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BlochWave
May 29, 2013, 5:20 AM
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Registered: May 29, 2013
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I'm new to climbing, and decided it was time to buy my own gear. I went to REI and talked with someone who seemed knowledgeable enough and had me try on a couple of harnesses (though they were all mediums). I was happy enough with the medium Black Diamond Momentum and he indicated it fit pretty good. This particular REI doesn't have ropes to hang in. I was wearing similar fitting clothes to the picture. I wish I had been a little more proactive, but at the time I guess I was content enough to think "oh, he says it fits, good."
Anyways, I got home and, in what's pretty traditional fashion for me, gotten a little paranoid about my purchase. I feel like I need to crank it as tight as it can go to get it reasonably snug, but it really doesn't get it as snug as I was expecting. For what its worth, the specs say a minimum of 30 inch waist, if I break out the tape measure I'm a few mm shy of 31...which I guess explains why all my pants don't fit any more.
It still looks looser than I really expect it to. Exhibit A and B! 
There's no way the waist is coming down over my hips, which is good, and this is about how much room there is (no comment on my leopard print bath mat!): 
There's pressure on the hand. The hilarious IKEA-style instructions indicate that two fingers is the max. Two fingers is fairly tight, but I could get three in there if I really wanted to.
Am I worrying about nothing? How's it look to y'all? Is it a problem that I've got it to about maximum tightness on the waist buckle? I don't plan to get any skinnier (I'm kinda surprised I'm that skinny, actually). Should I maybe have it sitting a little lower (it seems like the rental rig did)? I read at least one site saying it should be snug enough as to not ride up (as opposed to just down) over the ribs. That seems...impossible? I could definitely pull it up, though the leg loops stop it.
I suppose the prudent thing to do is to take it to the gym where people can scrutinize it in person, and I can actually test it. If it seems too big then, I could return it to REI. I guess until I can do that, I'm just hoping for some feedback.
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redlude97
May 29, 2013, 5:50 AM
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Registered: Aug 27, 2008
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dude you still have like 3" you can cinch it up
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sbaclimber
May 29, 2013, 7:44 AM
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redlude97 wrote: dude you still have like 3" you can cinch it up
"...I've got it to about maximum tightness on the waist buckle" would mean that we couldn't see that white label in any of those pics.
I wear a BD Bod, size L, which is for a 32"-36" waist. My waist is 32", and I do crank the harness all the way down (unless it is cold, and I am wearing more than a t-shirt, of course). I would call the sizing, at least at the small end, dead-on.
Granted, sizing on the momentum may be different, but I doubt it...
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qwert
May 29, 2013, 8:20 AM
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Registered: Mar 24, 2004
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You still have a lot of room to play with to crank it down further! There is a lot of tape on your waist loop until it is totally "closed". I dont know BD's instructions, but to my understanding my rule of thumb (pun intended) is that I want to be able to fit in my flat hand with some force.
But apart from the adjustment issues, you bought your harness way too small!
Not so small that it will be a safety issue, and for a beginner it probably wont even be an issue at all, but see that gear loop on your left side and the part of the harness with the white label next to it?
The gear loop is supposed to be at the same position as the one on your right side, and the white label is supposed to be covered by the other sides padding.
qwert
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meanandugly
May 29, 2013, 12:29 PM
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Registered: Oct 20, 2004
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Agreed, it looks too small to me to, but if he is really concerned he can always gain a few pounds.
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BlochWave
May 29, 2013, 12:31 PM
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Registered: May 29, 2013
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Ohhh hohoho, ok, I was being a tremendous doofus on what constitutes "cranking it down."
Thanks for setting me straight!
For what its worth, qwert, if I eliminate that last "finger" of space I can fit in there, everything lines up better. I probably should have noticed that as a clue that I wasn't thinking right!
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billl7
May 29, 2013, 12:39 PM
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Registered: Oct 13, 2005
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Very good for you to have asked around.
I once saw a new climber pulling through a slight bulge on pitch 4 when the waist of his harness fell down to his knees!!! Not fun for anyone.
The slippage was partly aided by the weight of gear on his harness gear loops ... but that was NO excuse.
Bill L
P.S. The problem could have been caught during harness checks by someone more experienced on the ground. But that is not the whole story. The person also didn't take prior warnings about it seriously enough. Haven't climbed with him since.
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8styx8
May 31, 2013, 10:01 AM
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Registered: Jul 27, 2009
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billl7 wrote: Very good for you to have asked around. I once saw a new climber pulling through a slight bulge on pitch 4 when the waist of his harness fell down to his knees!!! Not fun for anyone. The slippage was partly aided by the weight of gear on his harness gear loops ... but that was NO excuse. Bill L P.S. The problem could have been caught during harness checks by someone more experienced on the ground. But that is not the whole story. The person also didn't take prior warnings about it seriously enough. Haven't climbed with him since.
Wooot. that's not a good feeling on a multipitch
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