Are you in search of a new climbing harness? Petzl Aquila may have just the thing you're looking for.
Every climber has experienced the discomfort of a bad harness one time or another. Therefore, every climber knows the importance of owning a reliable, comfortable harness. There are so many factors to consider when purchasing a new climbing harness. You want to make sure it's safe to wear, the right fit, light-weight, and suited for the type of climbing you plan to do. If you're currently on the market for a new climbing harness, Petzl Aquila may have something for you.
In this Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness Review, we will discuss everything this product has to offer. We'll talk about its pros, cons, special features, and what other climbers are saying about the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness. By the end, hopefully you'll have a better idea if the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness is the right fit for you.
A Little Bit About Petzl USA
Credit: Petzl USA
Petzl USA is a climbing and sports equipment company. Their story began in the 1930s when its founder, Fernand Petzl, took his passion for caving and turned it into a craftsmanship. Petzl began designing gear for “ascending, descending, belaying and moving about in the dark.” In 1970, the first “Fernand Petzl” brand products were produced and sold.
The Petzl Company was established soon after in 1975 and has since evolved into an international enterprise. Petzl US is committed to “inventing products and provide solutions that allow sports enthusiasts and professionals to access some of the most inaccessible places,” and doing so in a sustainable way. They're a great site to check out for all kinds of climbing gear.
The Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness Features & Benefits
There are so many things we love about the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness. From its easy adjustability to hanging comfortable, the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness has many features to enjoy.
Design
Credit: Petzl USA
Though physical appearance shouldn't be at the forefront of your mind when choosing a climbing harness, it doesn't hurt to like the look of your gear! The Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness sports a minimalist, non-intimidating design. Its “less is more” appearance comes from the thin waist belt, small gear loops, subtle ice clipper slots, and small auto-locking buckles. The light and thin material also helps make this product easier to pack when gearing up for a climbing adventure.
Hanging Comfort
Long story short: This is a comfortable harness. This is largely because the waist belt and leg loops of the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness are made from Petzl's FuseForm Technology. According to Petzl USA, this technology helps to minimize pressure points and effectively distribute weight throughout the harness. The FuseForm Technology of the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness is also what keeps the harness so light. So don't be concerned about the thin, light-wear exterior of the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness. Despite its appearance, this produce is surprisingly secure and comfortable.
The padding, webbing, and gear loops of the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness are all fused together. This helps to add extra comfort by eliminating pressure points during hanging belays. One con is that the waist belt tends to have a snugger fit than other harnesses, but not to the point of discomfort. Overall. the Petzl Aquila Climing Harness has top-notch hanging comfortability.
Belaying Comfort
Credit: Petzl USA
Belaying comfort is one of the most crucial aspects of a climbing harness. And when testing out different harnesses to determine their belaying comfort, it's best to look the leg loops. See where the leg loops wrap around the inside of the leg and connect to the belay loop. This is the point on harness is which the majority of the climber's weight is held. That being said, the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness does the trick for climber's looking for comfortability hanging gear.
Similarly with the hanging comfort of the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness, having the The padding, webbing, and gear loops fused together helps to concentrate and distribute weight to necessary areas of the harness. This – in addition to the harness' comfortable padding – helps make the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness comfortable to wear while belaying.
Standing Comfort
The Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness has comfortability all around. However, it does tend to be a bit more comfortable on the wall than off of it, especially when packing gear onto the harness. When wearing the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness with nothing attached to it, the fit is snug and comfortable. There is no pinching or rubbing against the skin at any point when wearing the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness, pre, mid, or post climb.
However, once the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness starts getting loaded up, the comfortability tends to decrease. As more weight and gear is added to the harness, the more a climber may feel pressure points at the hips. This also creates a bit of sagging, especially on the climber's back. Luckily this is outweighed by the significant amount of foam on the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness. Still, is sagging is a point of contention for you, it is best to try this harness on before purchasing it.
Mobility
Credit: Petzl USA
The Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness is thin, light-weight, and easy to walk around in. This makes it easy to gear up and and do any necessary pre, mid, and post climb preparation. To increase mobility as you add more or less layers, turn to the adjustable belt buckles on the leg loops. This is a nice feature for climbers looking for a highly mobile harness that can be used in diverse weather conditions.
Overall, the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness is highly mobile. Go to your nearest climbing gear store and check it out for yourselves!
Versatility
The Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness is a modified version of the Petzl Hirundos Harness. The most significant changes made to the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness. were to allow climbers to carry ice screws and wear additional layers of clothing for extra warmth. That being said, this harness was made to be extremely versatile. The Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness can be worn in a wide range of climates. The adjustable buckles on the leg loops help with this greatly. Overall, the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness is great for just about any type of climbing, except for perhaps trad climbing.
Features
Credit: Petzl USA
As we mentioned earlier, one of the best features of the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness is its FuseFrame Technology. The thermo-foam material creates a slimmer, sleeker, cleaner look while eliminating pressure points on the climber. The thin but wide waist belt and adjustable leg loops adapt to multiple weather conditions. Additionally, the wide waist belt and adjustable leg loops make this an ideal harness for larger body types, though it can be adjusted to just about any body type.
