Harness

[Mitten32]

What are you guys using for safety harnesses while climbing and sitting in Treestands? I have a muddy one that I’ve used for years, but I’m really not a fan of it and looking for something less bulky. Appreciate your input.

 

[Zdub02]

Hunter safety system flex. Very comfortable with plenty of adjustment. I have a muddy one as well and it's horribly uncomfortable.

 

[LostArra]

Rock climbing harness.

 

[Boarmaster]

My hunter safety system for big guys is bulky and sucks to wear. Its like vest. I hate it.

 

[SloppyJ]

Muddy ambush for me. Love it.

 

[Macintosh]

Saddle or rock climbing harness.

 

[ArrowForester]

Switched to a climbing harness after years with a Screaming Eagle and a SOP body harness.
Recently switched to a military tactical rappel belt/harness. Its just another climbing harness but the leg wraps unbuckle and stash in a pouch on the belt. Can be worn on long hikes or still hunts very comfortably and the leg straps can be buckled in quickly and quietly once ready to get in a tree.

 

[Luked]

Hunters Safety System for when I'm in a stand.
Most other times I'm in a saddle.

 

[Beagle1]

Rock climbing harness.

 

[brancher147]

I used to use a rock climbing harness before switching to a saddle

 

[hillbillyfab]

I just received a Dryad Killdeer yesterday in a trade. I’ve only wore it once, but like it thus far while being in a stand. I like that it has lineman loops I can use while placing climbing sticks and hanging loc-on’s.

 

[Mitten32]

Rock climbing harness.

Just running the rock, climbing harness, make it difficult for adding layers. It’s seems like attaching a safety rope would want to make the bottom of your jacket ride up or have you not found that to be an issue?

 

[kpk]

Black Diamond rock climbing harness. I'd never go back to one of the hunting company ones.

 

[LostArra]

Just running the rock, climbing harness, make it difficult for adding layers. It’s seems like attaching a safety rope would want to make the bottom of your jacket ride up or have you not found that to be an issue?

Every issue I anticipated to be a problem when I switched maybe 15 years ago has not been a problem. I shoot a longbow, recurve or compound. No jacket problems. You learn to position your tree rope and tether. It becomes second nature when I get in a tree.

It's maybe not for everyone but I like it.

 

[Rich M]

I was shopping for a harness and ended up with a rock climbing harness - goes on your legs and around your hips, that's it. Same thing firemen use rappelling into a building to save people.

Hook the rope to the front of the harness - you fall, it turns you around to face the tree.

 

[fwafwow]

Rock climbing harness.

^^^this. Much more comfortable

 

[JCMCUBIC]

For those of you using a rock climbing harness, are you using one with lineman's loops and if so, which one?

I've looked briefly but haven't seen one yet that I'd go with over a simple saddle, mainly because the lineman's loops are heavy metal D rings. ...but again, I've only done quick searches...

 

[Macintosh]

I never did, I just used climbing harnesses right out of my collection of climbing harnesses. For standard tree-stand stuff I would take a 24" looped sling (full strength climbing gear) and girth hitch it through the belay loop, and keep a small locker attached there--clip it to a gear loop to keep it out of the way, or clip to a prussik on a safety rope for a stand. When hanging stands I would just use a linemans, but attached to the belay loop on both sides--which is admittedly not ideal but works. More recently I took a similar climbing harness and a NYLON 24" sling, and laid the sling along the length of the waist belt of the harness so it was centered in the back. I stitched through both strands of the sling and through the waist belt on both sides of the harness, and then once in the middle/back, only enough to hold the sling in place. This gives me a full-strngth center tie-in (the belay loop and tie-in points, as if rock climbing) OR gives me a full-strength linemans belt if I clip the loop in the sling on both sides of the waist belt...just be aware that if you only clip one side of that sling it is absolutely not even close to strong enough to support even body-weight, it relies on having BOTH sides clipped for any strength becasue I dont have a real bartacker, only a regular sewing machine.

I have not seen a climbing-style harness with linemans belt attachments pre-made that I would use, they are all way too heavy and overbuilt and negate the whole reason I use a climbing harness in the first place, hence my reason for doing this. It doesnt need to be that way, but I suspect there is very little call for such a rig. I worked in the climbing industry for a couple decades and have some experience with harness construction, etc and was a climbing guide so I'm very comfortable doing this myself, but if you do try something please realize my solution has serious safety concerns if you arent aware of them and vigilant about it. If you wanted, you might be able to have Custom Gear Modifications do this mod or a similar one for a legit solution.

 

[Roosterstraw]

Most people are using the dryad killdeer for a rock climbing style harness.

 

[JCMCUBIC]

I appreciate the detailed reply Mac.

I'd seen the dryad. The one I've been eyeing for a long while now is the XOP Holiday...but they've yet to receive them. They are supposed to receive "a massive shipment mid to late August". I keep checking but nothing yet.