The Edelrid Sendero is actually quite difficult to review because there is really very little to dislike about it. It's light, comfortable, well designed for a range of different types of climbing, manufactured to stringent environmental standards and, with an RRP of £75 (although widely available for a bit less than this) it isn't even particularly expensive.

Since getting the Sendero at the end of June I've used it for every trip out where a harness has been required, and have now logged well over 100 pitches wearing it as well belaying many hours in it. Due to covid restrictions this has mainly been locally to me - in the Peak District - probably split about 3:2 sport to trad climbs. I haven't climbed mountain routes in it yet, although Edelrid actually describes it as an "alpine harness", but I would happily use it for multi pitch rock climbs, UK winter climbs, or alpine and water ice.

The Sendero comes in three size options, S, M and L. It has two sibling harnesses: the Sirana, which has fixed leg loops and weighs slightly less, and the Autana - essentially the same as the Sendero but sized for women. Interestingly both the Sirana and Autana come in an XS option.

Weight

Edelrid states 332g for medium and the definitely harness feels light: on my scales it is actually just 325g! So nice to see Edelrid are being conservative with their stated weights. It's not quite as light as the Edelrid Leaf I reviewed five years ago, which was a whole 15g lighter, although the Sendero has adjustable leg loops, so has two more metal buckles on it than the Leaf. The Sendero's sibling harness, the Sirana, is essentially the same as the Sendero except with fixed leg loops rather than adjustable weighs a paltry 282g in medium. So while the Sendero isn't the lightest harness I've used, it is certainly lighter than many. It also packs down well - easy to stuff into your pack - unlike the very comfy but rather rigid and bulky-to-pack Edelrid Orion.

Construction

The split webbing of the 'Soft Frame' construction spreads the load over a wide area, which - say Edelrid - reduces the need for thick padding for comfort, thus making the harness lighter and more slimline. Running the load bearing webbing in two strands around the harness also makes the middle section between them more breathable. The mesh padding they have used is firm and supportive without feeling bulky or restrictive. I find the Sendero very comfortable, and it doesn't weigh a lot, so the design seems to be performing as intended. The legs loops are held up by the standard elastics held up by a fastex buckle.

Fit

The harness is adjusted by a 20mm buckle at the waist and 15mm buckles on the leg loops. These can be fully opened relatively easily, meaning the harness can be put on without taking your feet off the ground - so the harness could be used whilst skiing for example - although over a summer and autumn of rock climbing in the Sendero I've not needed to fully open any of the buckles.

The waist adjustment does only have one buckle, so having the harness centred will depend on where the user is within the adjustable range of the three sizes, S, M and L. I have used the medium - climbing in just a t-shirt through the summer the fit has felt perfect, but recently climbing on cooler days in a base layer, thin fleece and medium-weight soft shell I've found I can't snug the waist down quite so much and this means the racking loops on the right side are slightly further back than on the left. This is far from a big problem, but considering how many layers you are likely to wear under the harness might help you decide which size to go for if you were, for instance, at the top of the M size, or the bottom of the L.

Features

Five gear loops - hallelujah! Have Edelrid been listening? My reviews of Edelrid harnesses in the past have both been along the lines of "great harness but could really do with a fifth gear loop." And my prayers have been answered. With these five loops I can carry a full trad rack on the four main stiffened racks, then belay device prussiks and so on on the soft back loop.

Not that I've used them in the Derbyshire summer, but there are slots on each side between the two main racks for ice screw clippers. In the past living in colder climes and climbing pure ice routes I've sometimes needed more than two ice screw clippers to carry a full rack of screws, but for most UK winter routes two ice clippers is about perfect - although you are perhaps more likely to have a couple of Bulldogs or Warthogs and some pitons on one of them, than having both loaded up with ice screws.

Even for sport climbing when two decent-sized loops is more than enough space for the number of quickdraws you need for Horseshoe or Masson Lees, I still like to have some space round the back for my lowering-off screwgate and emergency bail krab. Beyond the five (five!) gear loops, there aren't many other features of note on this simple and straightforward design.

There are two little loops on left side to hold the excess webbing of the waist belt, and one more on each leg loop for the same purpose. The tie-in points have an outer "Dyneema wear indicator" layer; this is said to reveal internal red threads in case of increased abrasion although I will take Edelrid's word for this because after 100+ pitches the tie-in points and belay loop still look as new.

In use

Put it on. Go climbing. Have fun and stay safe. It's that simple with the Sendero. I can wear it all day: climbing, falling, resting on the rope, lowering off, belaying, hour after hour and basically forget I'm wearing it. The only real negative I've come up with is that the loops that hold the excess belt webbing on the right side are a bit loose. Occasionally when trying to clip something onto the front right gear loop you can catch the belt webbing with the krab - this can be rectified by actually looking at what you are trying to do! Beyond that, I can't really think of anything wrong with the Sendero.

Summary

I almost wish I had reviewed the Sendero's fixed leg loop sibling the Sirana, purely so I could pinch and adapt the last American president's nickname from No-drama-Obama to No-drama-Sirana. The Sendero is completely no-drama; it is well designed, comfortable, environmentally friendly, and not even particularly expensive. It just doesn't rhyme so well. 2020 has been a chaotic year in so many ways, so it's definitely been a summer to appreciate things that just do their job well, while not making a fuss - even little things like a climbing harness.