Sizing: if you are smaller than 29" at the top of your hips where the harness will sit, none of this model's sizes will be small enough. My 30" hip-waist was comfortable, but I can imagine it would be hard to tighten it very much past this point. Unfortunately, Petzl only makes S, M, and L in this harness unlike the Black Diamond and Mammut who carry XS-XL
Waistband: Decently padded and comfortable around the sides and back. Conforms perfectly to curved hips without pinching or gaping. Only downside is the several inches of exposed webbing in front that tend to pinch and dig more than the padding does. The band fabric is nicely meshed, so it runs cooler than the Black Diamond harnesses, but the same as the Mammut ones. Because of this webbing gap, I went for the Mammut version instead.
Gearloops: These are coated in webbing, rather than plastic. They look and feel like they would fray quickly, especially at the attachment points.
Legs: Comfortable! The padding is distributed to the back and inner thigh where it belongs, and the buckles are out of the way on the sides (Primrose buckles get in the way). It's easy to adjust and roomy enough for my bigger thighs, The curved shape to the attachment fabric (up to the belay loop) keeps it fully clear and out of the way (more important for guys, but still good for us ladies!).
Belay loop: seems to be the right length for standing upright. Some models have ridiculously short loops that make you hunch over.
Price: you can get this model for much cheaper ($55-60) at REI or from Petzl directly. I'm not sure why amazon has it for so much more. The lower price makes it in the same class as the Mammut and Black Diamond harnesses, with only a few subtle differences.
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Purchased this harness as my first...First, about sizing... I saw another review which complained about the sizing being inaccurate. I got a small and have a 26-27 waist line. I have no problems adjusting this harness to fit. I think the one the other reviewer was probably mislabeled or a manufacturers defect.
The harness itself is really comfortable and fits well in all the right places. I can definitely tell a difference between wearing this one and the rental harnesses I wore when out climbing. It was easy to forget it was even there...
Loops were easy to reach and seemed sturdy. They are not coated in plastic, so I guess it is possible to fray them over time.
Buckles are easy to use and tighten/untighten when necessary. There are elastic bands to keep the extra slack of the belt against the harness. I am small enough that I do not even need to undo this at the end of the day...I just untighten it enough to get the fold to the elastic band and the harness slips off.
I would recommend this harness in the future and will probably go with Petzl for future harness purchases.
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