Description
A full-function harness for all-day affairs.
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Share your thoughts
What do you think of the
Black Diamond Chaos Harness
? Share a...
I love this harness
zacraw2
Member since
light, comfortable, simple and safe. best to try one on before you buy though. I could have worn a medium in the waist but the legs were too small so I went with a large.
great!
sam addington
Member since
i love this harness! with it i can (and have) hung for forty five minuets at a time with almost no discomfort at all. what im noticing alot of harness companies doing is adding tons of mushy padding when really the belt and leg loops need to be wide in order to have it be comfortable. and this one hits that mark! just the right width to keep it from cutting into you and enough padding to help with movement and keep things soft next to skin. pus the fabric on the outside of the belt and legs is surprisingly durable, i thought when i got this harness it was so lightweight id have to be careful about scraping on rock or anything else, but that just isnt the case. and definitely the closest youll get to a fashion statement with a harness
I'm right on the edge of small & medium...
carloshwa1048106
Member since
I'm right on the edge of small & medium (for waist & leg size). Should I size up or down?
Matt Oakley
Member since
if you are going to use it in cold weather at all with extra layers on go with a medium. Other than that I prefer to have the waist sinched up more so the padding is covers all of my waist, so I would likely go bigger anyway.
Great Harness
Matt Zabriskie
Member since
This harness is incredibly comfortable. Other harnesses have left me anxious to reach dirt when working a route. The Chaos is comfortable enough to hang in all day. It has held up very well, with hardly any signs of wear in spite of 6 years of use.
Great Trad Harness
ClimberRob
Member since
This is a great all-around harness, but especially excels for me when I'm racking trad gear and doing multi-pitch climbs. Very comfortable and the gear loops are the best I've used, though I wouldn't mind if they were a bit bigger. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I can't, for the life of me, figure out why Black Diamond doesn't bar-tack their belay loops all the way through. I know that they are designed and tested as they are built, but it is the only part of this harness that doesn't inspire confidence.
anyones opinions on the legs? the elastic...
sam addington
Member since
anyones opinions on the legs? the elastic on a similar BD harness's legs was giving a friend some trouble from being too tight and then ruining the padding on the thigh. any similar problems or problems at all cause im really looking into this harness and need an answer soon please? (trip coming up to utah)
Andy Anderson
Member since
the elastic gives you a few inches of leeway. I find them snug but not tight - unless you're rocking keg legs they should fit fine. Super comfortable harness.
Does it has aluminum hardware?
Bortoletto
Member since
Does it has aluminum hardware?
Cory Guru
Member since
Yes, the buckles are aluminum.
Get One!!!
Bryan Vernetson
Member since
Extremely comfortable, lightweight, good gear loops for clipping. Taking whippers in this harness is no sweat and racking gear for a multi-pitch climb is easy with all the gear loops, slim design, and rear haul loop. I have had the Petzl Corax (old blue and the last greenish one) and this harness beats both, minus the adjustable legs. If you can deal without, then get one!!! If not, get the BD Xenos.
I wish it had adjustable leg loops
charelson1246525
Member since
This harness seems like it would be nice to climb in, and I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance. My waist size puts me smack in the middle of a medium sized harness, but unfortunately I have "skier's thighs" which put my leg loop size as large. I ordered the medium to see if I could make it work, but there was no way. The elastic in the leg loop barely stretches. I feel like a large would be too large in the waist and either not synch down tight enough or have an annoyingly long tail getting in the way when I'm trying to clip things to my gear loop.
If BD comes out with a model with adjustable leg loops I'll give it another try, as everyone who fits into this harness seems to love it.
Bryan Vernetson
Member since
Black Diamond Xenos Harness. It is a little bigger (lumbar insert, and has ice clipper slots), but it is the same price and extremely comfortable. I have one and love it!
Amazing harness, very comfortable
Dan Papuga
Member since
I couldn't believe how comfortable this harness is, not only that but it's incredibly light. I could hang in this harness all day! I do like the fact that I don't have to adjust the leg loops and there is only one buckle. I defiantly recommend this harness, you'll love it.
Upgraded from the BD Momentum
Jeremy Stoshick
Member since
The difference is night and day - not only is this harness much more comfortable, but the extra padding and "substance" make it feel more secure. Yeah - just a feeling but so much more comfortable. Did I mention the speed buckle and lack of leg buckles make it extremely quick and easy to put on? I wear this with shorts up to over 3 layers for ice climbing - no disappointments here.
sam addington
Member since
ive had the momentum for a while now and i just ordered this one and i cant wait for it to ship in!
