Best All-Around Climbing Harness of 2021

Our top pick for the best all-around climbing harness of 2021. The Sendero comes with a perfect combination of features that improve the versatility while keeping the harness light and comfortable. The price tag of only $85 makes it a nice bargain as well for getting out to the local gym or climbing area. The 5th rear gear loop is a nice cherry on top of this over-performing harness, allowing everything to have its place while you climb and having some room to spare.

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See Our Best Climbing Harness Review 2021

Design

Using a Soft Frame Construction to keep pressure distributed evenly but also lightweight and comfortable, the Sendero really stands out. Not often is a harness this light and doesn’t feel like you have wires pressing into your sides or thighs while climbing or belaying.

The three buckles allow for the wearer to dial in a perfect fit. The buckles all completely open as well, so the harness can easily be put on over skis or crampons—a reason why it is Edelrid’s alpine workhorse. The triangle of fabric connecting the leg loops allows for a tight fit but reduces pinching and stops the leg loops from riding up while sitting too long. Although not the most comfortable harness to sit in while belaying for a long time, what harness is that comfortable if your partner is taking their time projecting something slightly out of their scope.

The belay loop and tie in points use a Dynema wear indicator to know when the harness needs to be retired. The entire harness as well is made using bluesign certified materials, so you can climb with peace of mind that your gear is looking after the planet.

Comfort

Let us quickly get the bad out of the way. This harness (as with most all harnesses) does get slightly uncomfortable while in a hanging belay for a long time. It is hard to find the perfectly comfortable harness that will still perform on harder climbs.

Now for the good, this is a VERY comfortable harness overall. The adjustable leg loops and well-molded waist belt make for an easy to dial in and wildly comfortable harness.

Edelrid has also gone with dual webbing with a 3D mesh padding as the ultimate mix between comfort and lightweight performance. The harness also stays put on your waist and won’t crush your kidneys from riding up, which is always a nice bonus.

Gear Loops

The Edelrid Sendero has done something wild and gone with five—that’s right five—gear loops. Those crazy folks at Edelrid even kept a small “haul loop” on the rear of the harness, so there are five and a half gear loops. Pretty impressive. The front four gear loops are stiff for easy access to your draws and gear. The fifth gear loop is soft so that it can sit beneath a backpack comfortably.

There are two ice clipper slots hidden between the front two gear loops, which remain essentially invisible when not in use, so they will not tangle or get in the way. What can we say, this harness has it all.

The Bottom Line

If you are interested in pursuing a multitude of climbing pursuits? Look no farther than the Mammut Sendero harness as your one harness fits all choice. Equipped with features that make it perfect for the high alpine and mixed climbing, the comfort and design also allow it to be just at home at the local crag or gym. This made it an easy pick for the Best All-around Harness for 2021.

You will also like that it is bluesign certified so that your chalk tick marks will be the most environmentally impactful thing on the wall while you’re climbing. The only issue with this harness that we found was belaying for long periods comfortably, but all harnesses begin to fail at this after a while. The five gear loops give great versatility for harness organization, while the hidden ice clipper slots add to that versatility if they are in use. For $85, it is one of the more expensive harnesses on the market, but compared to the $160 Arc’Teryx AR 395a, you have just as much alpine versatility with a ton of added comfort. Don’t we all just want to be comfortable?

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