Cavechat.org

CONCEPT FRIDAY - Figure 8 Chest Harness-Version 1
4/27/2012

This is my take on a "Figure 8" type chest harness. It has the adjustment buckles on the torso side to keep buckles from being under backpack straps. It has a large backpad with an adjustable strap that attaches to the seat harness.

I think the backpad is probably too big, but I'll have to do some testing on rope first. It surprised me how comfortable it is to walk around in. The shoulder straps also stay in place much better than I thought they would. Testing on rope should be fun.

I built this harness in anticipation of a series of videos I will be making to show my approach to chest harness design. I needed a "Figure 8" type harness and didn't have one.

Now that is a very useful item! Looks good Rick!

Couple of things come to mind. First, not all the buckles are on the front. You still have one adjustment point that is behind the back. And while the long tail might make it easy to adjust something behind your back (like a wetsuit zipper) I wouldn't want something like that floating around behind me waiting to get caught on stuff.
Second, I can't help but notice where the straps on the front of you seem to be placed. Ever seen a marathon runner with bloddy nipples? Get those straps OFF the more sensitive parts of your upper anatomy.

Long tail: Forgot to cut it shorter before I took the photo. On a "new" harness I always make the straps extra long.

Placement: Until I get on rope with it....I won't know where it actually know where the final "fit" will be.

Waiting for some sun........

A "figure 8" chest harness does not need to attach to the rear waist strap of the climbing harness; in fact, one of the advantages of this style chest harness over some others (eg. Petzl Torse) is that it doesn't give you a "harness wedgie".

driggs wrote:A "figure 8" chest harness does not need to attach to the rear waist strap of the climbing harness; in fact, one of the advantages of this style chest harness over some others (eg. Petzl Torse) is that it doesn't give you a "harness wedgie".

I wanted to have a "Figure 8" that will show both configurations with a couple of different seat harness options. Easy to disconnect/reconnect to show what happens.