Versatile
Robbie Flick
Member since
I got this harness with the idea that it'd be my go to harness for just about everything, from climbing in the gym to learning trad to long hangs on the line with my camera gear. It has an excellent blend of lightweight material and padding. When climbing it is barely noticeable, yet the material keeps me comfy on long hangs and the build inspires utmost confidence. Although the price is a bit steep, the range of situations this harness performs well in more than makes up for it.
Near the top of Ancient Art
Julia Niles
Member since
How does this harness compare to the 2008...
Mark Williams
Member since
How does this harness compare to the 2008 petzl sama harness? i'm looking for a harness that will do it all, i've been climbing in the old hirundos model (pre-neon green) and love it but need something a little more comfortable for the upcoming trad season and would like something a bit more comfortable for projecting sport routes. I know this harness will work for trad but will it be too bulky for sport routes when compared to the 08 petzl sama harness? thanks for your help
Jacon Mayer
Member since
In my experience (and I still own a Petzl harness, and am still a big fan), BD harnesses are quite a bit more comfortable.
Also, the Chaos is actually less bulky because of the fancy new polymer stuff that Arc'teryx started (BD calls it Kinetic Core Construction - whatever). Extremely low profile, even compared to the Sama.
So lighter, more comfy and less bulky.... yeah, go Chaos.
Bad Ass Harness!!!
Cedar Wright
Member since
This a great do it all harness...from sport to to trad to multi-pitch affairs...this harness will do you proud. The gear loops are quite clippable...you have a full strength tag line loop in the back, and thanks to the the new single piece construction this is very well may be the most comfortable harness for it's weight...EVER. The bottom line is this harness is bad ass!!!
Astro Dog
Julia Niles
Member since
Amazing!
Blanedmiles2242772
Member since
Simply put this harness is amazing! This is by far the best harness I have ever worn! I was previously climbing with the momentum harness by BD and let me tell you Night and Day! This harness unlike any other harnesses (except arcteryx) really wraps snugly around your waste. Once I started leading trad I was carrying a lot of gear and noticed that I couldn't keep my harness around my waste tight enough. The harness always felt as if it were falling off which made the weight feel awkward and heavy. Now I can barely even tell I am carrying any weight at all which makes it a dream on multi pitch stuff when you are carrying extra gear. Oh and hanging belays not a problem. Now even though this is the same design as Arcteryx i believe BD did a much better job. I have had the opportunity to wear both and where BD was better was that they added that tiny little bit of padding which really makes it amazing and allows it to hug your hips even better. You won't even know it is there. And for safety you are always double backed!
hey does anyone know what the "integrated...
crankycran873089
Member since
hey does anyone know what the "integrated leg loop adjusters" are? is it some magic invisible way of adjusting leg loop size or just marketing speek for the buckles that adjust the height of the leg loops?
cheers
Answer flagged as misinformative. Click here to view.
Bryan Vernetson
Member since
Integrated leg loop adjusters simply means that there is elastic at the leg joint and it "adjusts" to your leg size.
You can see them in the photo. There are three webbing sections at the leg joint, one is elasticized.
Jeremy Stoshick
Member since
I have one of these harnesses - there are no leg adjusters other then the "automatic" elasticized bands that adjust to your legs.
Does anyone know of reviews? How did they...
JauntyHiker
Member since
Does anyone know of reviews? How did they improve this harness from last year's?
Also: does anyone have a photo of them wearing this harness? I'd like to see it in perspective. Thanks. And thanks for the answers Phunk & Angus.
Phunk
Member since
It's really a different harness this year. It uses the new thin style waist-belt and leg-loops, similar to the Arcteryx R320 harness that came out in 2008 or so. It's kind of silly that they kept the Chaos name, honestly.
As for reviews, I know it won Rock & Ice magazine's Best In Gear award, so I'd imagine their site would have that review.
Angus Bohanon
Member since
It's not on the website yet actually, but the Gear Guide issue of the magazine is hitting stores as we speak. Andrew Bisharat from Rock and Ice says it's the best harness he's ever worn, including the new Arc'teryx ones.

Ryan Ivy
Member since