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Reviewed: Arc'teryx Lithos SL harness

The new ultralight climbing harness

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The new ultralight climbing harness
 
 
Our verdict: Lithos SL harness
Arc'teryx have created a featherweight harness, designed to feel weightless on red point burns and long sessions. The standard climbing harness blueprint has been stripped down to the essentials, delivering a purpose-built sport climbing specialist.

Tom from our Online Team has been putting the Lithos through its paces in the gym and on the long sport routes of Costa Blanca.
 
 
 
Arc'teryx
Lithos SL Harness
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The Lithos is aimed at those single-pitch sport climbers doing redpoint burns and laps in the gym, where weight savings really make a difference.
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Weight (or lack of)
As you'd hope, this is an incredibly light harness. The first thing you’ll notice about the Lithos SL is just how slim the main webbing is. There are just two gear loops on the waistbelt and a light cord where you’d often see elastic with adjustable clips connecting to the non-adjustable leg loops. There’s also no additional foam or padding added.

I found that I really didn’t notice wearing this harness at all when climbing, and other harnesses even felt a bit cumbersome afterwards.
 
 
Comfort
Arc'teryx's Warp Strength technology in the waist and leg loops allows the harness to hold a curved shape without affecting the strength. Along with the wide loops, this allows the load to be spread across the whole length and width of the fabric, requiring less overall material to get the same comfort.

That’s the theory anyway. While this is impressively comfortable for the weight, my experience is that comfort is sacrificed somewhat. At first, the top edge of the waist loop dug in or pinched a bit. However, I found over my initial 3-4 sessions, the waist and leg loops softened and moulded slightly, making it much more comfortable. Although it wouldn’t be my choice for sitting in for long periods of time, falling and sitting in the harness while on single-pitch routes felt absolutely fine.
 
 
Sizing
With the Lithos, Arc’teryx have introduced a modular sizing system. Each waist size has three different leg sizes within it to choose from. I often find myself between medium and large harness sizes, so this is a great development for me. It’s best to take a fresh look at the sizing options, rather than relying on your usual size. Make sure to try a range of sizes to really dial it in.
 
 
Gear loops
The gear loops, although only two, comfortably accommodated the draws and gear I needed for 30m+ routes. I found the squared-off shape really easy to clip gear onto. The plastic coating holds the shape and helps them sit slightly proud of the waist belt, so getting draws on and off felt much faster than curved, fabric-covered options.
 
 
 
 
Final word
After a few weeks of use, I have been won over by the Lithos. My initial concerns with the loss of comfort in favour of weight savings have almost all gone. The gear loops are a highlight; it’s so easy to manage and handle my gear. The new sizing system adds more flexibility to an often tricky category. If you’re looking for a specialist, lightweight sport harness, look no further.
 
 
Cambridge store reopens
We're delighted to be opening the doors to our newly refitted Cambridge store. Over the last few months, we've been working behind the scenes to get the store looking its best.

Pop in for advice on your next adventure, footwear & equipment fittings, or just a browse of the latest outdoor gear.
 
 
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