Why are full body harnesses uncommon in mountaineering?
In principle, it is known that full body harnesses are useful for situations where the center of gravity is higher - e.g. for children, or for Alpine situations involving carrying heavy loads. A full body harness reduces the risk of flipping upside down in case of a fall in such situations in particular.
Nonetheless, I have not seen people wearing a full body harness on the mountains. More pertinently, when I wanted to buy myself a full body harness (for adults), I checked two of the better known manufacturers - Black Diamond and Petzl - the former doesn't even make it, and the latter sells only a single model (and dozens of sit harness models).
Why are full body harnesses uncommon in practical mountaineering?
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/24587. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1 answer
Full body harnesses are not used because of:
- Weight (for obvious reasons)
- Bulk (Getting all gear to your climbing desintation can be a chore. Everything else being equal, a more packable harness is preferred)
- Freedom of movement (a full body harness hinders arm movements)
- Clothing (Taking a jacket on and off with a body harness is a mess)
Instead, climbers add an (ready made or improvised) chest harness if circumstances require it.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/24612. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
0 comment threads
0 comment threads