Beal's US Line of Climbing Harnesses: First Look

In 2014 Beal is coming out with 6 new rock climbing harnesses for the US market, a complete harness line-up. We caught up with Ben Eaton from Liberty Mountain (Beal’s US distributer) to find out the scoop on these new harnesses.

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We wanted to give you a quick rundown of the features you’ll find on these new rock climbing harnesses.

Beal makes the waist belt and leg loops from wider webbing than is used on traditional (bulkier) padded harnesses. This makes them lighter and more packable. In theory, this design also creates more comfort because the wide belt disperses your weight over a larger area, versus all of your weight hanging on a thinner piece of webbing. Beal laser-cuts the webbing which is a quick, cost-effective process, allowing them to keep the price reasonable too.

Beal is also bringing back the double-buckle waist-belt which is almost non-existent today (compare every harness that exists today on WeighMyRack) on all of the harnesses except their sport climbing specific model. They believe that the double waist buckle is worth using to ensure the best and safest fit possible while getting a centered belay loop. Double buckles fell out of favor when companies were looking to strip features that reduced weight.

We’re excited to see how they compare in durability and the final price tag compared to other similar models. Beal is coming out with a lot of exciting gear for 2014 including the lightest half rope on the market and a a totally new line of hardware (carabiners and a quickdraw).

If you can’t wait for these harnesses, check out WeighMyRack’s Harness Page, to see over 200 harnesses currently on the market and compare their specs.

Beal products are available at your nearest Beal dealer and on Liberty Mountain’s Climbing Site. You’ll see the Beal harnesses on there starting in 2014.