The four equipment loops on the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness provide space for all necessary equipment to be attached. Additionally, climbers are raving about the Dyneema coated belay loop and tie-in points of the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness, which helps minimize wear over time. The tie-in points, which are made of high-modulus polyethylene, also hope to increase resistance to rope friction. This not only strengthens the durability of the harness, but also makes it a longer lasting product.
Tech Specs
In summary, the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness offers…
- Very thin, deceptively comfortable material
- Weighs 14oz
- Aluminum buckles
- DoubleBack HD clips
- Sleek, minimalist style
- FuseForm construction to eliminate pressure points
- Two rigid gear loops up front
- Two flexible gear loops on the back
- EVA Padding
Pricing
Credit: Petzl USA
The Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness retails for $130. It is one of the pricier climbing harnesses we have reviewed on Trekbible. This is likely due to the high-tech FuseForm Technology from which it is made.
What Travelers Are Saying About the Petzl Aquila
Sure, you can read about all the fun features and special benefits the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness has to offer. But for the best intel on how this harness performs, it's best to go right to the source. Many travelers and adventures have tried out the Petzl Aquila Cimbing Harness and have both good – and less than good – things to say.
Pros
You've heard a lot about the Fuseform Technology used to construct the Petzyl Aquila Climbing Harness. But the question stands: Does the technology work? You'll be happy to know that yes, it does! While climbers did experience some pressure underneath their legs across the hamstrings while hanging, the pressure was no more significant or noticeable than one might notice on any other harness.
Climbers were big fans of the ice clipper slots on the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness. The slots are low profile, easy to reach, and highly functional. Additionally, the added strip of grippiness on the inside of all the elastic keeper loops added nice, noticeable durability. Climbers were also big fans of how easy it was to clip on to the rigid from gear loops.
Cons
No piece of climbing gear is perfect. While trying out the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness, travelers and adventures found a few features they weren't huge fans of. As stated earlier, when weight was added to the harness, the harness tended to sag and became less comfortable. This was noticeable enough to be bothersome to some climbers. And while the many high-tech features are interesting to explore, climbers found the feature design of this product to be relatively poor.
Finally, climbers found that the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness was overpriced for what it has to offer.
Alternative Rock Climbing Harnesses That May Be a Better Fit
If you're starting to second guess the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness, don't stress yet. There are countless of climbing harnesses out there waiting to be tried out. Here are just a few to get you started on your climbing harness search.
Black Diamond Chaos Harness
Credit: Black Diamond
This is another great harness for adventurers to check out. The Black Diamond Chaos Harness is explicitly designed for trad cragging and long free routes. The harness is structured with Black Diamond's Kinetic Core Construction. This helps disperse the climber's weight in the waist band, which uses Vectran fibers instead of strips of webbing often found on other harnesses.
The Black Diamond Chaos Harness has fixed leg loops for added durability and support. Paired with slightly larger front gear loops, this harness is simple and durable and can hold more gear than other offerings by Black Diamond. Climbers, be forewarned: While this is a great harness, it does fall on the pricier side (even more than the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness.) If you're trying to stay on a budget, the Black Diamond Chaos Harness may not be the product for you.
Retail Listing: $124.95
Arc'teryx AR-395a Harness
Credit: Arc'Teryx
Overall, climbers and adventurers are loving the Arc-teryx AR-395a Harness. Among the reviews and in our own research, we have found that it’s so lightweight, you will often forget you are even wearing it. And climbers know how important it is to have a light-weight harness during a climb! Versatility and mobility come together to create a useful product.
Still, there are some things to keep in mind. This harness tends to run on the slim side, therefore it can be difficult to fit over cold weather gear for ice climbing. In addition, the bag that the harness comes in is very small. While the bag isn’t a big deal, for this price, some people think that Arc'teryx should have included a better storage bag.
Retail Price: $159.00
Petzl Sama Climbing Harness
Credit: Petzl USA
We have one last Petzl climbing harness for you to consider! The Petzl Sama Climbing Harness is lightweight, durable, and made for mobility. The wide waist belt and elastic leg straps offer plenty of support. This is also one of the most portable climbing harnesses on the market. You won't get any extra bulk here. In addition, the large haul loop offers plenty of places for hanging gear.
Overall, we love the Petzl Sama Harness. Since it is so comfortable and easy to wear, you can get some good use out of it on long free climbs as well as alpine routes. And if you invest in this climbinging harness, it will last you for many years to come. What's more, this harness is way more affordable than the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness and any other harness in this review. If you're looking for a long-lasting climbing harness that won't break the bank, the Petzl Sama Harness may be what you're looking for.
Retail Price: $69.95
The Petzl Aquila Harness has a lot of great features. But for such a high price, it may be better to keep shopping around.
There are a lot of great features found in the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness. It's light-weight, durable, has great hanging comfortability, and is easy to pack away when getting reading for a climbing trip. Still, we found in many reviews and by other users that for the price of this harness, it doesn't offer as much as one would think.
As always, we suggest shopping around and trying on a few harnesses before purchasing one! There are so many great climbing harnesses out there to look into. When looking for your next harness, make sure it's comfortable, durable, fits right, has all of the features you're looking for, and above all else, will keep you safe during your climb.
We hope this review of the Petzl Aquila Climbing Harness was useful! Do you have a favorite climbing harness that we haven't talked about yet? If so, leave us a comment and let us know! We're always looking for new gear to try out.
Related Article: 7 Best Climbing Harnesses For Your Next Adventure
