The right way to tie into a harness

A mistake many beginner climbers make is tying in to their harness incorrectly. With most modern harnesses that have a belay/rappel loop, the right place for the rope to go is exactly where the belay loop runs - through the leg loops and then between the foam padding and the outer belt with the harness buckle.

A lot of climbers think that the rope should run behind both the foam padding and the main webbing in front of the harness, that is, next to the skin. The reasoning seems to be that a rope going through two parts of your harness has to be better than one. Not true. The foam padding for the harness is not designed to be weight bearing. Tying in next to it is not a safety hazard, but all it does is wear out your harness faster through rope abrasion without adding any significant strength to your tie-in. (If you have a harness such a Black Diamond Alpine Bod that does not have a belay loop, this Tip does not apply to you.)

The rope, of course, also must also be connected to the leg loops of your harness. This is for strength as well as sharing the load between the legs. Try and tie into just the waist part of a harness and hang freely from a rope for a few minutes, and you’ll see why - it may be VERY uncomfortable!

(By the way, the diagram of a tie-in in Freedom of the Hills, 6th ed. pg. 124 is completely incorrect!)