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Children's Harnesses best practice

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Taking the boy climbing for the first time next week (indoors).
What is the current best practice regarding full body harnesses?

Just tie into the two belay loops or use a carabiner or mallion to link the two loops and then tie into both the loops?

 Steve Perry 15 Dec 2016
In reply to An Exiled Northerner: I just tied into it when my kids wore them.

 LastBoyScout 15 Dec 2016
In reply to An Exiled Northerner:
Tie into both loops.

You want to keep the loop as short as possible, use the smallest knot you can and tie the stopper knot as close to the knot as possible - basically to minimise the chance of them getting hit in the face with a big lump of knot if they fall off.

I used to use a re-threaded fig-8 with the tail passed back through the knot, instead of an extra stopper knot.

I can't find a picture of it, but you end up with 3 strands coming out of the loop side and only 1 going away from the harness.

I preferred that to a bowline and stopper knot - I've done a lot of instructing with groups of kids.

Edit - see yellow rope, pics 3 and 4: http://blog.alpineinstitute.com/2008/11/figure-eight-follow-through.html
Post edited at 14:17
 Jenny C 15 Dec 2016
In reply to An Exiled Northerner:
Tie in directly with the rope (it is almost impossible to orientate a krab so that it isn't cross-loaded).
Post edited at 14:16
In reply to An Exiled Northerner:

Thanks, I was going to tie him straight in. We went to a clip 'n' climb the other day and they had a mallion essentially just holding the shoulder straps together and I wasn't sure if this was a good practice as it stopped shoulder loops from slipping.
Removed User 15 Dec 2016
In reply to An Exiled Northerner:

For me there is no option other than tie in with the rope, choosing whatever knot I think is appropriate. I won't use a karabiner or mallion. The reason is that some kids like to fiddle with them, and the result could be that they open it. No karabiner or mallion is one less link in the chain. Please note that is just my preference, not saying that you have to do it that way or that my is correct. Just adding to the discussion.

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