CAMP Alp Racing Harness

This is a perfect harness for my uses mountaineering in the Cascades. It weighs very little and packs down tiny. It isn't very comfortable to hang in, but can be done for a short amount of time. It wears well once I've got it on, and I hardly notice it.

The only points lost is that you must take your boots off (or finagle them through delicately) in order to don or doff the harness. I wish the tiny little gear loops were bigger. As is, I can just fit a carabiner on which I then rack my glacier kit.

I am actually thrilled by this harness. A fellow guide once said, "That harness belongs only in the bedroom." I couldn't disagree more. This harness is ridiculously simple, which is exactly what I want. The flat waist lies nicely under a pack and won't push your pants down like a padded harness will. There are no usable gear loops, which is ok since I rack glacier gear on my pack. I have also climbed technical alpine routes with this harness racking on my pack but it is uncomfortable if you find yourself at a semi-hanging belay. Rappeling hurts my kidneys but it is doable and I make it work. If I though a lead fall was possible I would bring a real harness.

Overall: Despite some inconveniences and fit limitations, the CAMP Alp harness definitely rates Five Stars for its intended purposes.

Background on product familiarity: I have been using the predecessor Alp 95 harness (http://www.camp-usa.com/products/harnesses/alp-95.asp) since it became available in March 2009 (and before that its two predecessor models in turn). I’ve used it for some race towing, but mainly for glacier travel and (practice!) crevasse rescue. The new 2013 Alp Racing sold here has the same design but with some materials improvements (and at an imperceptible weight reduction too).

First, the first impressions out of the box: Is this for real? Were it not for the strict safety specs and standards that govern climbing gear, I would think this was some sort of joke, but it is indeed a real harness. However, the absence of buckles on the leg loops means that you either have to put on the harness before you put on your ski boots or very carefully step into it (and have a relatively slim and short ski boot relative to your harness size – a 279mm 26 mondo Alien 1.0 fits through a size Medium Alp harness, but with little margin). And the absence of any adjustments on the leg loops means that your thigh circumference has to match up with the corresponding waist size range.

Second impressions, in use: You have to remove your rack from the harness before getting into it, since otherwise it will become a twisted confusing mess. Even then, the relatively flexible webbing can take a few confusing moments to get all straight and fitting properly. The two carabiner loops are very minimal, but they are adequate for a typical crevasse rescue rack if you first hang a biner off each loop, then hang the rest of your rack off those two biners.

I actually have hung in the harness for several minutes (after an IFMGA guide set me up for a practical illustration of the drawback from my insistence on backing up a rappel with a prusik), and I was perfectly comfortable. I have never fallen in it, and obviously a lead fall while climbing might be much harsher in the Alp than in a typical rock climbing harness. But for a typical snowbridge collapse fall, which is often onto a snow ledge inside the crevasse (rather than dangling entirely freely in space), I expect that it will be reasonably comfortable (and also the least of your concerns given the circumstances).

Third impressions, for long-term durability: All climbing gear is so overengineered from a ski mountaineering perspective that you’ll probably retire your harness for general longevity guidelines reasons rather than noticeable wear and tear. For my harness, despite a decent amount of use over five seasons, it’s still pretty much indistinguishable from new.