aloha !

Harness is 2 years old - Black Diamond.

Elastic bumstraps are almost gone

from what I've heard washing your harness is a no-go - any truth in is ?

Harness has only been used at LC de Villiers climbing wall and 3 outdoor climbs ( must get more outdoor climbs under me belt !)

Stitching is still good and in original state.

How long can I use my harness until it has to be replaced ?

mahalo - keep well

I'd also be ineterested to hear people's thoughts on this- bought mine 2nd hand a few years back..
nothing visibly wrong, but I am starting to wonder. I seem to remember reading 3-5 years when I was last thinking about this, but you never know with manufacturer's recommendations, seeing as they tend to err on the side of replacing your gear regularly.
but also, I'd prefer not to die

wash your harness with nikwax tech wash regularly otherwise the smell might kill you the water and washing machine is far less destructive than rock abrasion......

manufacturer recommendations as to the lifespan of a harness has a significant amount of margin in it (for obvious reasons). inspect your harness regularly to check stitching and webbing. if it is used & stored correctly (i.e. away from direct sunlight) you should get many years of usage out of it.

Lets see a picture of this harness (then I'll give you my opinion)... did you buy it new?

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Climb ZA - Administrator

yep - harness was bought new two years ago. It is stored in a bag and not in direct sunlight.

some pics I took of my harness - time to replace it ?









thanks in advance - mahalo !

Is that your new harness? Where's the old one you were talking about..

The problem with the "Bumstraps" is they are elastic (organic), and so with time it perishes. if you want you can return it to us (Ram Mountaineering) and we will inspect it, but from what i see in the pictures it seems safe.

As for the life of gear their is an easy rule of thumb: use it until you don't trust it, then buy a new one. yes, a harness should last 3-5 years of regular use, but i am sure most are stretched far beyond that by their owners- not endorsed by manufacturers for obvious reasons.

with respect to washing a harness: Nikwax Tech Wash is a good option, but Nikwax Base Wash would also work. BW is much the same as TW except it has a deodorizer.

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Sandbagging is a dirty game

brah, that harness is still brand new!!! by the look of it you have not given it 20% of its dues yet. after the infamous todd skinner incident there was rigorous testing done on harnesses (and esp belay loop) safety - all tests confirmed that you almost have to cut through the harness's webbing before it will fail (saw tests where they cut a belay loop 90% through and it still did not fail - can't remember exactly how it was tested though). bottom line is the manufacturer's recommendations are very very conservative. google it and read up a bit - should put your mind at ease.

i agree with warren's recommendation that you replace if it becomes a nagging issue in your mind - otherwise it will impact on your climbing.

I have just retired my harness, due to looking unsafe. But it was over 10 years old and it was unsafe. Yours is fine. If you are still feeling unsure, get 7mm accessory cord and make a "back up loop" next to the belay loop. At least this will give you the confidence to push a little harder when you a clipped in at the gym.

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only the Half mad are truely alive

Visitron, your harness looks almost new! To put your mind at rest, you should take up Warren's offer to have the local distributor inspect the harness for you.

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Climb ZA - Administrator

a planetfear article suggested a lifespan of between 5 and 10 years, which is truer than the 3-5yrs manufacturers suggest imho. for weekend-only climbers a harness should easily make that upper limit given good care and no serious damage.

http://www.planetfear.com/articles/The_ ... _1066.html

Bra, that harness is shot to sh!t. Unlucky... but at least I can give you the number of people that dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way. They even pick it up, at your door, for free, and don't even charge you a cent for the disposal ( I thin they recycle it somehow )

Pierre you are correct, thats very dangerous, something must be done. KingDweezil, you better give it to me, i will slowly get rid of it for you, weekend at a time. What ill do is drag it up and down a few routes, tie other people to it and let them fall repetitively, then finally throw it of a couple of bridges. this is a long process and will take about 3 years and will cost about R40'000.00. Let me know if you are keen.

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only the Half mad are truely alive