More Tips on Harnesses : Caring for Rock & Mountain Climbing Gear

Video Transcript

" Hi! My name is Dan, and I am here with Expert Village today to talk to you a little bit about climbing harnesses. You should be able to fit your hand comfortably, but not fist, inside your waist belt. Once that is complete, you want to double back your harness. This is a very important safety feature. Right now I have an O or a D for open or danger. By doubling back on my harness, I’ve made a C for closed. Now I can tighten my leg loops, which is a very similar procedure. Your leg loops don’t need to be as tight as your waist belt, otherwise they may become uncomfortable. You want to tighten to the required tightness and then double back. Once you have your harness on, you want to make sure that your shirt and any loose hanging clothing are tucked into it or removed, as they have a potential to get stuck in your belay device. You want to make sure that your leg loops are not being too droopy; some harnesses have a little bungee cord that will help keep them up, and before you begin climbing, you want to make sure that there are no twists in any of your loops, which is fairly easy to do—a simple visual check is all that is usually required. So those are some of the basics putting on a climbing harness. "