The 6 Best Climbing Harnesses for Women

Our Picks of Women's Climbing Harness

Best Overall Climbing Harness

Arc'teryx AR-385a

Weight (size small): 13 oz | Designed for: Trad, Alpine

If you like to climb in the mountains, hit the crag with a double set of cams, or rack draws for your alpine sport project, the Arc'teryx AR-385a is the do-it-all harness for you. It is comfortable, sleek, and functional; overall, an impressive piece of engineering. The patented Warp Strength Technology evenly distributes weight across the harness, practically eliminating padding while maintaining comfort. Lead tester Trish Matheny shares, “When forced to select one harness to do it all during a climbing trip to Southern Chile, I chose the AR-395a for its lightweight and compact size. I was happy to find it didn't sacrifice any performance during long, multi-pitch adventures in the mountains.” While the AR-385a is a great all-around harness, it really shines for trad and alpine climbing. The wide waistband is comfortable during hanging belays, and the extra-wide gear loops ensure ample room for a double rack plus some.

One gripe with the design of this harness is that it absorbs more sweat than most. “The fabric changed significantly after 5 weeks of climbing in a very wet environment, absorbing sweat and rainwater that made the fabric more stiff than before,” says Trish Matheny. If you regularly climb in hot and humid climates, it is worth considering something with a mesh back, like the ultra-breathable Black Diamond airNET. The main downside to the AR-385a, however, is the price tag. It is, without a doubt, one of the more expensive models we've tested and likely better suited for someone who climbs a lot. If you're just new to climbing, or you plan to stick with sport climbing, less expensive options, like the Black Diamond Momentum or the Petzl Corax will better serve your needs.

Read more: Arc'teryx AR-385a review

Best Bang for the Buck

Mammut 4 Slide

Weight (size x-small-medium): 17.28 oz | Designed for: Sport, Trad, Alpine

The Mammut 4 Slide is an affordable choice for beginners and experienced climbers who want a harness with more padding and adjustability. The thickly padded waist belt and leg loops measure 3 inches wide, which better distributes your weight and creates a comfortable hang. There are four gear loops that are easy to access, as well as a haul loop for any of the extras. The dual self-locking hip buckles allow you to center the harness on your body, while the adjustable leg loops allow for versatile layering, whether you wanna rock tights or Carhartts at the crag. “I spent a significant amount of time hanging in this harness while new routing in the Owens River Gorge and super appreciated the additional cushion and padding built into the design,” says lead tester Trish Matheny. This kind of padding is comfy, but can feel a bit like overkill. If you'd like a more sleek design that still provides ample adjustability, we recommend the Petzl Corax.

Although the comfort and adjustability are appreciated, they also significantly increase weight and bulk. The dual hip buckles also require a little extra time to adjust, and the buckles can be difficult to both cinch and release. If you're primarily a sport climber and want a harness that's easier to adjust, we recommend the Black Diamond Solution. However, it doesn't have the range of adjustability of the 4 Slide, and if you're after an affordable climbing harness that provides a ton of adjustment through a more custom fit as well as ample cushioning for those long belays, the 4 Slide could be the perfect option for you.

Read more: Mammut 4 Slide review

Best for Sport Climbing

Black Diamond Solution - Women's

Weight (size small): 11.4 oz | Designed for: Sport

Black Diamond is a household name in the climbing world, and while not all of their harnesses live up to the hype, we'll admit we do love the Black Diamond Solution for all types of climbs, but especially for sport routes. The Solution is lightweight and breathable, and it is surprisingly comfortable considering the minimal amount of padding. Weight load is dispersed throughout the waist belt and leg loops via three different strands of thin webbing, so you never feel a pressure point in one spot. The elastic on the leg loops has great stretch and mobility, and they are tapered just the right amount to pass through your thighs without feeling bulky.

