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mdavid01
Aug 10, 2006, 7:04 PM
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Has anyone here used both harnesses for aid climbing?
Finally coming to the realization that we'd be happier doing our aid routes with a dedicated beefy harness suited for the task.
Yates:
Super beefy padding and kidney pads look great
Some folks don't like tie in
Waldo:
I really like the two sewn loops
Padding looks pretty beefy
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spike
Aug 10, 2006, 7:16 PM
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Get the Yates Shield Harness not the Big Wall Harness.
Note: They run BIG.
If you think you need a medium get a small.
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tomtom
Aug 10, 2006, 7:38 PM
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Ya, what he said.
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lambone
Aug 10, 2006, 8:12 PM
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I own a Waldo.
Spent 10 days on the Captain this June with not a hint of sore hips. Super comfy and plush. Almost makes it too easy to be lazy in the aiders.
Only complaint is that the leg loops are not completely removable for sleeping. Also the elastic but straps are a pain to un-thread to take yer morning crap. They come with a sewn tab at the end that i had to cut off with a hotknife to meke them removable from the buckle.
Otherwise the harness is great.
Never been a big fan of the Yates, but I haven't used it. All my wall partners complained about theirs.
I am a 32 waist and the Medium is almost too big, I need to tighten the waist belt all the way.
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landgolier
Aug 10, 2006, 8:22 PM
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They're not hugely different, it's going to come down to a personal fit issue. If you can't try on both I'd just buy one or the other and spend the time you would be worring about which one to get buying or making a belay seat. The two donuts on the metolius are kind of cool I guess, and the yates closure can seem cave if you don't sleep in your swami, or irrelevant if you do.
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stonefree
Aug 10, 2006, 8:24 PM
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As stated earlier the Yates Shield is absolutely the best. Great comfort for multi-day walls and long trad routes. I have heard nothing but bad remarks about the Waldo. I am sure the Yates Big Wall would be just as great, but I have also heard from a few people that it is a little too much harness. Yates makes wonderful gear and it will last a very long time. The designated aider clip-in loops on the side are a great bonus and the hammer holster will fit an A5/BD very well. I am sure that if you ask them they will be able to put on an extra belay loop, and if they won't there are many companies who gladly will for a small fee. Another sweet thing is that Yates lets you choose the size that fits best for both leg loops and swami. They will custom fit one to your specs. Watch out with Yates though because the sizing is big. I would go below the size that you would most normally choose for a regular harness. I normally wear a medium and had to go for the small. Hands down the best harness I have ever owned.
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lambone
Aug 10, 2006, 9:43 PM
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In reply to: I have heard nothing but bad remarks about the Waldo.
Other then the butt buckle oversight...I don't see how anyone could come up with anything bad to say about the Waldo :? ...it is a sick plush harness. Perhaps the price, but what else is new?
Personally I like having full strength gear and haul loops. When setting up the bivi I go down to the pig and clip all my esentials (sleeping bag, portaledge, etc) to my harness loops. I like knowing they won't rip off and dump all my gear into the drink.
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holdplease2
Aug 10, 2006, 10:54 PM
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I have climbed very long walls in both the Yates and the Waldo. The Waldo is not good (IMO), here's why:
EDIT: Added later - Metolius has made the leg loops droppable and elastic, a great improvment meaning you CAN do your business without an epic. I am unsure if the spectra "keeper" on the leg loops still prevents them from being detached entirely.
*You cannot remove the leg loops to sleep b/c there is a fully rated piece of spectra BS attaching the leg loops to the belay loop.
*You cannot drop the leg loops to pee (if you are a girl) or 'whatever' if you are a guy. This means you can't be hanging and do your business, you need a ledge to stand on! I ended up so urine soaked after 9 days of climbing and trying to pee in that harness during the day that I had a very bad rash!
Sleeping in a hammock? Have fun trying to go to the bathroom, you can't do it while hanging and you have no ledge to stand on.
*The gear loops are "supersafe" meaning that they are fat and bulky. The last place you need fat and bulk is where you are trying to store your aid gear...the slim loops of the yates are way better.
*The dual belay loops are a bad idea and were DISCONTINUED by Yates years ago for a reason. They cause excessive wear on the tie-in points as your weight shifts from one loop to another. I have seen this on my yates b/c I had a second loop added. D'oh!
* There is no hammer loop. Not necessary, but nice. Now with the Waldo you have to buy an ice-axe holster or cram the hammer in a gear loop.
* There is too much bulk. The leg and waist loops are bigger than the ones on the shield, which is plenty big. This is one reason that the yates big wall is not the most popular harness...the shield is more popular b/c it is well padded but practical.
* There is only one buckle for the swami. This means that if you have to extend the swami for bulky clothes, you may now find yourself in hanging belays for hours in a harness with a non-centered tie-in point. Niiiiice.
Disclaimer: I have tried to give this harness away twice...both times, it was *given back to me*.
There you go.
-Kate.
