Edelrid  Sendero Harness

Great harness - I've tried a variety of harnesses from Black Diamond and Petzl and this is by far the most comfortable to wear. Straps are already double-backed, so it's great you don't have to worry about that.

Well designed. There are tiny loops along the outside to hold chalk, etc. The 5 main loops are each slightly smaller than my petzl harness. The 5th loop is in the rear and soft, which makes sitting down comfortable. If you want a super comfy harness with keeps gear mostly to the sides and back, there isn't a better harness at the price point. If you're climbing Trad, and like lots of gear up front, then perhaps look at the sitta or a misty mountain Cadillac. But then you will need to fork over more than double what this gem costs.

I ordered this on sale, since my harness is rather old and manufacturers of climbing gear have recommended lifetimes for "soft goods" (ropes, harnesses, slings...). I picked up the order at the local store and checked the manufacture date and saw it was Dec 2020, almost 5 years ago. Edelrid recommends a storage time of not more than 4 years before use. I returned it before leaving the store. It would probably be OK to use, but really, "probably" isn't good enough for "brand new" gear. REI should be careful not to sell outdated climbing gear.

The harness is just what I wanted. (this will be my 6th harness over many years). I was perplexed and unhappy that it was shipped in a box large enough to hold 10 harnesses and included a whole bunch of unnecessary packing paper. I thought REI might be more conscientious than that.

Bought a size small, which fit well and was comfortable to climb in but the gear loops were nowhere near as big as shown in the pictures. Could hardly fit a singles rack on the front two loops, and the fifth loop in the back was borderline unuseable.

Very comfortable and lightweight harness with adjustable leg and waist straps, used both at crag and gym