The leg loops on the Solution have a bit of stretch, but they're not adjustable. If you have larger or smaller thighs relative to your waist, the Solution may not fit you well. “I typically seek out harnesses with adjustable leg loops, but found that sizing up the Solution allowed more space for my legs as well as enough adjustability to cinch down the waist belt to fit my waist correctly,” says one tester. If the lack of adjustability is a dealbreaker for you, we recommend the Petzl Corax, which provides better adjustability in the waist belt and leg loops as well as more padding. Though the Solution felt great while hang-dogging and giving our friends epic belays, it wouldn't be our first choice for a Grade V with hanging belays. For high-grade alpine climbs, it's well worth considering investing in a harness like the Arc'teryx AR-385a. However, if single-pitch trad or sport cragging is your jam, you'll appreciate the lightweight nature of the Solution and the surprising level of comfort it provides.

Read more: Black Diamond Solution review

Best for Comfort and Adjustability

Petzl Corax - Women's

Weight (size x-small-medium): 9.7 oz | Designed for: Sport, Trad, Ice

The Petzl Corax is a highly adjustable harness that is versatile enough to do it all. It has a thick waistband and leg loops that are padded just enough to increase comfort without adding a ton of extra bulk. “I took one of the weirdest, upside-down falls while testing this harness, and the extra padding aided in a softer catch,” says one tester. The harness features four gear loops with an angle specifically designed to make it easier to grab gear off the back. The gear loops and haul loop also lie flat against the harness, which makes it much more comfortable to wear with a backpack on. There is enough adjustability in the waist and legs to allow for heavy layering, and combined with the included ice clipper slots, the Corax can be worn while pursuing cold-weather climbing objectives.

The biggest caveat to this harness is the gear loops. They are spacious, but the fabric construction doesn't inspire much confidence in their longevity, especially for those who plan to wear this harness on more traditional routes. “While I didn't experience any issues during testing, I've heard the horror stories from friends who have lost all the gear on their loop due to a fabric gear loop failure, causing them to bail from their objective and return to the ground,” says lead tester Trish Matheny. The dual-adjust buckles at the waist also add more weight and bulk to the design, which may not be ideal for those going fast and light. Another consideration is whether you actually need all of these bells and whistles. You may simply want a streamlined harness that's perfect for sport climbing, and if this is the case, we recommend the Black Diamond Solution, which remains comfortable without all the adjustment and extra padding in the design. That said, if you want to prioritize comfort, versatility, and ample adjustability, the Corax is a harness that performs well across multiple climbing disciplines and objectives.

Read more: Petzl Corax review

Best for Long Multi-pitch Routes

Blue Ice Cuesta - Women's

Weight (size small): 9.7 oz | Designed for: Sport, Trad

The Blue Ice Cuesta is designed for comfort and freedom of movement on long days. Its lightweight design makes it ideal for climbing in the backcountry, where every ounce in your backpack matters. As our top pick for multi-pitch climbs, it strikes a perfect balance between functionality, comfort, and durability. The harness has adequately sized gear loops capable of accommodating a double rack, while its abrasion-resistant fabric stands up to burly chimney climbing and scumming on sharp granite. The rear gear loops lie flush with your body, which makes climbing with a backpack much more comfortable. You'll find a similar design in the Wild Country Flow 2.0 that prioritizes last and fast details yet sacrifices some comfort and durability.

Although the leg loops on the Cuesta are equipped with elastic that provides some stretch, they don't allow for large adjustments. If you need just a bit of extra wiggle room to accommodate an extra layer or a pair of long underwear, it shouldn't be a problem and shouldn't restrict mobility, but you will have to be more careful about selecting the correct size. This harness also lacks ice clipper slots, limiting it to a three-season use period. If you're looking for a versatile harness for all types of climbing, it's worth considering a four-season option like the Arc'teryx AR-385a. Despite these few drawbacks, the Cuesta remains an affordable and comfortable choice tailored to the female form.

Read more: Blue Ice Cuesta review

Best for Alpine Climbing

Blue Ice Addax

Weight (size small): 4.9 oz | Designed for: Sport, Alpine, Ice

The Blue Ice Addax is ideal for alpine or backcountry climbs when your top priorities are lightness and speed. This is the ultimate ultralight option, as long as you aren't planning to hang in your harness or rappel through the night. It works great for general mountaineering and glacier travel when you just need a harness for crevasse safety, and despite its lightweight design, it offers exceptional durability, defying expectations often associated with lighter gear. With four gear loops, a haul loop, and ice clipper slots, it's a reliable choice for climbers looking to cut weight from their backcountry kit. If such a specific harness design isn't appealing and you're more interested in one harness that provides excellent performance across a variety of climbing disciplines, we recommend the Arc'teryx AR-385a.

Being one of the lightest harnesses on the market has its drawbacks. Its minimalist design features a pretty slim waistbelt and leg loops that are not very comfortable to hang in for extended periods of time. That said, its breathable material will keep you from getting too sweaty during hot days of climbing or long travel days across glaciers. Although the Addax can technically do it all, it's not the best option for climbs that require a heavy double rack or big walls – that's better reserved for a harness with more padding and rigid gear loops, like the Blue Ice Cuesta. The Addax is built for those fast-and-light missions where saving weight is key.

Read more: Blue Ice Addax review

How We Tested

At Outdoor GearLab, we've been reviewing women's climbing harnesses since 2013 and have tested over 30 models in that time. We keep a constant eye on the newest climbing gear on the market and eagerly test new options as they become available. We buy each harness at retail price and use them side-by-side over a series of different climbs to get a good idea of how they stack up in real-world use. We wear them for hours at the crag and use them in various disciplines, from sport climbing to trad climbing and alpine climbing. We also look in depth at the features of each harness and note how many pieces of gear each gear loop can hold. We share with our friends and utilize the experience of our vast network of climbers to ensure our judgments hold true for different individuals. If you want more detailed info on our testing processes, see our full How We Test article.

Our climbing harness testing is analyzed based on five different metrics:

• Hanging Comfort (30% of overall score weighting)

• Standing Comfort and Mobility (25% weighting)

• Features (20% weighting)

• Versatility (15% weighting)

• Adjustability (10% weighting)

Why Trust GearLab

This review was brought to you by Jane Jackson, Whitney Clark, and Trish Matheny. Jane, Whitney, and Trish have spent years hanging around big walls and crags all over the world. From multi-day journeys up El Capitan in Yosemite to multi-day climbs in the mountains, our testers have experienced the value of a comfortable harness and the downsides of an ill-fitting one. All three women have roots in Bishop, California, where access to traditional and sport climbing routes is virtually limitless. Trish also splits her time in Yosemite National Park as a current member of the Search and Rescue Team. They tested these harnesses on long trad routes in Yosemite, sport climbing and new routing sessions in the Owens River Gorge, the basalt crags of northern Arizona, and the wild mountains of Patagonia.

Analysis and Test Results

This review focuses on women's rock, gym, aid, and ice climbing harnesses. This means that some are built for ultralight alpine missions, some offer hanging comfort, and others feature lots of loops to maximize gear storage. To find common ground that we can compare in our testing, we rate them on hanging comfort, standing comfort, features, versatility, and adjustability. This article compares each product in-depth, but if you're not sure where to start when narrowing down which option might be right for you, you can read up on how to choose a women's climbing harness.

What's the Best Value?

The women's climbing harnesses we tested in this review have a significant price range. What do you get from an expensive one that you don't get from a budget option? The good news is that the answer is often not much! Unless you're looking for some niche ice-climbing features or an ultralight design, a budget harness will do a great job much of the time. Some “cheaper” models might not have the most complicated waist belt designs, meaning they might not distribute the load well or might not be as comfortable for prolonged hanging. The high-value Mammut 4 Slide performs the best of all lower-priced options and is functional for most types of climbing. The Edelrid Jayne is another lower-cost model, but its bulky rear gear loop isn't as functional as others – this harness is better for the beginner who plans to climb only occasionally.

