Seat Harnesses

[Casper]

I have a GGG seat harness I have become quite fond of. My husband is wanting to get vertical. Naturally I suggested to GGG to him, however when I was checking out their web site I noticed they are only recommended up to 42 inch waist. He has a 42 inch waist. Not being a larger waist guy myself I have no reference to know if this is going to work for him or not. Seeing as I have had most of my gear before I found my husband I've never really been interested in what would work for someone of his build. I know my stuff works for me, and I have seen male caver's my size with the same set up, but I've not given that much attention to what's good for larger guys. Anyone able to give me a bit of insight?

[wyandottecaver]

Casper,

I have a GGG "caver" (not ultralight) harness as a spare. I have a 38 waist. I think the bigger question is how top heavy is he? I have a lot of torso in relation to my leg length (29 inseam). The reason I use the GGG as a spare is I always felt I was about to tip over and fall out of it since it rides so low. It it VERY nice for push trips and is very effecient for frogging but doesn't give me that warm fuzzy secure feeling I like when peering down a pit. Most small frame women I loan it to love it.

I use a wide strap on-rope harness (unpadded Endurance) mostly, but I love my Petzl Calidris climbing harness for comfort (heavier folks notice those narrow straps!) when tight, snaggy crawls arent an issue. (The Calidris is NOT effecient for frogging btw).

If your hubby has a "lot of leg" in relation to his torso he may well be fine. I also dont think the GGG is unsafe...just makes me feel tipsy.

[ek]

I also use the GGG Caver Seat Harness and love it. If it says it's good up to a 42 inch waist, then it should be...but the key question is, is it possible to push the waist strap down below the hips? If so, then it's not safe--he could fall out of it if he goes upside down (which CAN happen).

But other frog harnesses aren't likely to solve that problem. There are harnesses that adjust bigger, but adjusting bigger doesn't keep them from slipping down. It's really a question of how well-defined his hips are. For most people (besides young children), a traditional seat harness works fine.

There are full-body harnesses for those who do not have sufficiently well-defined hips, but I'm not sure which models would work best for caving. It would probably depend, in part, on what climbing system he is going to use.

If you do want a traditional caving seat harness that adjusts above 42", I recommend the PMI Pit Viper (large size).

[Scott McCrea]

You could always call Becky at GGG and ask her to make you one a little larger.

[Rick Brinkman]

The On Rope 1 Goliath harness in a large should fit him well and will be MUCH more comfortable than the GGG or the the PMI. Wish I would have gotten the fully padded version....
I own both the Goliath and the GGG. Well worth the extra money for the Goliath....especially if he's a bigger guy.

OR1 Goliath Frog Fully Padded

[NZcaver]

More padding does not always equal more comfort in a seat harness. There is such a thing as too much padding, particularly for those of us who use frog systems.

I've designed/built several generations of seat harnesses for myself over the years, including generously-padded ones. However for the last decade or so I've been really happy with my simple Petzl Rapide harness, which - although now obsolete - is a similar design to the GGG Ultralight.

As always, your best option is to smile politely and borrow a few different harnesses from friends (or your grotto) and TRY THEM OUT before buying. Do some climbing, rappelling and a few changeovers.

[ek]

I've designed/built several generations of seat harnesses for myself over the years, including generously-padded ones. However for the last decade or so I've been really happy with my simple Petzl Rapide harness, which - although now obsolete - is a similar design to the GGG Ultralight.

The Petzl Rapide was a buttstrap harness?

[NZcaver]

The Petzl Rapide was a buttstrap harness?

Yep.

[chh]

You could always call Becky at GGG and ask her to make you one a little larger.

I did this exact same thing for my girlfriend, allthough Becky made it smaller instead of larger and even adjusted the angle of leg loops to compensate.
Excellent service.

[barleywino]

Casper,

I use a wide strap on-rope harness (unpadded Endurance) mostly, but I love my Petzl Calidris climbing harness for comfort (heavier folks notice those narrow straps!) when tight, snaggy crawls arent an issue. (The Calidris is NOT effecient for frogging btw).

I gave my nephew a padded Onrope1 Endurance harness. He was toproping in the gym and when he got to the top of the climb, he looked down and saw that his harness waistbelt had come completely unbuckled. Fortunately he was able to hang out with one hand while re-inserting the waistbelt through the buckle with the other. We figured afterwards that since the harness was slightly large for him, the buckle had ended up situated near the center instead of off to the side, so was more susceptible to being loosened by the pressure of his stomach every time he bent forward or sat down. Using a triglide buckle to thread the tail end of the waistbelt elimimates this problem. Great harness, but something to be aware of.