Fall Arrest Harness For One-Off Climbing?

[lxskllr]

I've been looking at different fall arrest harnesses, seeing if something interests me enough to change over from my HomeDepot special. It's the basic nylon web harness, where putting it on is like trying to organize an octopus. It serves it's purpose, and since it isn't something I regularly wear, sufficient I guess. I also have self rescue in mind in case of a fall, and that's virtually impossible with a basic harness. TreeStuff has this...

Camp Full Body Safety GT ANSI Harness

The Camp GT ANSI Harness follows the design of their conventional top-end rope access harnesses but includes modifications to bring it in line with the most current ANSI standards. The GT ANS

www.treestuff.com

Y'all think that would be ok to occasionally climb in? There's been a couple times my climbing gear would have been handy, but it was at home. I could keep the above in the truck with a length of rope, some cord and a couple biners and handle the occasional little thing that pops up. I'm just thinking at this point. I'm not sure I want to drop $300 for a harness I'm not using every day, but it is a lot nicer than what I have, and could be more generally useful, even if it isn't used a lot.

 

[Altissimus]

We used several styles like that on Ski Patrol to climb lift towers without any problems, their main design is for fall arrest but with ropes and mebbee some webbing and hardwares they can be used for work positioning as well as long as there are some dees.

 

[pantheraba]

I like the looks of that harness. Lots of good D's there...2 in the back is interesting. My first gander says it is a good idea.

 

[lxskllr]

Yea, I thought it looked pretty credible. If I was gonna make a big purchase for work, now would be a good time for it. I've got at least four bridges to do in the next couple years, so it would get used. Still a lot of money though. I've gotta think on it, and figure out how good the value is to me...

 

[flushcut]

Any reason you can't keep your climbing gear in the truck?
That harness looks good.

 

[lxskllr]

My truck's only a dakota, and the somewhat leaky bed is full of my usual work stuff, while cab is kinda small, and also has a lot of work stuff. My climbing bag's pretty big/heavy. It's got my saddle, spurs, two climb lines, flipline, a bunch of prusik cord, biners, misc... I bet it's 100# at least.

edit:
I have an open top 5G bucket in the back I keep my cheap harness in, as well as cord/misc utility rope. If I got a good harness, I could probably evict the junk from the bucket, and fit a cut down climbing system inside, with a lid to keep water out.

 

[flushcut]

Roof rack! FTW

 

[lxskllr]

A bunch of years ago I was using my jeep cherokee a lot for work. I'd have totally rigged up a roof system if it wasn't my personal vehicle. That was a pretty sweet survey truck. Small, but it could fit in a lot of tight areas, from creating trails through the woods, to congested construction sites. A roof system would have given a huge increase in comfort/utility.

 

[Eric H-L]

I I have a harness similar to what you are considering. As an industrial electrician I am frequently required to have fall protection. I like this rig better than conventional fall arrest only harness because it gives me more options for work positioning lanyard and even ascending or descending on rope although I save that for unusual situations. On my jobs I am the only one I know who works like this. Usually we try to stay in the basket and not monkey around out on beams. When I need to leave my lift, I am trying to use the work positioning lanyard more often as an adjunct to 100% tie off with fall arrest lanyards. I like the sense of security and having my hands free to work.