Hanging Comfort

This metric is often the dealbreaker when purchasing a new harness. It may look and feel great, but if hanging in it doesn't feel right, you should move on to the next model ASAP. As manufacturers move to lighter and more intricate designs, padding is often left by the wayside. We typically need some padding to soften the weight of our bodies against the harness's frame. Unsurprisingly, the models with more padding scored higher in this metric than those without.

The Arc'teryx AR-385a, Mammut 4 Slide, and Blue Ice Cuesta were our favorites for hanging comfort. These harnesses had ample padding and support with no weird features that dug into our sides or pinched us. The 4 Slide is our favorite for new routing with a ton of extra gear clipped to our gear loops. The ample padding and custom fit provided more comfort during extended hangs while equipping new routes with hardware.

You might think this metric is only important for people doing long multi-pitch routes with hanging belays, but sport climbers tend to spend a fair amount of time hanging in their harnesses, so this is a key consideration for most climbers. We also like the hanging comfort of the sporty Black Diamond Solution.

Typically, a climbing harness holds 70% of your weight on the leg loops and only 30% on the waist. So, while manufacturers tout the comfort of the waist belt above all, you want to be sure the legs are just as comfortable, if not more so. Although there isn't a ton of padding in the AR-385a, the thickness of the waist belt and leg loop provides comfort in the waist, and the leg loops support us nicely at the back of the thighs.

The Black Diamond Momentum performs well in this metric because of its wide waistband and well-padded leg loops. This is an excellent and less expensive option for multi-pitch and trad. The Black Diamond Technician also has a comfortable waist belt, but the leg loops have too much webbing and not enough support, and we felt pinched by them. Similarly, the Wild Country Flow 2.0 was perhaps the least comfortable harness that we tested. The thin waist belt and leg loops ride up and fold when weighted on rappel.

Standing Comfort and Mobility

Wait, why worry about standing comfort? Because while the hanging comfort is key, unless you're always stuck at hanging belays, you'll likely spend more time standing around, belaying, or sitting down in your harness at the crag than you will be hanging in it. Since most climbers don't want to take it off after every pitch, your harness should be relatively comfortable all the time.

The models that ranked the highest in this metric were (not surprisingly) the lightweight and minimalist ones. We like the Black Diamond Solution best for standing comfort. The leg loops are wide in the back but taper between the legs for minimal bulk in that area. The Blue Ice Cuesta has a women's specific fit with a higher waist and larger leg loops, making it go almost unnoticed while wearing all day.

Another top model for standing comfort was the Arc'teryx AR-385a. It is lightweight and breathable, making it less noticeable and more comfortable throughout the day. Some models are easy to wear under a pack and hike around in, and we prefer the Arc'teryx model when hiking or scrambling with our harness.

We don't love the waist belts on most Petzl models, as we often find that the wider waistband digs into us in the wrong places. If you wear your harness a little lower around your hips, you might find it more comfortable, but wearing it around your natural waist could be problematic. When climbing in the Petzl Corax, the harness pinched our skin while climbing in a bra or crop top.

Features

For this metric, we considered what type of climbing each harness was designed for and how well its features work for those disciplines. Some models have many features (ice clipper slots, extra gear loops, etc.) while others keep it to the bare minimum. If you are looking for a basic sport harness, you probably don't want or need all of those extras, but you still want something lightweight with easily accessible gear loops at least.

We can't say that there was ever a time when we felt very limited by the material or structure of the models we were testing — these are not the old, bulky, and confining climbing harnesses of yesteryear. Instead, all models have decent movement and fluidity built into their design.

The Arc'teryx AR-385a has the best features for a trad-specific harness, including wide gear loops, an easy-to-use haul loop, and a waist belt built for hanging belays. We could rack it full of gear and quickdraws and still had room for our approach shoes, anchoring gear, belay setups, extra water, and layers. For fast-and-light alpine missions where you'll spend very little time hanging in your harness, the Blue Ice Addax is definitely the way to go. It is one of the lightest harnesses on the market, it goes practically unnoticed in your pack, and is super durable considering its minimalist design.

