REASONS TO BUY
Lightweight
Breathable
Comfortable
And highly mobile
REASONS TO AVOID
Uncomfortable if leg loops don't fit you
Limited versatility
Black Diamond Solution - Women's Review
A lightweight and thin harness that is comfortable to hang in
The Black Diamond Solution features excellent standing comfort and mobility, as long as the non-adjustable leg loops fit the shape of your body.
Credit: Trish Matheny
By Jane Jackson ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ August 26, 2025
Contributions From: Whitney Clark & Trish Matheny
RELATED: Best Climbing Harnesses for Women
Our Verdict
We haven't always been a fan of “tape-style” harnesses. While they look sleek and feel great when “hanging” around the crag (on the ground), once you weight the rope, they often don't feel so comfortable when you're actually hanging around in them. However, Black Diamond found a way to make a thin, non-padded harness comfortable to hang in, and we love the Solution. It's lightweight, breathable, and you'll barely notice that it's on, even when hang-dogging your project or giving your buddy an epic belay.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Solution uses Black Diamond's “Fusion Comfort Technology,” which has three different strands of webbing in the waistbelt and leg loops to help distribute the load and minimize pressure points. This harness weighed 11.6 ounces on our scales in the size Small that we tested.
As long as the dimensions of the Black Diamond Solution fit the shape of your body, this harness is the perfect companion for single pitch sport routes.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Hanging Comfort
At first glance, we didn't think the Solution would be so comfortable to hang in; there is minimal padding, and our experience with thin harnesses hasn't always been excellent. But the triple-strand load distribution disperses your weight over the entirety of the waistbelt and leg loops, and we felt great hanging in this one even during extended belay or hangdog sessions.
The Solution's leg loops are superior to other models. Some others we tested didn't have enough coverage, so we felt the adjustable webbing digging into the sides of our thighs, cutting off circulation, and even folding under weight. The Solution's loops provide a substantial width that extends far enough around the front to mitigate this issue. The waistband is also surprisingly comfortable for being so thin, though we still prefer more padding when doing longer routes with hanging belays.
Although the Solution doesn't have a ton of padding built into the design, the structure provides a ton of hanging comfort as it evenly distributes your weight.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Standing Comfort and Mobility
The Solution received one of our highest scores for standing comfort and overall mobility. It's our favorite harness to wear around the crag. The thin waist belt and leg loops help you stay cool all day long, and we didn't have any weird or annoying fit issues with it. That said, the leg loops are not adjustable, so if you are between sizes, or have proportionately large thighs, we recommend sizing up to allow enough space. Our lead tester typically wears a size Small harness, but ended up purchasing a size Medium that better fit her body. However, this also meant she had to super cinch down the harness around her waist.
A lot of this metric comes down to how well the different geometries of a harness fit your particular body shape. The Solution is designed to fit the contours of a woman's body. This harness sits slightly above our hips and still allows the leg loops to settle comfortably on the thigh without causing discomfort.
One of the things that makes this harness more comfortable is the tapered leg loops. Leg loop construction is a finicky business — if it is too wide and bulky where it passes between your thighs, you'll feel like there's too much material bunching up in that spot. The Solution finds the sweet spot between bulk and support; it has one of the widest leg loops in this review, but it tapers down so that there isn't too much fabric between the thighs that would cause discomfort or limit your range of motion.
The Solution features a high rise that sits above your hip points that combines with flexible leg loops that provide comfort while belaying or resting between burns on your project.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Features
We rated each harness based on its discipline-specific features. When evaluating an all-around harness, we wanted to be sure we really could use it for multiple disciplines. With a sport-specific harness, we wanted it to have everything we needed to help us send our project and nothing extra. When compared to other sport-specific harnesses, the Solution had much better features.
We think the molded gear loops that Black Diamond uses on most of their harnesses are some of the best in the business. They are encased in plastic molding, which makes them rigid (for easy racking), extremely durable, and abrasion-resistant. Our only quibble with this style is that it's not comfortable to throw your pack on over this harness when moving from one spot to another - for anything more than a five-minute hike, you'll be more comfortable without it on. Luckily, it's not that big a deal to take this harness off, either. The gear loops only measure 3 1/2 inches, which is perfect for racking quickdraws or even a double rack, but for anything beyond that, you'll have to double-up your carabiners.
The gear loops on the Solution are smaller and specific to sport climbing, yet provide enough space for many quickdraws.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Versatility
As a dedicated sport model, the Solution isn't the most versatile harness, but it still works great for trad climbing and has plenty of room on the gear loops for a double rack. It's definitely comfortable enough to take on a longer route, but it lacks a few key features that you would want in an all-around model. There is a 0 kN tab sewn on the back of the harness, potentially for a tagline, though it does seem a little flimsy to us. There's no option for ice tool carabiners, and the non-adjustable leg loops will limit your ability to wear this over heavier pants in colder weather.
During our Spring 2025 testing period, we experienced durability issues after only 7-8 uses while sport climbing in the Owens River Gorge. While belaying a friend, we noticed a damaged belay loop that would require replacement before any further use. Luckily, Black Diamond responded quickly to our warranty request, and we received a replacement within a week of sending our defective harness into their warehouse. After putting the replacement through rigorous testing and speaking with several friends who own the Solution, we're happy to report no issues with the belay loop. While possibly a fluke, we had to share the experience as a reminder to always check and recheck your gear before going out.
Although the Solution does have a haul loop, it is not rated to full strength, therefore we recommend either creating a haul loop out of different material, or simply wearing this harness on single pitch sport climbs.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Adjustability
The Solution is not very adjustable. The fixed leg loops have an elastic portion that adds a good amount of stretch, but if the proportions don't quite fit you, then you won't find this model as comfortable. Black Diamond seems to have sized its leg loops a little more generously than the Arc'teryx models we've tested, but again, we recommend sizing up if you find yourself between sizes.
If you need more adjustability in the legs, check out a harness with fully adjustable leg loops or size up in this model to get the most comfortable fit.
The fixed leg loops present a limited amount of adjustability, however, there is a lot of space for adjustment in the waist belt.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Should You Buy The Black Diamond Solution?
The Black Diamond Solution is our number one choice for most sport climbing applications. The lightweight and breathable waistbelt won't weigh you down, and it's comfortable enough for prolonged hanging or working belays. If you haven't liked some of the thinner-style harnesses in the past, we recommend checking this one out. You might be pleasantly surprised.
The Solution packs down to a rather compact size, making it a great choice for sport climbing who don't like to carry extra weight and bulk inside their crag pack.
Credit: Trish Matheny
What Other Climbing Harness Should You Consider?
If a sport climbing harness is what you're after, check out the Black Diamond airNET. This is one of the lightest harnesses on the market and was designed in conjunction with Adam Ondra, who stripped it down to its bare necessities. The airNET has two fully molded gear loops on the front and two lightweight webbing loops on the back, which limits the space to carry draws. However, if you're sport climbing at a crag with fixed draws, this is an excellent alternative as an uber-lightweight harness. If you're aiming to invest in a more versatile harness for all of your climbing adventures – sport, trad, and ice – it's well worth considering our overall top choice, the Arc'teryx AR-385a. And if you wanna save a few bucks, options like the Mammut 4 Slide offer better adjustability and more padding for extended belays.
The Solution (previous color tested) is lightweight and comfortable, making it a team favorite for sport climbing.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Black Diamond Solution - Women's versus top competing products:
—Jane Jackson, Whitney Clark, & Trish Matheny
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