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When Metolius introduced its Safe-Tech harnesses they were the first and only such harnesses of their kind. They were born of a simple idea — make sure that every point possible to clip or tie into is bomb proof! Safe Tech did something no other harness did: it protected the wearer from the full range of stupid harness mistakes. Forget to double back your buckle? We got your back. Clip into a leg-loop keeper strap? You’re dumber than a bag of hair, but still, we got your back. In fact, anyplace you can clip on a Safe-Tech harness is STRONG. You may be a bit uncomfortable, but you’ll live to enjoy it.
You might think that, years later, the game would be different and every harness out there would be so forgiving. And yet, Safe Tech is still unique in the harness world.
Such unparalleled safety consciousness, however, is not the reason I wear a Metolius Safe-Tech Deluxe today.
Metolius Safe-Tech Deluxe Features
That it sits firmly atop the heap when it comes to protecting me from a hypothermic fit of dehydrated brain farting is not the Safe-Tech Deluxe’s only redeeming quality. There’s so much more:
- Engineered to provide every possible extra margin of safety
- Wherever possible, each component is engineered to withstand a load of 10 kN.
* 2250 lbf (10 kN) Spectra gear loops
* 3600 lbf (16 kN) Spectra rope locator
* 3600 lbf (16 kN) rear haul loop
* 1500 lbf (6.6 kN) leg loop elastic - Two belay/rappel loops make setting up for rapples and multi-pitch belays easier*
- Reinforced, Long-wearing tie-in point*
- 3-D adjustable-rise system assures the perfect fit
- Shaped 3/8″ foam provides maximum support to the lower back
* New and improved this year.
 The author hanging around in a Safe Tech. Photo: W. Young |
Metolius Safe-Tech Deluxe Review
I’m almost as worried about accidentally tying into a gear loop as I am accidentally onsighting 5.15. Still, that’s sort of the reason I bought my first Safe-Tech harness over six years ago. I was setting a lot of routes in the local gym, and my preferred method of carrying holds from point A to point B was via 5-gallon bucket clipped to a gear loop. I was plagued by the notion that one might break and, perhaps, send a 20-lbs. bucket of plastic — Wile E. Coyote style — right onto some hapless child’s head.
There are three main reasons I keep on buying them.
The Good
- I don’t have a typical climber’s body, which puts me somewhat at the mercy of harness designers. 3-D allows me to customize all the usual suspects plus the harness’ rise — the vertical distance between the swami and leg loops.
- Shy of a big-wall harness, the Safe-Tech Deluxe is the king of low-back support.
- I have — once or twice — failed to double back my buckle before my partner caught it. Should I actually manage to leave the ground without the double pass, this buckle will still hold 10kN, which is more than most ropes’ impact-force ratings.
- I don’t set in a gym anymore, but I do spend quite a bit of time equipping new routes and re-equipping old ones. With a Bosch, tools and a sack of steel hanging from the 10kN gear loop on my hip, I can swing around all day and never have to worry about it breaking.
The Bad
- I don’t need two belay loops, but it’s easy enough to clip them as one.
Bottom Line:
The Metolius Safe-Tech Deluxe is not just comfortable and safe. It’s more comfortable and more safe than any other harness in its class.
So, if safety and comfort are your things, slip into a Metolius Safe-Tech Deluxe! If you can’t get it to fit you perfectly, well, it’s probably your fault, not the harness’.
;)
