Petzl Hirundos Climbing Harness Review
Two outstanding attributes to the Hirundos are the Frame Construction Technology on the swami belt and the DoubleBack buckles, which can be found on the Petzl Sama, Adjama, Luna, Selena and now, the light and sporty Hirundos.
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Petzl Hirundos $99.95
★★★★★
Two outstanding attributes to the Hirundos are the Frame Construction Technology on the swami belt and the DoubleBack buckles, which can be found on the Petzl Sama, Adjama, Luna, Selena and now, the light and sporty Hirundos.
Petzl’s Frame Construction creates harnesses that are comfortable and supportive, and the most breathable, least sweaty harnesses around. High-strength tape runs along the edges of the waist belt and leg loops for support and to evenly distribute the load. Perforated closed-cell foam and mesh in between the high-strength tape keeps the shape of the waist belt and leg loops.
The DoubleBack buckle system is a single, pre-threaded buckle on the waist belt (or, in the case of the Adjama, on the leg loops, too). Many companies are now turning to pre-threaded buckle closures that you can adjust with a single pull. I’ve found that Petzl’s DoubleBack system works the best—a little groove for your thumb allows you to easily catch and pull the buckle to take the harness off. When you put the harness on, the action of pulling the webbing is smooth.
There are four gear loops—the front two are stiff, which I love, and are really easy to clip draws to. However, I wish the gear loops stuck out from the waist just a little more.
The width of the waist belt on the Hirundos is thinner than the Sama/Adjama, and, as a larger fellow, I prefer the latter models to the Hirundos, which offers less support than its bros. The Hirundos seems to run a little smaller in sizes compared to the Sama/Adjama. I tested a Medium in all three, and the Hirundos was a bit too tight.
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