Hot take: I think safety harness ratings are way overhyped in this trade

My harness broke at the leg strap after 3 months of use last spring, nothing fancy just a regular climb, and I tied a bowline backup to keep working while I waited for a replacement - anyone else ever just patch together gear mid-job instead of calling it quits?

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nora1844mo ago

Used to roll my eyes at guys who swapped out harnesses every six months like clockwork. Then I had a leg strap buckle crack on a simple roof pitch last fall, no warning, just a loud snap and suddenly I was hanging by one strap while the other side flopped loose. My backup was a doubled figure eight with a carabiner clipped to my belt loop, not exactly OSHA approved but it held long enough to get down safe. That day changed my mind completely about treating gear ratings like some theoretical thing that doesn't apply to normal work. What happened with your harness failure, did you inspect the strap before it went?

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henderson.mason4mo ago

Damn dude, that's terrifying. Glad you MacGyvered your way down.

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