With so many straps and loops, it can be easy to get confused your first time wearing a harness where everything goes attached to it. Carabiners are one of the most versatile pieces of gear because they can be used in different ways to carry things and for safety. So, where do carabiners attach to a harness?
Carabiners are attached to the belay loop in the front of the harness, and gear loops around the waist area. The gear loops in a harness are meant to hold nuts, cams, and quickdraws for protection, whereas the belay loop is much more robust because it’s used during the belaying or rappelling.
Carabiners are attached to the loops for belaying and others for carrying gear around, but they are not the same. Let’s go through this and ensure that you properly use the harness to avoid discomfort or falling out of it, which would defeat its purpose of keeping you safe.
Why Are Screwgate Carabiners Used To Attach The Belay device?
Where carabiners are used has a lot to do with how they are built. In the most common scenario where you hold gear with your carabiners, it must be easy and fast to clip. Using them for heavier loads like belaying where an impact can be significant is essential to use the more secure ones.
For example, when attaching a belay device to a harness, you need to use a screwgate carabiner that is more secure because of the ability to lock its gate, giving it more strength. This is also the reason that the belay loop is stronger than the other loops and comes reinforced to avoid ripping apart.
Suppose your harness is torn from the belay loop. It’s essential to avoid using it. This does not apply to the loops used for clipping your knots and quickdraws since one being ripped off would only limit the amount of gear you can carry but will not impact your safety.
How Do You Attach A Carabiner To A Rope?
Attaching a rope properly to a carabiner can be very easy by knowing what to use it for. A clove hitch knot is excellent for heavy loads and quickly unravels because it can untie rapidly.
You can make this knot by simply forming a loop while holding the rope with both hands and then forming a second loop the same way to end up with two loops which you then place one on top of the other and insert the carabiner through the whole.
For more clarity, I found this great video that shows exactly how it’s done for climbing and other applications.
Can You Attach Rope To a Harness Without Carabiners?
There might be some times that you need to tie your rope directly to your harness. In most cases, you must use a stopper knot after running a figure 8 knot.
This goes attached right on the two loops holding the belay loop; it’s essential not to use the belay loop since it is not something you will likely also use.
How Do You Secure a Climbing Harness?
Making sure your harness is well in place can give you a sense of security while on a route. For the more beginners lets go through to identify is you are using it correctly.
- Identify where the belay loop is at and face it away from you.
- With the waist belt facing forward, identify the two leg loops.
- It is essential to ensure no twists on any part of the straps.
- Lossen the belt buckles in the harness before steping in it.
- You have two options to put it in; you can set it on the floor and step in it or put it on as pants using one leg at a time.
- The waist belt on the harness should be above the waist bone in case of flipping over, in which case you would not fall out of it.
- Tighen all belt straps to fit your waist first and your legs after.
A good signal that a harness is too small is that the waist belt is at its max. This can cause discomfort because of the strap rubbing against your shirt directly. Measuring if you can have a hand between your waist and the waist belt gives you an idea of what a good fit should be like.
This helpful video I found mentions all of this and more things.
What Gear Can Go Attached To Your Harness Gear Loops?
The gear loops around the waist part of your harness are the most useful to help carry and distribute the weight from the gear. There’s lots of gear to take along, especially in disciplines like Trad Climbing which involves passive and active protection.
Passive protection refers to the Nuts, Hexentrics, Tri-Cams, and Tube Chocks. This type of protection has many advantages, like being lighter to carry and having low prices, making them perfect for leaving in case you have to fall back from a climb.
Another thing that makes passive pro attractive over mechanical gear is that SLCDs have been known to slip out in a widening crack.
Active Pro uses Cams, U-Stems, Axles, and Spring-Loaded Wedges. Some argue that active pro has more resistance when holding power increases when a fall exerts a dynamic force on them.
What Are The Parts Of A Climbing Harness?
It’s essential to identify where our gear or carabiners attach to in a harness, but most importantly we must understand its overall parts to use as the manufacturer intended to get the most out of it.
This is a list of all the components that make up the climbing harness.
- Waist Belt
- Leg Loops
- Buckle
- Tie-In Loop
- Belay Loop
- Gear Loo
- Haul Loop
- Leg Loop Cross Piece
Most of these parts are adjustable due to belts that slide bigger or smaller; remember to use a harness that gives enough room for adjustments and avoid exact fits that use all the belts.