UKC

When the original Petzl Hirundos came out it was an iconic piece of kit. Super-light, super-colourful and worn (primarily) by super-humans, it was the forerunner in a new generation of lightweight harnesses

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In reply to UKC Gear:

I'd say all of that is about bang on. The one thing I'd say is clipping your belay plate into the back of your harness isn't a great idea at any rate as putting a large lump of metal next to your cochsyx could injure you quite badly if you fell off and landed on it... but overall you're bang on the money. Really looking forward to using mine for ice climbing this winter!

In reply to beardy mike:


I'm 100% with you there Mike, good feedback.

In reply to UKC Gear:

I would like to give a high five to a person who made the leg loop keeper webbing buckles (damn, that's a good name to describe a simple plastic buckle) are standard ones. I hate those metal hooks which (1) do not allow to fasten the buckle in an easy way and (2) make impossible to put the hook in the loop with the harness on. Maybe I'm just clumsy.

In reply to UKC Gear:

I have been impressed with this harness too, after moving from the 3-piece sofa that is the Petzl Calidris, I was worried about comfort and even carried my old harness about for while in case of a project siege emergency.
I soon forgot all about the spare harness, the Hirundos was comfortable in all (sport) situations, I agree the rear loops are a bit awkward to access but as a sport climber it's not a problem for me.

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Have you used the Sitta? There appears to be 10g and £30 difference which seems a lot of money for less comfort and near identical weight?

In reply to galpinos:

I saw one back at the IPSO Trade Show, but haven't actually used one unfortunately; either way, my thoughts were much the same as yours.

Unlike the Hirundos, which actually has a good/solid feel, the Sitta felt like it was constructed using significantly lighter weight and thinner materials - so much so you can actually see through it! As a result I, like you, was a bit surprised when I saw the weight difference was actually quite minimal.

Either way, I personally tend to favour a bit of extra comfort/durability over weight anyway. As a sweeping generalisation the lightest things tend to wear out the quickest, what I liked about the Hirundos was that it actually had a good balance on that front.

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Cheers for the feedback Rob. The Sitta "looks" cool but pretty uncomfortable. The hirundos seems, from your review, to do what other comfy lightweight harnesses o, but at a better price point. The Arc'teryx FL-365 (http://arcteryx.com/product.aspx?language=EN&gender=mens&category=c... looks great (apart from the green colour, give me acid orange any day) but at £120 seem a little bit steep.

My current WC offering is showing it's age and as I spend more and more time working I feel the need to buy more and more kit so am considering a replacement, lightweight obviously to combat the increasing waistline.

In reply to UKC Gear:

The highlight of this review is Rob's grimace in that photo. Excellent.

In reply to UKC Gear:

I tried this and the eldrid leaf on, the leg loops on the leaf are slightly larger so fitted me better. Other than that there wasn't much between the two.

In reply to UKC Gear: I've tried a Sitta and it was very comfortable. Liked the gear racking too. But i really like my Hirundos and won't be replacing before i need to.

In reply to UKC Gear: "hey Ace, how does your harness fit?"

"Lllllliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkeee a gloooovve!"

In reply to UKC Gear:

I was sceptical about the Hirundos coming from 2 Corax's over the years. I figured it would be just for the occasional sports redpoint but it's turned out to be much more versatile and comfortable so happy to use it for trad, working routes, abseiling etc. It's also waaaaay lighter and packable so always goes in the pack. All the extra buckles on the Corax (or any other harness) now seem like overkill. I don't think it will have the longevity of my previous 10+ years for my first Corax, but I can live with that.

In reply to wbo:

so, the million dollar ( well, £30) question is.......

Would you replace the hirundos with a sitta or the new hirundos?

In reply to UKC Gear:

Really good to see Milton Jones on the wall in South Africa and clearly getting good use out of the Hirundos. Big fan of his.

In reply to galpinos:
Sorry, just saw this. The answer is , I dont know. Ill cross that bridge when i get there.

Mrs WBO has an Arxterycx thing, but i would be happier with either of the Petzl numbers.