Petzl Aquila Harness
A harness for sport climbing, trad climbing and mountaineering in any season, the Petzl Aquila features adjustable leg loops and a wide, comfortable waistbelt that's ideal for all body types.
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- Slim, lightweight design gives you great freedom of movement and comfort; plus, it folds down compactly for storage
- Wide, comfortable waistbelt distributes pressure for maximum support while hanging
- Reinforced tie-in points in high-modulus polyethylene (HMPE) improve resistance to wear from rope friction
- FUSEFRAME construction with thermoformed closed-cell foam provides consistent comfort throughout the lifetime of the harness
- Leg loops have DoubleBack HD buckles so you can dial in a perfect fit before you leave the ground; flexible bridge keeps leg loops from restricting your range of motion
- Adjustable and droppable leg loop elastics
- Multiple large gear loops make this ideal for use in the mountains or trad climbing excursions
- 2 semirigid front gear loops help you rack your quickdraws, nuts or belay devices
- 2 flexible rear gear loops let you easily access and rack quickdraws; they're angled to bring gear to the front and remain comfortable when wearing a pack
- Rear accessory loop
- Slots for CARITOOL EVO ice screw holders (not included) optimize efficiency when you're carrying and placing ice screws
- Made with a durable, abrasion-resistant exterior fabric; materials include nylon, polyester, EVA, polyurethane, aluminum and high-modulus polyethylene
- Certifications: CE EN 12277 type B, UIAA
Imported.
View all Petzl Men's Climbing Harnesses| Best Use | Climbing |
|---|---|
| Fits Waist | S: 28-30 inches M: 30-33 inches L: 33-36 inches XL: 36-39 inches |
| Leg Loop Size | S: 19-22 inches M: 20.5-24 inches L: 21.5-25.5 inches XL: 22.5-26.5 inches |
| Padded Waist | Yes |
| Gear Loops | 5 Loops |
| Belay Loop | Yes |
| Padded Leg Loops | Yes |
| Adjustable Leg Loops | Yes |
| Droppable Leg Loops | Yes |
| Weight | S: 345 grams M: 365 grams L: 400 grams XL: 425 grams |
| Gender | Unisex |
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Simple, lightweight and good support
I’ve been using the Aquila harness for a couple of months now. It’s significantly lighter than my previous harness but just as supportive and comfortable when hanging or rappelling. This is my first harness with the aluminum Doubleback buckles which are very lightweight and easy to adjust. It’s now my go-to harness. It’s light enough to carry mountaineering and comfortable enough for a day of climbing. Be sure to check the size chart though. My waist is on the smaller end of the medium harness but I have the leg loops about as tight as they’ll go. There is a decent amount of overlap between sizes and a small may have been a better choice for me.
Lightweight, comfy harness!
I finally got a chance to take this harness out a couple of days, and I'll start by saying that it is extremely comfortable compared to other lighter-weight harnesses that I've used. When hanging the leg loops rode up far less than I'm used to and made it a much more comfortable climbing experience. I think the easily adjustable buckle system helped account for this a lot. These things are SUPER adjustable and I loved not having to yank on straps or play around with the system to get the harness fitting right. That said, they do scuff pretty easily (see my attached picture). This isn't super important as outgear gear is used well... outdoors and are inevitably vulnerable to the elements. The waist belt also scuffed up a little bit after only a few uses but again, not something I'm super worried about. These minor aesthetic vulnerabilities are the only reason I'm giving four versus five stars. The last great thing I would mention are the places to rack all your gear. There's a ton of room! The two loops at the side of the hips are rigid, which were annoying at first when I would hang my arm to rest for a moment as they would rub up against them sticking out. After toying with it a little bit I was able to get them to hang downwards a bit more instead of sticking directly out and it wasn't a problem. I didn't have any heavy gear racked on them, so I'm sure they'd naturally be pulled down and out of the way if you did. All in all, I really like this harness. Other than minor aesthetics that are prone to some wear, the harness is really comfortable and supportive. Don't have any functional criticisms whatsoever and think this will be my go-to for a while.
