Little bit of advice needed. A mate of mine is going to be takin me climbing next monday outside sheffield.

 I've done a bit of climbing when i was at uni with the mountaineering club but used their gear, so need to get some gear for myself. Any one have any recomendations on a good cheep, beginer harness.  I live in Doncaster nr Sheffield so think a trip over there may be a good idea as I understand there's some good climbing shops any suggestions greatly apresiated.

Hi Wet Dog,

you should be able to find something ideal for less than £40 if you shop around. Janek is correct that Petzl and BD are reliable 'brand leaders' but their harnesses are sold at a premium for this reason. I live in France and frequently travel to Canada so can assure you that BD is much cheaper in north America and Petzl is much cheaper in France. 

My advice would be this:

Go to a few specialist outdoor shops and ask to sit in as many different harnesses as they can show you, suspended from a rope. In each case, wriggle around a bit and spend a good few minutes getting the feel of the harness. You'll soon notice if one creates uncomfortable pressure on your hips or kidneys for example. Immediately rule out any harness from any brand that isn't comfortable in this basic test.

Then you'll have a shortlist and you can start to consider price, design, usage etc. Generally I would opt for adjustable leg loops to cope with winter/summer clothing but if you find that a standard model fits you then you'll save a little money and weight on fixed leg loops.

My personal pick for value, quality and adjustability is the Beal Aero Classic but it seems this is not available in the UK. However, you could try phoning Decathlon as they do stock other Beal harnesses. 

The Aero Team might well tick all the boxes for a very reasonable £30 if you find that it is comfortable:

 http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/aeroteam-3237368/ 

John's right: try on the harness no matter what you do - and actually hang in it! I recently bought a Petzl Corax, having tried on about 6 different ones, both at my local indoor wall and in Keswick. It was slightly annoying that the most comfortable harness was also the most expensive, but it's worth it when you fall off or are belaying some fat friend.

No idea if this is any good, but it is heavily reduced, and the Cotswolds stores I've been in have let you swing around like a monkey, sat in the harness.

Mr Fuller,

your link seems to go to the front page of Cotswold... what was the brand/model you were looking at?

John

let us know what you find!

couple of additional testing tips:

while I like having adjustable leg loops, some styles end up with the buckle digging in to my thighs. watch out for this (wear thin trousers or even shorts to try on the harnesses).

make sure that you are buying the correct size of harness. When the waist is adjusted correctly, it shouldn't be too close to the maximum or minimum circumferences offered by the harness. Near maximum means that you won't have room to add layer (or blubber!) if necessary; near minimum means that you might be able to force the harness over your hip bones in an inverted fall.

examine the gear loops. Some are soft and flexible, some are designed to be rigid. Ask to attach some protection (bolts, friends) etc. to get a feel of where they end up sitting. It's all personal preference here but some harnesses are under-equipped even for a basic gear rack.

If you choose a standard sit harness design (rather than the alpine models that are a bit spartan on the comfort side), look out for how the elasticated straps connect to the waist loop. Petzl's recent models have some odd hooky thing that many people have had problems with. Better go for a standard squeeze-clip thingy as seen on rucksack straps. You may need to be able to unclip this if nature calls whilst roped on.

Another oft-overlooked factor is the length of the belay loop and hence the distance between the leg loops and the waist belt. If this is too short, you'll find that "everything" bunches at the front when you are belaying or hanging. Not comfy.

All this should be apparent to the eyes of an experienced shop assistant, so if you don't think that you are getting good advice then ask for someone more experienced or go elsewhere. Climbing harnesses are one of the few things that outdoors shops will rarely take back for exchange (unless faulty of course) so make sure you have what you like before leaving the shop...

I'd come with you if I wasn't 1500km away!

John

 Thanx for all the advice i'm gonna drag my mate along if she's awake (getting her out of bed before ten is always a struggle she sleeps like the dead) with me to give her advice as she's been climbing for years so i should have an experienced hand with me

Just can't wait til next mon now and get onto the crags

Bit of an update for those that are interested.

Unfortunatley was unable to go climbing everything just worked against us. Between me not havin enough money to get a harness on mon and the guy who was then going to lend me his/give us a lift to the crag getting stuck in scotland we had to postpone.

Managed to have a look at some climbing shops in sheff though and jen my mate ran through some rope theory and knots so not a totaly wasted time. After watching one of her climbing dvd's hard gritt i'm even more excited and can't wait to get out there