UKC

Winter harness question

anyone using an alpine bod for a winter harness equip it with a D maillon in place of a belay loop? I was considering using a petzl ring as there will be no potential for load across a gate. ANy advice?

A friend of mine uses the Black Diamond Alpine Bod harness and to be honest, it gives me the fear!

Get something that has 2 rope loops for tying in and a belay loop connecting them. 

I'm currently using the Petzl Corax but looking at getting the DMM Renegade 2. 

The DMM Super Couloir is a better choice than the Bod for winter climbing. It has all the advantages of the BOD in that you can put it on without having to step into or undo leg loops but also has a belay loop. Plus it has 5 gear loops.

seems needlessly convoluted to be honest.  If you've already got the harness I'd just use it as intended / designed (nothing unsafe about this).  If you're looking at buying it I'd get a different harness if it's primarily for winter climbing and/or you particularly want to have a belay loop.  

Cheers!

Stu

But can you take a dump on a belay without having to undo the waist belt - to me this was the main selling point of the BOD? I found the lack of a belay loop this necessitated only a minor inconvenience - just belay off the rope loop or put the Krab round the leg loop bit and the waist belt (I'm sure someone will be along to tell me this is "bad practice" but it seemed a relatively very unlikely way to kill myself compared with all the other stuff in winter or alpine climbing).

wasn't there a thread a while back about a shite on a belay ledge? i think you have just outed yourself robert

I used an Alpine Bod for all my climbing for years, but that was back in the 90s. I got a second one for winter in 2001 or 2002, but never used it that much because frankly the lack of the belay loop was an annoyance and they aren't super comfy to hang in for any time.

I know people who used maillons with them, but the idea of a metal twisting against metal for example when abseiling never seemed a great idea to me. I just always did what the instructions said and clipped a krab through the legs and waist belt.

What made them so great in the 90s was how light they were compared to all other harnesses, but by modern standards they're actually moderately heavy which does show how much technology has advanced!

Rather than spend a tenner on some big funky maillon, how about put it towards splashing out on a light new harness as an Xmas pressie to yourself? ...Because you're worth it! (Keep an eye on rock and run and the like as they often have great deals on harnesses from Singing Rock and the like!)

I've used a Bod with a maillon, as well as the DMM mentioned. Delta maillons and triangular maillons are used by cavers doing SRT, as their main attachment point on their harness. The chest ascender is usually clipped directly into it and, when they abseil, their abseil device is clipped directly in, so there is metal against metal. There are no worries about cross'loading the gate as it isn't a gate as such, so there is no hinge or nose to fail. They are very strong items, even if you buy the alloy version. Just don't buy one from Wickes or B and Q! You still tie in as normal but I use the maillon for attaching my axe leashes and when abseiling.