Those looking for a sport harness will appreciate the gear loops and simple design of the Black Diamond Solution. It is lightweight but can still carry a ton of draws, unlike the Petzl Selena, which has hard-to-reach rear gear loops. The Black Diamond airNET is also a great sport climbing harness, but we would have liked to see the pressure-molded gear loops on both the front and the back rather than the lightweight webbing on the rear two gear loops. We liked the plastic protector found on some harnesses, like the Edelrid Jayne. It prevents wear in a hard-to-see spot and should help increase the longevity of your harness.

Pay particular attention to this metric if you are looking for a climbing harness to use mainly for alpine adventures, say a season in the High Sierras in California. Since much of the climbing there often involves scrambling in between technical pitches without a lot of hanging belays, you'll want a harness that is lightweight, minimalist, easy to move around in, and comfortable under a pack — like the Addax or the AR-385a.

Versatility

Versatility is an important metric for anyone who likes to do a lot of different types of climbing, or for someone new to the sport who is not sure what style they like best yet. It's also a key consideration for those of us who don't have much money to spend on gear and would prefer to own only one harness and have some more money to spend on a set of cams or quickdraws.

The most versatile climbing harnesses we tested were the all-around models, like the Blue Ice Addax, the Arc'teryx AR-385a, the Petzl Corax, and the Petzl Sitta. These models can do everything, and they do it well. They all excel in a mountain environment by striking a nice balance between functionality and durability. Each of these harnesses also features ice-clipper slots, making them viable options for ice climbing, too.

Note that the Petzl Luna no longer has ice-clipper slots since the new Caritool Evo from Petzl clips around the entire waist belt. The Black Diamond Momentum, Blue Ice Cuesta, and Mammut 4 Slide are slightly less versatile, as they do not have ice clipper slots, but they are still well-suited to three-season trad and sport climbing.

Adjustability

Our final rating metric evaluated how well we were able to adjust each model to accommodate different layers of clothing and body types. If you plan on climbing in various climates and your proportions are not what the manufacturer has deemed “standard” or “average,” you'll want to make sure you find a harness with a wide range of adjustability in both the waistband and the leg loops. Keep an eye out for harnesses with non-adjustable leg loops. These usually have an elastic band to keep the loops snug against your thighs, but they don't offer much customization if you want to change your layering.

The Arc'teryx AR-385a has adjustable leg loops that accommodate a 4-6 inch difference in leg circumference. Aside from finding a perfect fit, adjustable legs allow you to wear the same harness to the gym in leggings one day and out on an ice climb over long underwear and softshell pants the next.

The Petzl Corax and Mammut 4 Slide provide the most significant adjustability, as their sizing ranges from x-small to x-large.

Unsurprisingly, the models with adjustable leg loops scored higher in this metric than those without, but not all adjustable leg loops are created equal. You want something that still provides padding around most of your thighs whenever possible. The Black Diamond Technician does not – it has less leg loop and more webbing, which makes it uncomfortable to hang in. Contrastingly, the Momentum has more padding in the leg loop, but less adjustment through the sliding trakFIT buckle.

Adjustable leg loops add more weight to a climbing harness — the adjustable Petzl Luna weighs about two ounces more than the non-adjustable but similar Petzl Selena — that difference is pretty minimal. The Black Diamond Momentum and Mammut Comfort Fast Adjust have a trakFIT closure that combines the functionality of an adjustable leg loop with the lighter weight of a fixed one. A sliding buckle can tighten or loosen the fixed loop with elastic attached underneath it for stretch. While we like this system, it does not offer as much adjustability as a buckle system (2-3 inches instead of 4-6).

Conclusion

A harness is a necessity for all roped climbers, and a lot hangs on this decision (pun intended). Luckily, the fact of the matter is that any of the harnesses in this review will offer a solid sense of security in the case of a fall, if properly fitted. Therefore, it is crucial to find a model that fits your climbing style and your build. We hope you can use the information in this review to make an informed decision about the type of harness that's right for you.