Arc’teryx is best known amongst climbers for its harnesses. Climbing, I guess is where it all began for them. Arc’teryx made its first harness in 1992, it was their first product and took the outdoor world by storm!
I have been wearing the harnesses for the last 8 years and have tried out the past three generations. It is my main and most used piece of equipment and I spend a lot of time hanging and climbing in it.
I have been using the new women’s specific AR 385a for the last few months for both trad climbing and sport climbing. Careful thought and details has gone into the design to make it even better than its predecessor.
Sport climbing in Rodellar
Arc’teryx Warp Strength Technology on the waistband and leg loops enables the harness to be light weight but also distribute the weight evenly, which makes it so comfy to wear. However this also meant after a while of wearing, the waistband would often start squashing down and getting wrinkled. The new harness has diagonal stitching to give it extra support and stop it collapsing. The AR harness also has a wider waistband, which means when you are at a hanging belaying for a good few hours, you still maintain reasonable comfort levels.
Trad climbing in North Wales
Since we all come in varying shapes and sizes, adjustable leg loops on the women’s harnesses and a longer belay rise make it more comfortable and easy to wear with layers on. A few extra details like the additional gear loop on the back and an easy way to drop the leg loops for toilet breaks on multi pitches, make it great for trad climbing.
For anyone wondering why it has such a funny name. The AR means All Round, 385 is the weight in grams and the ‘a’ means adjustable legs loops. This harness is absolutely perfect for trad climbing, it is slightly on the heavy side for hard sporting climbing but there is an alternative SL 340 harness designed specifically for this.