Reviews You Can Rely On

Trango Junior Review

A basic, comfortable first harness with a great price
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Trango Junior Review
Credit: Trango
Price:  $58 List
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Manufacturer:   Trango
By Adam Paashaus ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Jun 7, 2019
66
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#6 of 9
  • Hanging Comfort - 40% 7.0
  • Standing Comfort and Mobility - 20% 7.0
  • Features - 20% 5.0
  • Versatility - 20% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Trango Junior - Kids is a great all around beginner harness for children 25-80 pounds. Its design is a bit dated, and it has very few features that make it stand out; however, the construction is exactly what you would expect a basic beginner full body harness to be. It's fully adjustable, as it has flat nylon webbing and buckles; it also has nice, padded leg loops to help keep the little ones comfortable while hangdogging their proj, or while the auto belay slowly brings “junior” back to terra firma. To see how it stacks up versus the competition, check out our review of the best kids's kids climbing harness.
REASONS TO BUY
Low price
Secure
Comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Old double back style buckles
Dated design

Compare to Similar Products

 
trango junior
This Product
Trango Junior
Awards Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Kids Full Body Harness
Top Pick Award
Best for Versatility
  
Price $58 List$75 List
$72.95 at Amazon
$59.95 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers
$56.19 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers
$37.39 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line This comfortable option is a great priced basic harness for beginnersThis feature packed harness not only has all the bells and whistles, its comfortable and has a secure fit to give parents peace of mindThis full featured harness is comfortable and would be a solid choice for almost any kid out thereThis extremely comfortable harness is super easy to get on and adjust for even little kidsComfortable and light weight, but doesn't sit square on the hips
Rating Categories Trango Junior Petzl Ouistiti Petzl Macchu Black Diamond Momen... Black Diamond Momen...
Hanging Comfort (40%)
7.0
9.0
7.0
9.0
8.0
Standing Comfort and Mobility (20%)
7.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
Features (20%)
5.0
8.0
8.0
6.0
5.0
Versatility (20%)
7.0
8.0
9.0
6.0
6.0
Specs Trango Junior Petzl Ouistiti Petzl Macchu Black Diamond Momen... Black Diamond Momen...
Designed for these disciplines Top Rope Top Rope All Around / Sport Top Rope All Around / Sport
Weight (size medium) 13.8 oz 15.4 oz 11.4 oz 11.8 oz 7.9 oz
Gear Loops 0 2 2 0 2
Adjustable Legs? Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Self-locking buckle? No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Waist Belt Construction Full body Full body Sit Full body Sit
Waist Size Ranges (inches) 13 - 23 in 23 - 28 in 21 - 25 in 14 - 25 in 22 - 27 in

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Junior accomplishes the tasks it's asked to do, and it does them well. If your idea of performance is based on keeping things simple so the kids can concentrate on the birthday party wall at the gym or that 5.5 at the local crag grandpa put up with his trusty cowbells, then this harness will work well.

Performance Comparison


trango junior - a tester using the trango junior ascends a row of protrusions.
A tester using the Trango Junior ascends a row of protrusions.

Hanging Comfort


At first glance, we were skeptical that the harness would be comfortable to hang in. Sure, it has leg padding, but the padding looks bulky and stiff. In reality, the padding is both soft and supportive and has an open mesh design to keep it breathing well.


The only comfort related complaint is the fact that depending on where the buckles fall based on your kid's size, they can irritate the shoulder blades a bit.

trango junior - this moderately comfortable harness was great for quick lowers and...
This moderately comfortable harness was great for quick lowers and surprised us with the comfort it offered.

Standing comfort


The bulky looking leg padding does a good job of padding the legs while hanging. We were sure wearing it around the gym, or the base of the crag would surely be a different story; or is it? Our testers found that this was a much more comfortable harness to hang out in than the Edelrid Fraggle. The harness features an elastic strap on the upper back to keep the shoulders straps up, but we wish it did a better job because the shoulder straps still tend to slip down.

trango junior - when using the harness around the base, the shoulder straps can fall...
When using the harness around the base, the shoulder straps can fall down occasionally, but when they are tied in this isn't an issue.


Features


The Junior is a pretty basic harness. The features that it does have tend to highlight its adjustability and comfort. The adjustable, padded leg loops are a nice touch since many basic full-body kids harnesses are just flat webbing. A couple of websites list this harness as having gear loops; this isn't true.

Sure, there are straps in that general area, but they aren't designed to clip things to (though that's not to say you couldn't.) If gear loops are something you think is important, we would recommend the Petzl Ouistiti full body harness or the Petzl Macchu with the optional Petzl Body chest harness to help top-heavy kids or those with undeveloped hips from becoming inverted.


The greatest feature is that the buckles are located on the back of the harness. We know kids like to mess with things, and safety buckles on a life-saving device such as this should not be fiddled with. We don't love the fact that the buckles are the old manual double back style, but they did add the DANGER label to alert parents that the buckles need to be “finished”.

trango junior - danger shows when not doubled back.
DANGER shows when not doubled back.

Because this harness features rear buckle placement, it means most likely this will be a harness the adults will have to fit onto their kids. Once the buckles are adjusted, the kids should have no trouble slipping in and out of the harness on their own, however.

trango junior - buckles on the back keep kids from messing with them.
Buckles on the back keep kids from messing with them.

Versatility


Webbing based full-body harnesses generally are fully adjustable. Trango claims it will fit all kids from 25 to 80 pounds, so no exception here.


Since this is a harness that will be able to be used on all sizes of kids, it makes a great candidate for families with multiple kids, camps, or gym rentals. This may not be the harness for kids pursuing more advanced styles of climbing (i.e., lead, or outdoor following, etc.).

trango junior - there were times we wished they had gear loops but we made it work.
There were times we wished they had gear loops but we made it work.

Value


We think this is a good deal on a great all-around beginner harness! It's not high tech, nor is it flashy, but it gets the job done. Other full-body harnesses we tested are more expensive, and some don't even have padded leg loops.

Conclusion


The Trango Junior makes an excellent option for a first harness. Super-versatile sizing and good comfort make it a safe, easy bet for the little ones or those with special needs. You can throw this on your youngest daughter or her older brother, and as long as they are under the 80-pound max weight, it will provide a good, comfortable experience. If the kid is a bit older and has the capability of getting a good fit on the waist and can keep themselves upright when they hang, a seat harness will be a better choice.

trango junior - not the best all around harness available but at the price it cant...
Not the best all around harness available but at the price it cant be beat.

Adam Paashaus