Jeff Outdoors –
Black Diamond Alpine Bod Harness
The man abuses outdoor gear, so you don’t have to
Your best buddy (you know the one who gets you into trouble regularly) has convinced you to go on an adventure that requires you to buy about $1000 worth of mountaineering equipment, and you don’t have any clue what to buy. One of the things on the list is “Harness”. This one is easy… go buy the Black Diamond Alpine Bod Harness. Forget the regular Bod harness with the padded waist – it just soaks up water.
The Alpine Bod is a diaper style harness, which means it needs a big carabiner to hold it together. It is made of black webbing. It’s easy to put on after you practice a couple of times. It’s adjustable enough to go on under rain pants, or over layers of fleece and Gore-tex. It’s light and packs very small. It’s been around for a long time for a very good reason.
Thanks to my brother, I have a new Alpine Bod to replace my totally worn out old Alpine Bod, and thanks to Black Diamond for not changing anything except for making the leg loops with quick release buckles instead of ladder lock buckles. When your brain is addled by altitude and lack of sleep, you need to have gear that you can operate when you’re loopy. Not that I’ve climbed anything huge, but my old Alpine Bod has been with me on nearly all the high peaks in Washington. We’ve hung in crevasses together, been yanked off my feet together, waited out storms together, and wandered across endless glaciers in British Columbia together. It’s a keeper.
Pros
- light
- adjustable
- relatively inexpensive (from $38 to $50)
- tested by the best for many years
Cons
- Not good for recreational climbing (get a sit-harness for sport or trad climbing)
Bottom Line
Don’t climb a mountain without it.
And you can purchase one for yourself right here at the House O’ Hubris! Click on the harness:
