Why Is It So Hard To Find A Harness That Fits?

We’re going to dive into how sizing works for climbing harnesses and how to navigate what the brands are putting out. This can help explain why you might have trouble finding a harness that has a perfect fit. Note: We have a different post that describes all the details of how to fit a harness correctly.

The bad news first: There is no official sizing standard.

Even if you’re typically a size medium, not all mediums will fit the same. This isn’t just between different brands but also within a brand. If you are outside the small-medium-large range the options are very confusing as some harnesses labeled as XL actually have a bigger size range than harnesses listed as XXL or XXXL. According to harness brands, the range of an XL could be anything from 26-59 inches (66 – 150 cm).

We graphed all the XL harnesses and were astounded at the results. Below you’ll see some examples of harnesses all labeled XL below.

Note: For this graph we didn’t include brands that use “size 2” and it is pulled from a pre-2022 dataset.

Despite the fact that XL harness sizing is all over the map, adding to the confusion, the XXXL harnesses in our database maxed out at sizes smaller than some XXL harnesses (as labeled by the brands).

This lack of size standardization by the brands is enough to make one’s head spin. (I still look at these graphs incredulously).

So how do you bypass the lack of standardized sizing?

Don’t buy blindly online – Try on in store

Problem: Even looking at the size chart could be misleading.

I’d like to think that looking at a size chart online would make for a safe purchase, but with shoes and harnesses, this is not true.

For most of my life I have been safe assuming I am a size small. This doesn’t always work out for harnesses because even if the waist technically fits, the gear loops might not be oriented correctly.

For example: My waist is currently 29″ so it seems like I would be perfect for the Edelrid Ace small that the size chart states 28 – 33.9″. Yes, there is plenty of extra webbing and I can center the belay loop BUT the gear loops are horribly off-center when I do so. This ends up being a terrible fit.

Similarly, Misty Mountain size chart says a 29″ waist is comfortably a size small (27-30″). My small Misty Turbo fits great yet my small Misty Bolt has terribly off-centered gear loops once I center the belay loop.

A size standard suggestion

I wish we could just go with measurements, like men’s pants. And I wish these measurements were ones that you could feel confident that you’d be able to have a centered belay loop and gear loop.

Until then, after graphing the data of all size ranges, at WeighMyRack we came up with a mostly linear size suggestion that would fit the vast majority of brands and models.

Yes, there is a fair amount of overlap between the sizes, but this also accounts for centered belay loops and centered gear loops.

It’s very possible that you can fall into 3 sizes of “standardized sizing.” This is because the range of brands and their sizing also widely varies. When we tried to make the ranges smaller, inevitably, we would be leaving out at least 2 popular brands (or override their system entirely – and how do you fairly choose which brands are overridden?!). So we had to keep the sizing standard somewhat broad in order to ensure we weren’t falsely eliminating options from your search. We’ll continue to revisit this issue as time goes on and we talk to each of the brands more.

It’s better now than it was!

Although many harness models are mis-labeled, the brands are getting better at sizing offerings. Now you can find 2XL more frequently versus lumping the largest harnesses under XL. The retailers are helping with their requests for more inclusive sizing too. Right now REI now has 5 harnesses listings that are 2XL.

• Black Diamond Momentum – Men’s (plus a harness package with belay device and chalk bag)
• Black Dimaond Momentum 3S – Men’s
• Mammut Ophir 3 Slide – Men’s
• Black Diamond Couloir (a unisex mountaineering harness)

And if you filter on size “2” you will find the size 2 Petzl 2 Corax harness, that would be in this same 2XL category as it maxes out at 42.1″ (107 cm).

A note: Sometimes harnesses have difference with gender and sometimes the difference is just what sizes or colors are available. The 2XL harnesses listed above are men’s models, and women’s models rarely go to XL or above. The BD Momentum – Women’s version tops out at 36″ (91cm) in size large where the men’s 2XL model goes to 45″ (114 cm).

Sizing Takeaways

• Always try on in person if possible – looking at a size chart doesn’t guarantee a proper fit of a centered belay loop and gear loops.
• Some retailers will let you return harnesses, but most won’t, so read the fine print. (Often, even newly returned harnesses are discarded and not re-sold, so from a waste perspective this option sucks).
• Always check the waist AND leg specs; if you’re close to the end of the range, size up.