If you are like me, you want a climbing harness that is reasonably priced but still comfortable and high quality. I spent the past few hours of my life researching harnesses and was able to identify a few of these. Here is what I found:
The best budget climbing harnesses are the Black Diamond Momentum, Edelrid Jay III, and the Petzl Sama. These harnesses are high quality, versatile, and provide a comfortable climbing experience for under $100.
| Climbing Harness | Category | Price |
| Black Diamond Momentum | All-around | $65 |
| Edelrid Jay III | All-around | $70 |
| Petzl Sama | All-around | $70 |
Each harness has its own unique qualities that make it better suited for one climber than another. I suggest you read on to find out what these qualities are and why the harness made it onto my list. If you choose to skip this and move on, you might miss out on the chance to find the perfect harness under $100 for you!
To see what is my favorite harness check out my recommended gear page linked here.
What Makes a Good Budget Harnesses
All-around harnesses provide the maximum amount of versatility and freedom to climbers who are looking to dive deep into the world of climbing. These will give you the most bang for your buck getting started in climbing. If you are looking for a more specially tailored harness i.e. one for competition, ice, or big wall climbing then this list is not applicable to you.
The three harnesses mentioned above offer a large amount of versatility, adjustability, gear space, comfort, and quality for reasonable prices. You will be hard pressed to find harnesses that are cheaper than these that are able to compete with them in both performance and comfort.
All of them are very popular in the climbing community and come highly recommended by various bloggers and forums for a reason. Choosing to go with any one of these harnesses will be an excellent decision. Each one of these is discussed in greater detail below.
Black Diamond Momentum
General Harness Information
| Category | Price | Weight (Medium) |
| All-around | New – $65 Used – $35 to $45 | 10.7 oz (302 g) |
Women’s version: Black Diamond Momentum – Women’s.
Features and Specialization
According to blackdiamondequipment.com, the Momentum harness comes with the following:
- Pre-threaded Speed Adjust waistbelt buckle
- Bullhorn-shaped waistbelt built using Dual Core Construction™
- trakFIT™ adjustment for easy leg loop customization
- Adjustable rear elastic riser
- Four pressure-molded gear loops
- Haul loop
Comfort and Adjustability
The adjustable leg loops allow for a customizable fit and greater comfort than other harness options. In addition to the adjustable leg loops, the waist belt is bull-horn shaped and padded to increase comfort levels while hanging and belaying. This harness provides ample comfort for gym climbing and day trips to the crag. The waistbelt and leg loops are very easy to adjust and will help save time when putting the harness on and taking it off.
Overall Harness Review
For less than $70, the Black Diamond Momentum will give you the most bang for your buck. This harness is incredibly lightweight and easy to transport for the price. Not to mention, it is very quick and easy to put on, adjust, and take off. The adjustable wasitbelt and leg loops save climbers a noticeable amount of time and patience.
This harness will provide a good level of comfort for both gym climbing and day trips to the crag. If you plan to spend hours on end hanging and projecting routes, you may want to opt for a different harness. But if you plan to use this harness in a more casual fashion, then it provides a more than sufficient level of comfort.
Edelrid Jay III
General Harness Information
| Category | Price | Weight (Medium) |
| All-around | New – $70 Used – $45 to $55 | 13.9 oz (395 g) |
Women’s Version: Edelrid Jayne III
Features and Specialization
According to edelrid.de, the Jay III harness comes with the following:
- Adjustable leg loops
- Small pouch on harness to accommodate an RFID chip
- Moveable foam waist padding
- Slide Block buckles
- 4 symmetrical, high-strength gear loops
- 2 attachment options for ice screw clips and a chalk bag loop
- Made of bluesign®-certified materials
Comfort and Adjustability
The adjustable leg loops provide climbers with enhanced customizability and comfort. The moveable foam waist padding allows the tie-in point and the four fixed gear loops to be centered and aligned with ease. This works greta for climbers in-between sizes.
The main qualm with this harness is the lack of a significant haul loop. Although the harness is toted as being an all-around harness, it is more suited for gym and sport climbing than trad climbing.
Overall Harness Review
The moveable foam waist padding is by-far my favorite feature of the harness. It allows the harness tie-in point to be easily centered and works great for climbers in-between harness sizes. In addition to this, red indicator threads are included into the tie-in loop webbing to notify the climber when it is time to change out the harness. This is very helpful when checking your harness to make sure it will keep you safe. These red threads could save your life!
The harness will hold up well at both the gym and the crag but it may not hold gear as well as a trad harness. If you are looking to get into trad climbing, you may want to consider getting a harness better suited for hauling additional gear.
Petzl Sama
General Harness Information
| Category | Price | Weight (Medium) |
| All-around | New – $70 Used – $45 to $55 | 14.6 oz (415 g) |
Women’s version: Petzl Selena
Features and Specialization
According to petzl.com, the Sama harness comes with the following:
- Padded waistbelt and leg loops
- Elasticized leg loops, leg loop straps, and flexible connection straps
- Two rigid front gear loops
- Two flexible rear gear loops
- Rear accessory loop for chalk bag, shoes, quick link, trail line, or other gear
Comfort and Adjustability
The shape of the waistbelt is specially designed to increase comfort for climbers. The waistbelt is wider in the back to provide support and slimmer in the front to provide increased flexibility that is so often needed in climbing. In addition to this, the frame of the harness distributes the climber’s weight very effectively.
The main qualm with this harness is the lack of adjustable leg loops. The elasticized leg loops will be fantastic for climbers that fit in them but can present issues for climbers with wider legs. The elasticized leg loops have been commonly reported to not stretch enough and provide an uncomfortable experience.
Overall Harness Review
The harness is absolutely fantastic for climbers that can fit into the leg loops. The waistbelt design is incredibly effective at providing climbers with support and flexibility at the same time. Not to mention the harness frame distributes the weight perfectly.
Be wary of this harness if you have larger legs. The elasticized leg loops may not be able to accommodate them. Be sure to try this harness on before purchasing.
Honorable Mentions
There are many great climbing harnesses that are available for under $100. Narrowing the list down to just 3 was incredibly difficult and one could argue for any one of the honorable mentions to be within the top 3 without much difficulty. The climbing harnesses that just barely missed the cut are listed below:
| Climbing Harness | Category | Price |
| Black Diamond Solution | Sport | $75 |
| Black Diamond Technician | All-around | $90 |
| Camp Alpine Flash | Trad | $80 |
| Camp Energy | All-around | $50 |
| Edelrid Sendero | Trad | $85 |
| Mammut Ophir 3 Slide | All-around | $70 |
| Petzl Adjama | Trad | $80 |
| Petzl Corax | All-around | $65 |
