Ergonomic harnesses and their benefits/negatives

[sylvaarb]

Have always used fairly ergonomic harnesses, first the butterfly (remember the blue one where the bridge would wear and replace with a bit of rope after 6 months, then the butterfly 2, briefly a dragonfly but found the solid seat to cumbersome in most situations.

 

Now use a treeflex and have done since i tried one at a show when they first came out, best harness i have tried to date for myself. Tend to wear high up and since switching over to a ms150 for most reduction work hardly feels im wearing a harness. Never thought before about a heavy chainsaw hanging off one side, another reason to use 150 for reduction work i guess.

 

When i first set up on my own i aquired a climbing kit secondhand off a friend as i had to give mine back to employer, that had a skybelt included i could not get on with this at all to the point that i found climbing really difficult and uncomfortable and some manoveres I had done before virtually impossible. at my hips and back would suffer. Did not like the way it heild my hips together whilst suspended or even branch walking . Strange as i have worked with some excellent climbers using old skool harnesses like willians and skybelt and they dont like the more ergonomic harnesses. Horses for courses i guess

 

First govnor used old merist wood harness with the padding missing so there was just a belt around the waist, suprised that did not put me off for good!!

 

Allways keep waist tight, leg loops slightly loose and wear where it feels right fairly high up my back.

 

Occasionally suffer from lower back pain but don t think its connected to harness have started doing yoga again and would recomend to anyone who climbs or works for a living.

[Tom D]

I've used the tree flex for the last few years, it has never given me any back problems, its groundwork that does that, I find my back feels better if anything after a climb, I wear it fairly low.

[Arran Turner]

I think the most ergonomic thing to come from using newer harness like the TM and the sequoia is to have the option to use the chest harness attachment. My experience only comes from the SRT sequoia but what a difference. I think more harness' should have this option to add a chest harness.

[Marc]

How can a harness be ergonomic? Harnesses are off the shelf products, and we as individual fleshy things are not off the shelf, if we were we could all be runners like Usain Bolt, or climbers like Beddes.

Some of us are going to be more suited to this work than others, I've worked with climbers who are virtual squirrels running through the canopy, to the more methodical technical and the down right beasts who wield an 880 from rope and harness like its 260.

 

More modern harness like the TreeMotion which I do not believe was ever designed to be ergonomic just better fitting with freedom of movement making it less restrictive and there in possibly more ergonomic, if you climb in a way that reduces the stress on your body.

 

Ergonomic harnesses are a marketing ploy