flagship products. This is the male version, but there’s also a female version called the Jayne. It’s got exactly the same features but has a slightly different fit. The reasonable price point puts it in direct competition with the Black Diamond Momentum and PetzlCorax, two of the best all-rounders in the business. So, what does this harness offer that the other two can’t? In all honesty, not a lot. The main feature that sets it apart is the clip for an ice screw. This might not be hugely important for most climbers, but it could come in handy if you want to branch out into alpine climbing.

Our Premium Product in this list was an easy choice. The Arc’teryx FL-365 is the perfect all-purpose harness if you’ve got a bit of money to spend. It’s more expensive than the Black Diamond and Petzl harnesses we’ve featured, but we think it’s money well spent. Especially if you’re going to spending a lot of time hanging in this harness.

The name should give you an indication of when you can use this harness – 365 days a year. It’s designed to hold all of the equipment you’ll need in any climbing situation. It’s got four decent sized gear loops and four ice clipper slots, which makes it absolutely perfect for gear-intensive climbing. 

Every climbing harness on this list has a basic level of safety. They are designed to take a large amount of force without breaking and do it for years before they wear. But if safety is really important to you, you should check out the Metolius Safe Tech Deluxe Improved Climbing Harness. You can tell from every aspect of the design that safety was their primary focus.

The first indication is the inclusion of double belay loops. Not every climbing harness has these, but they’re a really useful function because you can attach yourself to the belay twice. So, if one line fails, you have a backup. This company is well-known for making safe harnesses, and they do a lot to keep that reputation. Every piece of webbing and stitching is rated for its strength. That means they check and double check to make sure it’s up to the highest standards.

Last on our list is the Beal Rebel Soft Climbing Harness. This one stands out on this list because it’s really designed for sports climbers and doesn’t have the capabilities for trad or multi-pitch rock climbing. The reason it’s not as versatile as the other harnesses we’ve featured, is that it doesn’t have much capability to hold gear. It does have four lightweight gear loops, but there’s no haul loop, rear gear loop, large gear loops, or ice clipper attachment points. So, you’ll struggle to take the gear you would need to do multi-pitch or trad climbing. Plus, even if you could fit the gear on, this harness just doesn’t feel right with all that weight.

It’s designed to be lightweight and compact. The style of the harness is actually pretty similar to the Arc’teryx FL-365, in that it doesn’t have the traditional webbing style. It uses Web-Core technology to distribute the weight along the waist and legs, and it does a pretty good job of it. The fit is pretty relaxed as well, so you can easily move your hands and feet into difficult-to-reach positions.