PS - The guys who are managing the "Waldo" actually are wall rats, but the owners of Metolius are so concerned about lawsuits that they are sticklers about their "supersafe" designs and branding. This means that the LEG LOOP STRAPS must be FULLY RATED. Sheesh.
Plus, if your idea of safe is to require that I unfasten my leg loops to pee in a hanging belay well, then, you and I have a different definition of Safe.
Edited to add stuff.
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c4c
Aug 10, 2006, 11:30 PM
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I've got the shield and it is great. I love the hammer loop and the aider clip loops work great for a ratchet and linemans tool for building climbing towers and challenge courses too. No experience with Waldo?
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socalbolter
Aug 11, 2006, 12:10 AM
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Get the Shield.
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ja1484
Aug 11, 2006, 1:43 AM
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Have you considered the Misty Mountain Titan?
No hammer loop, but other than that, I can see it being great for walls. I've used it on longer trad (6 - 9 pitches) and it's been absolutely fantastic. Plenty large and padded for hanging belays, and costs about the same as a shield. 6 gear loops provide plenty of room for racking (as of yet, I haven't had to use an additional gear sling).
Might want to put it in the running with the other two. It's an excellent harness.
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euroford
Aug 11, 2006, 5:41 PM
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my partner has a waldo, i have a bigwall.
if i had my choice, i'd pick the shield.
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stymingersfink
Aug 12, 2006, 8:29 PM
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In reply to: Have you considered the Misty Mountain Titan?
Might want to put it in the running with the other two. It's an excellent harness.
get the chest harness too for serious big-wallin.
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northernguide
Aug 14, 2006, 12:15 PM
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Dunno, maybe I'm mental, but I still love my Fish big wall swami. It's more than comfy enough, enough gear loops, good price and since there are no buckles I don't have to worry about the tire-in/belay point being off centre.
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mdavid01
Aug 15, 2006, 1:54 PM
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just when I thought the shield folks had it Metolious is producing the new Waldo with releasable leg loops.
That's a pretty rad response from them....
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holdplease2
Aug 15, 2006, 3:48 PM
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Releasable or Releasable AND Removable?
It would have to be both to be actually RAD, IMO.
If the harness had both of these, that would be very nice. No way will they get far enough away from "supersafe" to make gear loops that aren't 1/2 inch thick.
The thing is very very comfy, though, especially with their 3D rise adjustment system.
-Kate.
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lambone
Aug 16, 2006, 3:20 AM
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I don't understand the big deal about the thick gear loops. Who cares? they didn't bother me or annoy me one iota in a 10 day span...
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ja1484
Aug 16, 2006, 4:22 AM
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Thinner = generally easier to clip/unclip from. Also, less weight (although I doubt you'd notice).
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lambone
Aug 17, 2006, 7:49 PM
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BS- there is no difference. Are you saying it's noticable that you have to open your carabiner gate 1/4" farther....whatever, please :roll:
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ja1484
Aug 17, 2006, 9:07 PM
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In reply to: BS- there is no difference. Are you saying it's noticable that you have to open your carabiner gate 1/4" farther....whatever, please :roll:
This is the justification usually given. I've noticed the difference on a few harnesses with extremely fat gear loops, and it's not that you have to open the carabiner gate further, it's that when the gate is completely open it can still be a pain in the ass to get the gear off the loop if it's too fat.
The vast majority of harnesses have such small variation that it doesn't matter. I haven't used a safe-tech, but from what I hear the fact that they're higher strength loops composed of rubber-sealed spectra cord makes for noticably larger gear loops and more difficult gear handling. Judge for yourself.
Regardless, it makes a difference if the loops are exceptionally thick.
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ja1484
Aug 19, 2006, 3:47 AM
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My Titan is quite rigid. Fresh out of the box it was almost like cardboard...doesn't sound like a winner, but in practice it's very supportive. I know exactly what you're talking about.
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holdplease2
Aug 20, 2006, 5:08 AM
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Hi guys - just added this edit to my earlier post on the Waldo:
EDIT: Added later - Metolius has made the leg loops droppable and elastic, a great improvment meaning you CAN do your business without an epic. I am unsure if the spectra "keeper" on the leg loops still prevents them from being detached entirely is still there...
It is veeery comfortable, and Metolius seems to be listening to feedbac, being flexible on their "Safetech" dogma, and making this a dramatically improved product.
-Kate.
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groovemojo
Aug 29, 2006, 6:11 PM
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We're going to do the experiment:
Heading out for the PO Wall on Sept. 15. My partner has a new Yates Big Wall harness and I have a new Metolius Waldo. We're about the same size. I'll post our results when we get back in October. No, we're not going to trade while on the route so its not a true cross over experiment.
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yetanotherdave
Nov 27, 2006, 9:26 PM
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Registered: Mar 19, 2005
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Hey groovemojo - how did the P.O. go?
My wall harness is a yates shield with astroman leg loops. Still way comfy for hanging in, and the slightly narrower leg loops don't restrict my free climbing at all. I ordered mine direct from yates, same price as the regular shield.
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