rock climbing harness as safety harness??

[jacobsladder]

Ive been researching some different ideas for treestand hunting... ive found a number of quality rock climbing harnesses for between 30.00 and 40.00... seems to me that this would be the way to go..these are the type that you put your legs thru that have no obstruction around the shoulders..They have a loop that you would hang from just above your rear.Anyone else using actual rock climbing gear and how has it worked out????
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[The Vanilla Gorilla]

I used to use waist harness for fishing reservoirs that was kind of like that. Clipped onto the rear of the waist harness and allowed me to fish facing straight down, with my feet planted on the wall. Worked really well until the corps of engineers saw it and fined the hell out of me.
A lot of those harness rigs are rated for a great deal of weight. I think it'd be a good idea, but you'd have to figure out exactly how you'd hang in the event that you would fall. Its pretty easy to get turned upside down, and that aint the way I wanna dangle for any prolonged amount of time.

[Rich LaBombard]

I think you'd be "penny wise and dollar foolish" to use a climber's belt.
There is a reason that treestand harnesses stop you from going upside down, or falling out.
(as VG mentioned, it's easy to end up, upside down)
Let's see what others say.

[Billy]

I've got one ...I don't use it because a friend demonstrated how easy it would be to hang upside down.
Rock climbers keep their Safety line in front. In a stand w/bow , your line is in back and therefore hard to upright yourself .... my advice is go with the ones designed for hunting.

[jacobsladder]

thats what i needed to know...thanks guys...i'd much rather stay up right next year.lol...We'll find a good quality "hunting" harness.

[robslifts]

hey steve I can get you a full body harness   that is pretty cheap bud give me a call

[Fallguy]

The type of harness you refering to is made to be used faceing your anchor point. It would flip you face first if your fell from your treestand. It isn't designed as fall arrest devise. The type of use that it is designed for are very different than treestand fall restraint. Even at $100.00 a good full body harness is cheaper than trip to the emergency room or morge.

[denny]

I hung myself from the harness that came with a stand and within seconds the circulation to my legs was severed and pain started, the only good thing to be said about them is if they are kept on a short enough leash they should keep you from falling in the first place. I'm not advocating using a climbing harness as they aren't designed for the job and the hang point is in the front, but they do hang you in a comfortable sitting position supported by your legs not your crotch and if you do happen to fall any distance and have to self rescue or hang awhile the climbing harness would be far better than the stand safety harness that I tested.

[katie]

I have been rock climbing for many years.  I agree with denny that I would rather hang from my rock harness than  the one that came with my stand.  But, I would only clip ino my climbing harness from the front belay loop(the loops in the back are for holding gear).  That makes it tricky when you are clipped to a tree behind you.  If you tie into the tree above you, not a problem.  You just need to watch your rope when shooting.  I have been upside down in my rock harness and never came out.  It would take a big fal for that!  Bigger than your tree will give you.  If you go with a rock harness, I would keep a short rope.  One that keeps you from falling in the first place.  Then you could string it through the back.  You could lean into a shot and not worry about falling.  I string a web runner through the back and clip into it with a biner.  
My husband does high rise steel for a living.  He has to use the full body harness and hates it.  He would perfer to use his rock harness but OSHA says no.  When you fall, you are forward and can climb back up with the rock harness.

[Talondale]

I use the rock climbing harness.  I haven't had a fall from the tree YET but I have used it in place of a stand and you can sit, hanging from it for a good, long while, comfortably.  I keep the slack in the rope short, so I'd only fall about 18" MAX. Usually my safety rope is just tightening when I sit down.  I hook in the front and figure, at worse I would be whipped around to face the tree.  The rope can get in the way and sometimes forces me to do a 360 turn to be able to make a shot but it seems like a good system and helps hang my stands if I use it like a lineman.  BTW, you can by a chest harness addition from the same manufacturers (ie. Black Diamond etc).