Best Women's Caving Harness

[dlondon]

Hello,

I'm in Perth, Western Australia so don't see a large variety of harnesses. I'm going through the process of renewing a lot of our vertical gear after a break when my daughter was born.

I'm wondering which harnesses the women on the forum prefer and why. Several Women cavers here have mentioned that they are not happy with their MTDE harnesses whilst their partners (male) are very happy with theirs.

When I mentioned this to my wife she just said "of course" like I was from another planet. Seems that women are so different that the adjustments on these harnesses are not enough ... when did this happen?

I've been scouring the internet looking for harnesses that say "for women" but that only seems to be the case for climbing.

So if any of the women out there can help, I'd appreciate your opinions.

Also if you found any harnesses you find good for 9 year old kids - am interested in that too. Currently I'm thinking about the full body harness sort like MTDE have.

Regards,


David

[NZcaver]

Welcome to the forum.

Personal preferences being what they are, it's impossible to say what harness works "best" for women (or men) in general.

The classic design of harness with the waist loop, two leg loops, and screw link in the front is pretty popular with both males and females in the US. However the lesser-known "butt-loop, waist loop, screw link" style of harness seems to be fairly popular with a number of women cavers (and some men). I use a Petzl harness of this design, but they stopped making it years ago. The closest equivalent is made by Gonzo Guano Gear in Texas, and it is called the Ultralight. Available here. If I recall, the MDTE harness you mentioned is a combination of both designs. While this may seem like the best of both worlds, obviously for some (like your wife) it is not.

It might be difficult to find one this style in Australia, but if possible have your wife try different harnesses before committing to buying one. Hope this helps.

[fuzzy-hair-man]

Any ideas what the problem with the MTDE harness was? Not being female I don't think I'm qualified to help much but the Singing Rock Digger is a bit of a different style of harness that might work better depending on what the trouble is...?

There's also the following thread:
Cave harness Manufacturers

[LukeM]

My girlfriend saw a big improvement going from a regular caving seat harness with leg loops (mostly the Petzl Fractio) to the GGG Ultralight. This particular style also has the benefit of being quite simple, light, and cost-effective.

[paul]

Any ideas what the problem with the MTDE harness was? Not being female I don't think I'm qualified to help much but the Singing Rock Digger is a bit of a different style of harness that might work better depending on what the trouble is...?

There's also the following thread:
Cave harness Manufacturers

Not sure about the MTDE but my partner Karen tried out a SInging Rock Digger (whih I used to usebut have now changedto Petzl Factio again). She said it was uncomfortable because the leg loop buckles stuck into her lower abdomen when prusiking or bending over. She now also uses a Petzl Fractio.

[Batgirl]

I actually prefer my Petzl Fractio harness because it has two strands of webbing in the back and gives me added lower back support. The only thing that could make it better is if the leg loops had wider padding. Other suggestions would be the OR1 padded Goliath. Many of girlfriends really like the comfort. PMI also makes some really great harnesses that I have heard great things about from some high angle cavers.

http://shop.pmirope.com/personal-gear/

[LukeM]

I actually prefer my Petzl Fractio harness because it has two strands of webbing in the back and gives me added lower back support. The only thing that could make it better is if the leg loops had wider padding. Other suggestions would be the OR1 padded Goliath. Many of girlfriends really like the comfort. PMI also makes some really great harnesses that I have heard great things about from some high angle cavers.

http://shop.pmirope.com/personal-gear/

You are actually the first person I've found (out of dozens at least) that has been anything other than annoyed at the additional webbing on the back of the Fractio. Personally, I can barely tell it's there until I'm adjusting the harness and then it's that thing that makes it take longer to adjust the waist. It also tends to twist around and make everything more confusing, and even when I try to make use of it by tightening it down on my back it just loosens up on its own anyway. You saying that you like it has caused me to gain a bit of faith in Petzl's design decision.

[Batgirl]

To tell you the truth Luke. It can be a bit of a pain in the ass because the webbing does occasionally twist. And yes I have to take the time to unbuckle it and readjust it, but when it's fitted right its pretty comfortable. I have never had any issues with it loosening up tho while climbing or rappelling. It does have to be adjusted every time I clean it though. Overall, I am pretty happy with it. Girls have more lower back issues so the extra webbing does help.