Hello Buzzards! I'm a long time listener, first time caller~
I'll save the long winded introduction and back-story for another time - this post will probably be long winded enough without it.
So briefly, I'm Dumpy, and welcome to my dumpster fire. I'm an engineer by trade, rec climber for fun, and hack-job "tree guy" when I want to scare my wife. Just kidding, put down your pitch forks - I do a little clean-up around the house, and that's about it. I'm less of a cowboy and more of a study the heck out of the subject before doing anything, then try to do everything one step at a time in as controlled an environment as possible (see engineer).
So that brings me to the matter at hand: I've purchased a Notch Sentinel harness to finally replace the rock harness I've been using. With that said, I think it probably needs to go back - but since this is my first harness, I wanted some advice: Is this operator error, and some adjustment would go a long way? Or does this harness just not fit me? Please see attached images:
I had seen several reviews where people complained that the leg loops were too big. I'd also read some reviews where people who were on the limit (size 1 ends at 36, size 2 starts at 36) had issues with it. I'm around a 36 - but this might just work for me - right? I purchased a size 1 because I wasn't sure if that size 36 corresponded to pants size or if you wear a 36 pants, this would fit on top of all that. Hint: it's closer to pants size. I also noted the reviews about the huge leg loops and was afraid that if I got a size 2, i'd be drowning in the rest (or I wouldn't be able to tighten the harness enough).
So... if you look at the photo where i'm holding the strap. That's the excess strap for the leg loop. It's hard to see, but if I had my arm bent more, my elbow would touch the strap an inch or two away from the buckle. I've only got about 2 inches left in the adjustment.... and I'm on the max end of the size scale for this harness. And my thighs are not small.
If you can see in that picture that I have about an inch of webbing pulled on the waist belt. That buckle is a b*tch. Seriously. Because you have to hold the parts away from you push them through at an angle, then it loosens when it latches - and it's a bear to tighten once it's latched. But probably not such a big deal if the strap was long enough to grab onto (again, I'm at the MAX of this size).
So I got the thing on, it's generally adjusted close to where I'd have my climbing harness... here's where I need some help.
1) Is the waist belt seem to be positioned right? I feel like it'd be more comfortable if I could get it over my pants belt and shove it a little lower around my hips, but of course there's nothing to keep it from sliding up (besides the fat bunching up above it).
2) leg loops seem about right? This is the most comfortable I could get them - but the elastic between the legs and waist belt was maxed out and pulling them into my junk every chance they got.
3) I wonder if being at the max size means the waist belt isn't wrapping around far enough to the front. So when I hang on it, instead of pulling more to the front, it's really crushing that front section of the harness into me. I don't have a huge gut, i'm pretty uniformly distributed with a nice thick layer of cold-weather protection. Anyway, that place right there where my fat is bulging into my shirt is actually my fat bunching up and getting pinched between my harness and my ribcage.
4)Is it normal for the belt to tweak like that? See there's a pretty big gap at the top of the rearmost section that doesn't even touch my body. My back is particularly flat there though while most people's curve inward - so that might be part of it.
Finally: I'm leaning towards this harness isn't a good fit. I don't think sizing up is the answer, because I'm already running out of room on the legs to tighten them, I would imagine if they were bigger they wouldn't fit. I'm also worried that I'll have the belt on the size 2 cinched completely tight and be really pushing it. Also, it's not nearly as neon green as it looks on the website pictures. it's more of a green green.
This harness was really a little more than I wanted to pay considering it's not what I do for a living - but I didn't want to go too basic or old-school either. I'd like to have at least side D's to get stuff off the center, and somewhere to put some gear. Some other saddles which I'm not on the edge of a size:
Singing Rock Timber Harness
New Tribe Onyx (close though)
TreeMotion (S-light is in my budget, but the full one I'd have to do some soul searching - and searching for loose change probably)
Thanks in advance for the input!
Cheers and Happy Climbing!
-Dumpy
