The Petzl Corax is a rather affordable harness that provides excellent comfort and adjustability. The closed-cell foam, polyester construction, and reinforced belay loop provide strength and performance without compromising comfort. The dual-adjust self-locking buckles allow you to center the harness and customize the fit, and the adjustable leg loops allow you to wear anything from skin-hugging tights to thicker pants built to perform in alpine environments. If you're looking for an all-around harness that's perfect for sport, trad, alpine, ice, or even those lead routes inside the gym, the Corax should be at the top of your list.
The Corax is a very comfortable climbing harness. The design features just the right amount of padding as well as tons of adjustability to allow for a custom fit. The size one (X-small - Medium) that we tested features a 3 1/4 inch thick waist belt that is constructed from Frame Technology that better distributes your weight throughout the fabric weave. The high-strength polyester wraps around a closed-cell foam to create strength and maximize comfort while in a hanging belay, without adding a ton of extra bulk to the design.
Our lead tester can also attest to the comfort and performance of this harness during a scary fall experience that flipped her upside down, with the rope caught around her leg. While her leg was deeply bruised, the harness evenly distributed the weight and provided an excellent catch during a very weird fall while new routing in the Owens River Gorge. Although the extra padding and adjustability increase the weight of the harness and the overall bulk of the harness when packed, our testers appreciated the thicker design and more substantial padding, especially while hanging at a belay without a stance.
Whether fully racked for your next endurance route at Indian Creek or simply launching into your sport climbing project, the Corax easily distributes the weight of your gear thanks to additional padding and thick leg loops built into the design. The adjustability in the waist and leg loops enhances the standing comfort by allowing you to customize the fit and minimize any constriction.
Our only complaint with this harness is that the buckles can dig into your waist if wearing a crop top or sports bra that exposes your midsection. It sometimes pinched our skin when bending over to put on our shoes. The harness has a healthy amount of padding in the waist belt and the leg loops, without adding too much bulk to the design. Whether you're giving your partner an epic belay or simply resting between burns on your project, the Corax design offers standing comfort in addition to excellent mobility thanks to the highly adjustable and well-padded design.
The Petzl Corax harness features four essential gear loops, one haul loop, and ice clipper slots that provide versatility whether sport climbing, pursuing a multi-pitch objective, or slinging ice tools during the winter. The adjustable leg loops are 2.75 inches across, and this thickness helps disperse your weight without folding in on itself. The nylon belay loop measures roughly 1 inch thick, giving us confidence whether on the ground or on route. The gear loops measure 4 1/2 inches in width, providing plenty of space for your quickdraws, alpine rack, or even enough cams to launch on an endurance route in Indian Creek.
While we never experienced any issues during testing, we can't help but complain about fabric gear loops and their lack of durability compared to plastic-coated gear loops. We've heard the horror stories of this type of loop failing, which resulted in a quick descent during multi-pitch rock climbs or big wall in-a-day pushes. The fabric gear loops are definitely something to be aware of, especially if you find yourself pursuing climbs with mandatory off-width or chimney pitches; squeezing through this terrain will quickly compromise the fabric design.
The Petzl Corax is a versatile harness that includes four gear loops, a rear haul loop, as well as ice screw slots that are compatible with Caritool EVO tool holders for those looking to rack ice screws. These features, combined with a dual-adjust harness and super-adjustable leg loops, allow you to tackle various climbing objectives, whether you're trying hard on a single pitch or looking to layer up for the alpine. The design features a removable elastic strap on the back, which allows you to remove the leg loops when nature calls.
While the fabric gear loops don't inspire a ton of confidence in their longevity, we like the overall functionality (as long as they are intact). They are designed to fit comfortably with a backpack and are angled out, so it's easy to retrieve gear even at the back of the harness. Perhaps the only downside to this versatile performance is that it somewhat increases the weight of the harness as well as the space required to pack the harness to the base of your climbing objective. Overall, the Corax is versatile enough to go from the gym to the sport crag to the base of your next multi-pitch route.
The Petzl Corax was designed specifically to maximize adjustability. This can serve to accommodate a wide variety of body shapes and offers the freedom to adjust to heavy layering during cold-weather objectives. The dual buckle design allows for 10 inches of adjustability within each side of the waist belt. There is also 10 inches of adjustability within the leg loops.
While the Corax allows you to easily adjust the buckles, we found that it takes a little longer to get the harness to sit correctly — and not just on the first adjustment; it happens even when opening and closing one side of the dual buckle design. Our testers also had a hard time getting the leg loops to lock into place. We had to tighten the leg loop enough to tuck the webbing into the elastic keepers found vertically along the leg loop.
The Petzl Corax design provides excellent value in exchange for minimal investment. The design was built with comfort, adjustability, and versatility in mind. This alleviates sizing anxiety that can come with finding a properly fitted harness. It is also great for those who climb in variable conditions and need a harness that can fit over heavy layering systems. This is the star feature, but overall, the Corax is just a great harness that works well and is comfortable to wear. It's not the lightest option out there, but if you're interested in a harness that's versatile enough to deliver performance during a variety of climbing objectives, the Corax is a great option for you.
The Petzl Corax is perfect for those seeking one harness that is versatile enough to perform during many different climbing objectives. The functional padding and adjustability are tough to beat, making it a popular harness choice with good reason. If you like the adjustability and are interested in even more padding, the Mammut 4 Slide is another favorite of our testing team and available at a more affordable price. If price is no object and you simply want a well-built harness that won't hold you back, no matter the objective, check out our favorite harness overall, the Arc'teryx AR-385a which features a more sleek design that is more compact without sacrificing too much comfort. The Black Diamond Technician is another do it all harness that features adjustable leg loops and a little less padding.
