Petzl Pandion Harness

I find myself in between sizes for harnesses: small waist, larger legs. While I like BD Alpine bod (easy to put on) the med is too large in the waist and the small too small in the legs. I tried the BD Vario but the rise was incredibly short.

I haven't used the Pandion but so far, I like what I see. The rise is good; it seems to fit me well. One reason I like the design is that it looks easy to go pee (using a freshette) without removing the harness. With my regular climbing harness it's awkward but doable but the extra layers when mountaineering makes the whole belay loop/dual tie in points cumbersome. This harness has the tie in up and the fly area clear.

The single gear loop is a downside but I mean to fix that. I originally thought that Petzl had a free floating gear loop which I thought was a cool idea (because I could position it where I want) but no matter that they fixed it with stitching. I intend to add more gear loops (but free floating). It may not work but I'm game to try. I just have to figure out how to have gear loops on the buckle side....

(four stars because only one gear loop)

For sport climbing or long, hard rock routes I choose a harness with more padding and better gear loops, but for alpine work- especially mountaineering, high altitude, long moderate rock routes, or ski mountaineering- this is the best harness I have found. At 10oz, the Pandion is among the lightest harnesses available. It is a super-simple design that easily adjusts with gloves on during cold weather climbs, and the quick-adjust buckles eliminate having to thread material with frozen fingers. It expands large enough to wear over a down suit, yet can be cinched down to fit over a single layer. (I'm 6'2, 190lbs with a smaller waist size and above average thigh diameter) I don't know why BC.com suggest using this for gym-climbing, as I find it uncomfortable to hang in, and sometimes it gets a little painful during rappels. Downside: It would be nice to have a gear loop on both sides.

The Pandion is a bare bones harness with one gear loop. It's perfect for climbing walls because of the quickie buckle system, huge range for fitting (kids to beefy adults) and it discourages hang dogging (no padding in the waist-belt). The gear loop is perfect for pulling kids away from the wall to lower them. I've taken a couple of top rope "falls" on it, and it WILL crunch your jewels if you're not careful.

I run a indoor waterpark and we have had many differnt harnesses for our climing wall. this one is the easiest and more importantly fastest harness my lifeguards have EVER used!

Easy on and off. Comfortable and secure feel when in use. Flexable enough when taking giant steps up or down boulders.