Edelrid Finn Harness Review

The Edelrid Finn is a sit harness designed specifically for the younger climber – those who no longer need a full body harness but who are as yet too small for the small adult harnesses. The Finn comes in two sizes; XXS and XS covering 40-60cm and 50-70cm waist respectively, that’s about 15 3/4 inches to 27 1/2 inches between the two sizes.

The waist belt fastens with slide buckles that do not need to be threaded reducing the risk of incorrect fitting/fastening, likewise the leg loops giving a reasonably wide range of adjustment. Our gear tester is now 14 years old but started testing nearly a year ago! The waist belt itself consists of a ‘floating’ padded section including two strengthened gear loops over a webbing belt. This allows the tie in point and the gear loops to be aligned keeping racking nicely centred and balanced. Additionaly the gear loops have been reinforced so that should you clip into them in error they will not break under bodyweight – though this is clearly not a recommended procedure! Like all Edelrid harnesses the tie in point is reinforced and there are red wear indicator threads inside the belay loop so that if it becomes abraded too much the red will show through meaning it’s time to replace the harness, another great safety feature especially in a harness that is likely to be passed onto siblings or friends when outgrown. The harness we have on review came in ‘Tommy Caldwell’ green (Oasis) but is also available in a bright blue (Icemint) either colour-way looks good but the Oasis lends that little extra with the Tommy Caldwell look. Something that appears odd at first is the additional elastic ‘tether’ between the leg loops which keeps them from becoming twisted and makes it easier to step into the harness – in fact just like putting on a pair of shorts. The placement of this tether means that there is no reduction in mobility; so no, your legs are not tied together in the manner of a pair of 70’s Tarten punk trousers 😉 As a little bonus the harness comes in a neat drawstring pack that has enough room for chalk bag and shoes for trips to the gym or for keeping your crag sac organised.

Build quality is typical Edelrid with first rate materials and construction. Baring contamination with something corrosive this is a harness that will get passed onto siblings or friends when it is inevitably outgrown so it can continue to be reused. Whilst on the subject of sustainability as with the majority of Edelrid’s newer harness line the Finn is a Bluesign product indicating that the environmental cost of its manufacture has been minimised – helping to make sure that when the youthfull user of the harness grows up the environment will be a little less damaged.

In Use

Gill found the harness to be ‘really comfortable’ for climbing, belaying and even falling. He also found that ‘it doesn’t get in the way of anything’ whilst climbing and moving about. However he did note a downside in that it needed ‘more (gear) loops to hold gear on’. With two gear loops the Finn has adequete racking for most sport climbing routes but if like Gill you do more trad climbs and/or your dad places lots of gear 😉 then you may find that a makeshift bandolier becomes neccessary.

Overall the Finn is an excellent harness with all the features you would expect of an adult harness alongside a few additions aimed at the novice user, linked leg loops to avoid tangles and reinforced gear loops, though to be honest both these additions would not be amiss on a standard adult’s harness.

Pros

• Comfortable
• Safety features
• Freedom of movement

Cons

• Limited racking

SRP: £45

Stockists

Disclaimer – CGR reviewers are never paid to provide a review and the website does not take advertising. We are a bunch of keen climbers and travellers that accept sample products and offer an honest and independent review of the item. The reviewer will often keep the sample after reviewing it for both hygiene reasons and more often they’re in no fit state to return!