Arc'teryx  Skaha Harness - Men's

First, I received this product for review at the end of the climbing season just 2 weeks ago, so I haven't been able to get outside with it just yet. But I have quite a bit to say about its feel and construction before I even get out on a long day in it, so i hope you've made a cup of tea.. The TL;DR: This thing is pretty well made, though LIGHT, and not very adjustable so make sure to size right! (sizes correctly when you measure and follow the brands recs.) Time will tell how it holds up but it's comfy and holds a lot of gear. I have a bit of experience with the venerated AR-395 from Arc'Teryx, so I have some pretty high bars to clear with this new style construction on the Shaka. I find it interesting that they've kind of gone away from the smooth, seamless look of the AR to a more traditional rolled padding with nylon overpaneling and edge stitching. One of the best things about the AR is how impossibly edgeless and form-fitting it is, so I instantly noticed the stiffer, more 'harness-like' fit of the Skaha. Is it bad? No not yet, but I haven't had the time to hang in it for hours with 10 pounds of trad gear on my hips, so I will have to come back and update this in the spring when I've been able to really put it through its paces. The belt and leg loops are a stiff mesh sewn over PE foam which i have found to break down faster than EVA foams if you hang a ton of weight regularly. Many harnesses in this price range are using EVAs and fancy molding which I don't see here, though this mega open cell PE makes it feel SILLY light in the hand. So far, hanging for 20 min on my home wall and climbing and catching a bunch of falls in the gym, it feels solid and the form fits my shape decently well. So let's get into the fit a bit. I measured myself according to Arc'Teryx sizing chart on their website. Interestingly to me, 32in waist is the TOP of their Medium sizing. I usually fluctuate between 32-34, and though I WANTED to stay in the Medium sizing I usually am, I went with their recommendation of Large which ended up being the right choice. I also have thicker than average legs, and since this harness does not have adjustable leg loops, it seemed the safer play. The waist belt fits ok, though it feels a touch on the long side as to be expected since I'm at the bottom of the size range. One thing many brands don't talk about is that you want your gear loops to be pretty symmetric around your waist, so fit for a harness like this is super important to get right. If the waist belt is too small, it can mean your gear loops are too far back on one side. I found the brands rec to be a good fit for this reason, so don't be afraid to change your idea of 'the size you know you are', and measure correctly! The leg loops are the part I am most concerned about long-term. Because they aren't adjustable, the only way they will stay snug over time is with a long and fairly anemic band of elastic. While this makes for a comfortable soft pressure when it is new, in my experience this is where fixed leg loops fall short. While they are decently low profile, I feel the length of the elastic is considerably longer than I've seen in other models. This might be helpful at fitting more sizes comfortably if you're someone with thicker thighs, but I will be watching this for stretching out and losing springy return over time. If you like your leg loops to stay where you want them forever, you should probably avoid a fixed leg harness in general anyway. The belay loop and the leg loop riser are quite long on the Large size, which is great for fitting larger and taller bodies, so kudos there, AT. The belay loop is also noticeably narrower than the AR and feels a bit slippery, so it might have some extra polyester in there for abrasion? Doesn't feel like UHPE, so maybe its just a coated Nylon? The 4 gear loops are overmolded plastic on nylon webbing sewn to the belt, similar to the AR but they are noticeably more rigid and HUGE. I like that they are hung from a loose webbing, so they can be compressed and lay flat under a pack. Like I said I haven't been able to fully rack up on a climb, but they hold a double rack quite comfortably space wise one ONE SIDE of my body, so if you're looking for a ton of gear space, this is a good option. Big Gripe time: The leg loop hanger is a single piece of elastic string that is manually TIED to each loop and hooked over a clip on the back to allow drop seat/potty time. Normally this is either a buckle or a clip or two separate pieces of elastic or material to allow adjustability on the fly. As far as I can tell and after looking through the documentation and finding nothing, you CAN adjust how low the leg loops hang, by taking the harness off, untying the string, and retying it to the length you want... This is not what I would call 'user friendly' and though it isn't a safety issue (the leg loops just dangle from this string for comfort) I can't imagine someone who is not knowledgable about knots making a good choice with the knot to use to make this changeable easily in the future. Not to mention what do you do with the slack?? Pretty weird choice Arc'Teryx, one I assume is made for streamlining and weight, but is lost for me personally. Overall a nice addition to the Arc'Teryx line that has a bit more intentional feel than the more inexpensive Konseal. Its very lightweight and carries a lot of gear well and fits me as recommended by the brand. The one thing I can't speak to is the materials holding up over time, as they are a combination I haven't seen from Arc'Teryx before. Time will tell, and I'll update this review in the spring after I've had more than a couple of weeks to climb in it. I assure you it will get dragged through some gnar.

The fit of the leg loops isn't stupid like the C-Quence, so that's a bonus. Nothing about this harness justifies the price tag it has. If you are looking for a replacement for the older FL harnesses, I'd take a look at the Blue Ice Cuesta, it's the closest thing I have found. Seems to retain more sweat and moisture than the C-Quence and significantly more than the FL. Same gear loops as the C-Quence which I find to be a slight upgrade over the FL. At some point the plastic on the FL ones will fall apart. Don't like that the haul loop is sewn overtop of the gear loops. Not a huge fan of the hexagonal fabric and the excessive amounts of stitching on the harness. I don't imagine that is going to hold up well when climbing chimneys of off-width, but haven't had the opportunity to validate that claim.