Solid harness for long routes
Very solid harness. Purchased to replace a lost Arc C-Quence. Felt just as comfortable. The 6(!) gear loops easily fit all gear required for long multipitch routes. I love the buckles on this harness. They are smoother than any harness I've ever worn. They never slipped or loosened even though they are so easy to cinch. I prefer a harness without adjustable leg loops, but I never noticed the leg buckles in hanging belays or while rapping. The gear loops overlap in the back and can be clipped together accidentally but it wasn't a big issue. It would be nice if the rear haul loop was smaller or a different material. I found it was able to work its way under the waistband of my pants. I never noticed it while climbing or walking, but it was funny.
An Expensive Achilles Heel
I liked most things about this harness - it's relatively comfortable, has a rear gear loop, etc. I learned the hard way that the gear loops on Petzl harnesses are prone to failure. I was climbing today &, at the top of the 3rd pitch of the route I was climbing, I reached to my left side only to find an entire rack of cams had fallen off when one of my gear loops failed. I had noticed a moderate amount of fraying on that gear loop, I didn't realize how flimsy it was. Other manufacturers tend to put the plastic bits on the outside of their gear loops, Petzl puts them on the inside. I've never needed to retire a harness after less than 2 years of use before; I can't recommend Petzl harnesses until they beef up their gear loops.
Has its benefits, but not my go-to
As far as the basic job of a harness, this is solid. I felt safe and supported while using it, even if I was a bit hesitant at first because of how light it felt. The gear loops look nice around the sides and back to carry what you may need, but only the two closest to the front have structure to them (which can be a pro or a con depending on how rigid you like those sort of things). I tend to prefer those be more rigid, as I find it easier to clip things onto them that way, so I wasn't a huge fan of the gear loop design on this harness. The belay loop also felt a bit short, I'd either have the waist belt flat and the leg loops real high up or the waist belt would lean forward when I stopped the leg loops from getting a little too intimate. Depending on how centralized you like your harness feeling, this could be a pro or a con for you. Overall, the harness does its job and is undoubtedly aesthetically pleasing. I wasn't a fan of the gear loops or the size of the belay loop, but given how light and small it packs up there were bound to be trade offs.
Does not run true to size
This Harness runs very SMALL! I have ordered two a medium and a large and the large is still to small. I wear a 32 pant! I’m afraid to order another.
Great trad harness!
The Aquila is a great trad harness. I've used it for about six month now while guiding with Pisgah Climbing School. The stiff front gear loops hold a double rack well, and the leg loops and belt strike a good balance between comfort and lightweight packability.
after 2 years of use its the best thing
I have been using this since I first started guiding here in Colorado when this harness first came out in spring of 2022 and this is the best harness I have ever used. Its an all around lightweight but comfortable workhorse that can handle anything. I have used it for sport and trad all throughout Colorado, Washington, Utah, and Nevada. I have even used this harness for military mountaineering objectives and it has held up great. Cant recommend enough!
All safety gear destroyed if returned.
This is a very solid lightweight harness. My rate up is more about Rei's policy for returns. Any gear which is considered safety gear or gear for protection is destroyed if returned. If you're going to buy harnesses, climbing rooms, any type of helmets whether biker climbing, please try on at the store to make sure you like it. Even if unused and taken out of the store in return, it gets destroyed. You will not find this on their website.
Sizing measurements just plain wrong here
I ordered this product for multiple use, mainly for gym, single and multipitch crag climbing and mountaineering. It is light, super smooth buckles, and comfortable materials. I wear a M (size 32" waist) in all the other harnesses I have purchased, including Petzl, so I ordered the medium. I was disappointed that it was a complete misfit. The actual harness isn't close to big enough for a 32" waist. The adjustable strap makes up for this, but then the entire harness is rotated off center, making the left side gear loops useless. The belay loop is also then off centered as well. I went to REI and tried on an XL, which fit appropriately from end to end, but was obviously way too large of a waist size. I ordered a L online and I am waiting to see if hopefully that hits the mark. I will update review after. TL;DR - size up on this harness, it runs very small in the waist, but is otherwise excellent Petzl quality upon first impression.