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PROS
** - By FAR the MOST comfortable harness I have tried (see below for list)
** - Excellent weight distribution and balance aloft
** - Floating ring system is beautiful, never hangs up or snags
** - Superior mobility for working or recreational climbing
** - Fully adjustable (I am 5'7", 160lb, 29" inseam
I believe my Kolibri Multi-Slide is a "medium")
** - A lot of built in attachment points
** - Very light
** - Hi-tech paratrooper style buckle mechanism on waist strap
** - Provides great back support. I tighten the waist strap more than with my other rigs, because of an ultra-wide back pad.
CONS
** - Not fast / not easy to get in and out of. I have to let out both leg straps and the waist belt to take it off, and loosening/tightening the leg rings is not the quickest process, but not too bad.
Plus, just getting your shoe or boot thru correctly is a production. (See accompanying user tips)
** - The stitching around the leg rings is unraveling. Lots of black, fine web-like thread is shedding away, mostly from only one side. But I keep inspecting it
and it looks like it's glued as well. Nothing is actually coming apart, and American Arborist Supplies in West Chester, PA say if it becomes a problem they will either fix or replace. I would have rated it a 5 for durability if it were not for this problem - everything else is holding up extremely well.
** - Had to "invent" my own way of wearing it so the leg rings stay where they should.
** - Doesn't come with any clips. All the attachment point are simple loops. The two main left/right hip loops require you to use a carabiner (or something) on each side, so to hang multiple biners you will be down 2 of your own.
** - I check that the main leg support straps are running neatly thru their circular steel guide rings, and are not folded. If they are stressed while creased, they quickly show wear. But I don't know if the "wear" really means anything. They're not unraveling or anything like that.
** - The leg ring design, with positioning straps, tends to "catch" hanging gear sometimes
when I put it on. I have to check nothing is pinched inside the straps.
** - Expensive, to the tune of around $400 clams with tax.
** - It's not designed for "Work thru", no rear attachment point. But I use a chainsaw attachment ring connected in the back. And now it is!
USING IT -
When I first used this harness, maybe the first 10-20 climbs, I naturally
put my leg thru the leg rings in the most logical manner. Both of the positioning straps seem to be designed to route in back of my legs. But I would find that, when climbing, the leg rings would rotate out, and the padding would end up on the outside of my thighs, not under and in-between my legs. I would rotate them back in and it would feel great. For about 5 minutes. And then I had to do it again. The stress points go to my waist, back, and the bottom of my thighs. Those leg rings need to STAY under and inside to maximize comfort.
I have a cheap Weaver, a French Creek (so-so) and a Buckingham Mobility (excellent).
Saddles I have also tried (but not purchased) include a Komet Butterfly and a Bashlin XS. The Kolibri Multislide blows them all away.
I am about a 75% recreational climber, 25% work. But especially in working situations, when hanging from only side rings while re-tying, or whatever, the EKN Kolibri's super-ultra-thermonuclear (??) padding is amazing. Both my waist and thighs compain far less during the more extreme positions and situations tree work demands. No pinching. This thing is awesome.
In my experience, modifying how I put my legs thru the ring positioning straps
makes a huge difference in how it performs. I was starting to think about fashioning my own straps to keep the legs rings in place. But in one single A-HA moment I realized:
they're already there, they just need to be used differently. It's very hard to describe without photos, but if anyone has one of these and is experiencing the same problem I had, let me know and I can take you thru it.
I purchased this harness about 8 months ago and it is by far my favorite and most-used. I cannot stress how well engineered for comfort this bugger is.
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| Overall rating: |
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4.0 |
| Type of Use: |
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5.0 |
| Frequency of Use: |
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5.0 |
| Durability: |
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3.0 |
| Comfort: |
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5.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
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3.0 |
| Portability: |
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5.0 |
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