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Reviews by deathbybowtie (2)


R320 Rock Climbing Harness - Mens (Manufacturer link) Average Rating = 4.62/5 Average Rating : 4.62/5

In: Gear: Essential Equipment: Harnesses: Fixed

You get ultimate comfort, but it'll cost you 5 out of 5 stars

Review by: deathbybowtie, 2008-03-31


I work at a climbing wall, so I was in the market for a new harness to replace my BD Momentum, which tends to start getting rather uncomfortable during 8- to 10-hour climbing/route-setting/belaying marathons. After reading the review of the R320 on RC.com, I decided to give it a whack. I was a bit offset by the price, but I've found this harness to be well worth it.

My first impression on taking the harness out of its stylish metal tin was one of sheer terror: I'm used to a pretty beefy-looking harness between my Momentum and my friends' Petzl harnesses, and the R320 looks positively anorexic next to all those. Of course, the drastically reduced size makes this harness extremely light and unencumbering, but it's a bit of a shock to read about how thin it is, and then to actually see it. All raving about the size aside, I found the overall aesthetics very pleasing.

I was a bit concerned about the non-adjustable leg loops, since I have pretty big upper legs and I have to wear long pants to work; my fears were allayed when the leg loops fit perfectly over my pants. They're very snug, but not so snug that it's ever uncomfortable. However, if you have smaller legs, you might have a little more play in the leg loops than you like. For me, though, they work awesome. Hopefully the elastic will hold up, but only time will tell.

I really love the auto-double-backing buckle. I've found the buckle can be a bit tough to unlock when the harness isn't on your body, but aside from the first time I wore it and the handful of times I've let my friends try it on, it hasn't been a problem.

The gear loops are nice and roomy. Just to test it out, I loaded the loops up with quickdraws and I was able to get twelve BD Quicksilver draws on each loop. The gear loops are sewn-on cloth with a reversible plastic cover that can sling your gear forward or backwards, depending on your preference (they come slung forward by default); I'd imagine if you took the cover off altogether you could get a few more pieces of pro on your loop, but I didn't bother trying (48 carabiners is plenty enough for me). The gear loops lay flat against your body (unlike some other harnesses I've seen that have hard-plastic gear loops that stick out to the sides), which I've found quite nice when there's nothing actually racked on them, but not an inconvenience when actually grabbing stuff off of them.

But how does the R320 actually perform when it comes to super-long usage sessions? In short, excellently. I've had a couple 6- to 8-hour days with this harness at the gym so far doing everything from belaying for three hours straight for birthday parties to hanging on the wall for an hour setting a route, in addition to just sitting around killing time, and I've never once felt the slightest bit of discomfort or desire to take off my harness. When you're off the wall, the R320 is barely noticeable (and only then because the leg loops are as snug around my legs as they are). When you're loaded up, either hanging on the rope or belaying, you can actually feel how spread out the pressure is on your back and legs, and because of the huge area bearing the load, it's extremely comfortable. If I could give six stars in the comfort department, I would do so in a heartbeat.

I can only think of a few downsides to this harness: First and foremost, this is a ridiculously awesome harness in every regard, but all that awesomeness doesn't come cheap. Compared to other very highly-rated harnesses like the Petzl Corax, the R320 costs over 75% more, which will likely be a major turn-off to budget-conscious climbers or anyone who doesn't spend a lot of time in their gear. And while the gear loops are reversible, I found the plastic cover pretty damn tough to get off to switch the direction of the loop. The one other small complaint I had is as stylish as the tin the R320 comes in is, it's not very practical as a way of transporting your harness - I think a smallish mesh bag would've been a great addition, much like Black Diamond and (I believe) Petzl package their harnesses in. Fortunately, I have the bag my other harness came in that I still use to carry my gear in, and I'd imagine most climbers that like to carry their stuff in such a bag either have one from an old harness, or can think of some clever way of packing it up.

Those very few gripes aside, this harness is an absolute must-check-out for anyone who plans on spending a lot of time in their harness, or just someone looking for the most comfortable harness available.


Coyote Lace-Up Climbing Shoe (Manufacturer link) popular Average Rating = 4.35/5 Average Rating : 4.35/5

In: Gear: Shoes: Climbing Shoes: Lace Up

Great for beginners 4 out of 5 stars

Review by: deathbybowtie, 2007-07-08


Unfortunately, I bought these shoes a little bit too late to get the best use out of them. They're great shoes for beginners to low intermediates, but once you get past that they start to lose some of their pop. The C4 rubber is amazing for smearing; my feet just stay where I put them. They're also extremely comfortable, I could almost wear these as street shoes if I didn't care about wearing down the rubber. I can easily wear them all day at the wall and not get sore feet. Unfortunately, as many others have mentioned, the leather is rather stretchy; I downsized a half size (from 11 to 10.5), and now after two months of (admittedly rather heavy) use, I can take them off without untying them because of how far they've stretched. (It's not a huge problem, I can still heel hook ok, but the fact remains I can do it.) Two minor annoyances are that the leather bleeds onto my feet a lot (though I do have rather sweaty feet), and they start to smell pretty funky without some sort of smell-eliminating powder or something (which I would recommend using from the get-go).

Overall, a pretty good beginner's or warm-up shoe where high performance isn't as important, but for higher-level stuff, leave these in your bag.