There is a lot more hanging from the best trad climbing harness than in most other styles of climbing, so getting a good harness is of upmost importance. Trad climbing is a segment of climbing all it’s own, and thus needs equipment tailored to it!
The terms sport and traditional are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. When most people think of sport climbing, they think of pitch-climbing on long multi-pitch routes often with the gear being left in place from previous climbers. A true trad climber will remove any gear he uses from the wall, and some go as far as cleaning chalk from the holds.
Because of the demands of trad climbing, we set the harnesses we tested through the ringer, the four that came through at the end are all models we can say are in the running for the best trad climbing harness available!
Best Trad Climbing Harness
Product | Our Rating: | Buy | |
 | Misty Mountain Cadillac Quick Adjust Harness | 4.9/5 | |
 | Mammut Sender Fast Adjust Harness | 4.5/5 | |
 | Black Diamond Big Gun Climbing Harness | 4.7/5 | |
 | EDELRID Orion II Climbing Harness | 4.6/5 |
Not only does a trad climbing harness have to keep you safe, it needs to be comfortable even when weighed down by the assortment of nuts, cams, hexes, big bros and tri-cams that are often part of a standard trad rack.
Our top pick for best trad climbing harness goes to the Misty Mountain Cadillac. There wasn’t another trad harness that combined weight, comfort and functionality like this model did. It has everything you need, with a great price.
The Misty Mountain Cadillac sports six gear loops and two buckle-style tie-in straps. Double pass buckles along the waist and leg loops make it easy to adjust to either sport or trad style belaying. The Cadillac also comes with reinforced tie-in points for added durability and comfort. This model offers a bit more comfort than most climbing harnesses in its class because is it made of a breathable 500D Cordura nylon.
The thing we really enjoyed about this harness was the bi-layer waist belt. After multiple hours of climbing trad racks can often cause a lot of slipping, pulling, or tight spots to develop. I tested this harness for almost four hours and didn’t have any of those issues!
This is the most expensive harness on our list, but not by a large margin. The extra money you’ll spend over the runner up picks is well worth it for the quality and durability you see here!
PROS:
- Super Comfortable 500D Cordura Nylon
- Stayed in place after hours of climbing even with a full trad rack
- 6 Gear Loops
- Extra durable build and construction
- Best harness we tested!
CONS:
- Might be out of budget for some
Our pick for best budget trad climbing harness is the Mammut Sender Fast Adjust harness. This model is similar to the Cadillac, but has a few notable differences, including a much nicer price point.
This trad harness is much lighter than the Cadillac making it a great option for long multi-pitch routes where you don’t want to go through the hassle of creating a haul system to move all your gear up. As with most harnesses made for trad, this model also has reinforced tie-in points for added durability.
Mammut advertises a split web technology that is suppose to distribute the weight, but this was one thing we had problems with during testing. You’ll want to make sure your gear is hanging evenly to account for this.
Overall, the fast adjusting buckles and waist fabric make this a solid harness for the price point. It lacks a little compared to the other three, but the price can’t be beat!
PROS:
- Great Value for a trad harness
- Fast adjust buckles keep your legs nice and secure
- Different sized gear loops help plan placement
- Extra attachments for ice screw carabiners and chalk bag
CONS:
- Plastic over tie in loop seems cheap
- Weight distribution is tricky with full trad rack
Our first runner up is the super comfortable, heavy duty Big Gun Climbing Harness from Black Diamond. The Big Gun has two major selling points for us: a full six gear loop setup and a extra padded leg loops for comfort while sitting.
This model is perfect for long multi-pitch routes! The reinforced tie-in points help add to the already heavy duty construction of this harness. As far as weight distribution, this harness also had the best spread out weight compared to the other models. It is slightly heavier than other models, but a few oz. won’t bug most people using it.
The 2nd belay loop also comes in extremely handy. This is in addition to the haul loop that is standard on most harnesses.
Our one complaint about this harness is that it is kind of a pain to get on and off. The waist belt doesn’t have any type of snap buckles or quick connects, and finding the perfect fit actually takes some time.
PROS:
- Most Comfortable harness tested
- Large padded leg loops are nice for hanging
- Heavy Duty construction
- Plenty of loops for full trad rack of gear
- Extra Belay Loop
CONS:
- No Snap Buckles or Quick Connects makes it a little slow to put on/take off
Last but not least is the EDELRID Orion II. This harness has a pretty highly padded waist and leg straps to help prevent sliding. It also has a slide block buckle, which makes it much easier to put on/take off than the Big Gun.
A few nice features of this model include the ability to use ice screws and a wrist lanyard loop to tie off your even if it was approached or a knot fails. This makes for some really comfortable backups while you’re hanging from the ledge!
As with most harnesses in this class, there are reinforced tie-in points on this model with double pass buckles. The four gear loops go alone with chalk bag attachments are right in line with the other harnesses here.
While more comfortable than the Mammut, this harness didn’t seem to fit me as well as the other two, especially in the legs, which was the reason for the lower rating. That being said, I have taller friends who love this model.
PROS:
- Vent technology keeps harness cool
- Great gear attachments and spacing
- Slide Block buckle on waist for quick adjustments and fit
- Extra abrasion protection on tie-in point
CONS:
- Leg Loops less comfortable than other models
Trad Climbing Harness Buying Guide
So, what do we look for in a trad climbing harness? A highly adjustable model with six gear loops and some additional attachment points would be the best choice for almost all routes. A waist belt that stays in place is also key.
A harness with a 3rd leg loop is nice to have when you’re hanging from the wall and need extra support for your calves. If you are a sport climber, look for lighter weight and more comfortable models that are less constricting than intense gym climbing may require.
As we mentioned above, the lighter weight models tend to be more comfortable for long multi-pitch routes and hanging. That being said, trad climbing harnesses tend to be slightly bulkier than most due to the extra gear that is needed to be carried.
Because Trad Climbing harnesses tend to take more of a beating than indoor sport climbing harnesses, it is important to know when to replace your climbing harness.
The Final Pitch
Hopefully this has been an informative and helpful guide to finding the perfect harness for your needs. More often than not, a trad climber will find themselves going through many different harnesses before finding the right one.
We hope you have found our insights helpful in figuring out which type of climbing harness is best for you!