MSRP: $169.95 USD
When I first got my hands on the new Black Diamond Zone harness, the season was shifting toward summer and with it, my focus from sport projects to alpine rock objectives. I found the design works well for both. This new version of the Zone replaces a predecessor that was intended to be a high-performance all-rounder, equally suited for the crag and the mountains. The new design notionally targets sport climbs but is not a specialized harness by any means. I’ve used it almost exclusively over the last year on everything from my home crags and gyms to multipitch sport climbs and long trad climbs in the backcountry. I even used it on a couple of bolting missions where I spent a lot of time hanging and jugging with heavy tools dangling from the gear loops. My very first outing with the Zone was to a local crag in Boulder Canyon, Colorado. Within minutes of putting it on and roping up, I pitched on the second bolt of an awkward, polished slab. As much as I’d like to, I can’t blame this false start on the harness. It caught my fall—five stars! Fully satisfied.
One feature this version of the Zone has in common with its predecessor is the Infinity Belay Loop. This was the first harness I’ve used a harness with this design, which avoids the thick seam encountered on most belay loops. For people who have spent much time belaying long sessions on a sport project, the sensation of that seam slipping across the tie-in hard points when weighted will be familiar. Beyond being a disconcerting surprise in the moment, it always brings to mind the extra wear and tear that may be happening as a result. The seamless design gets rid of that annoyance and adds an extra bit of comfort to the climbing experience.
The most impactful innovation for me was the redesigned gear loops. Common with many harnesses, there are two gear loops on each side with molded plastic sleeves to add rigidity for easeful clipping. In the new Zone, the widths of these flare out to make them noticeably roomier compared to most harnesses I’ve used an seen and to reduce the gap between the front and back loop. I did a side-by-side test to see if this was effective in allowing more gear comfortably compared to a standard design and the difference was obvious. Each loop fit an extra two draws or cams before bunching up into a mess. It’s a nice improvement, but it begs the question about the intended use for a sport-specific harness—it’s rare that a harness’s quickdraw capacity on a sport climb is challenged. The harness also features a fifth gear loop centered in the back that is particularly useful in multipitch climbs to stash gear and accessories that are used infrequently.
The Zone’s waist belt and leg loops have been revised significantly compared to the earlier version. The result is a thin and firm construction that’s comfortable to wear on long outings. The most intensive tests I performed were a couple of multi-hour dangles scoping and cleaning a new line on some overhung sandstone. This involved rapping, jugging, lots of swinging around and plenty of hardware on the gear loops. This is not the intended application of the Zone harness and, on the longer stints of hanging continuously from the rope, I could feel the lack of blood flow to my legs, forcing some repositioning. To be fair, I’ve never found a harness that could avoid that issue entirely but there would be better choices than a light sport climbing harness for that. The main functional difference in the waist belt compared to its predecessor is that it dispenses with the ice clipper slots for racking ice screws. The specified weight for my size (medium) is 347g, making it more than 10% heavier than the previous Zone, which was listed at 307g. It is still in the company of light sport climbing harnesses, but it is far from the lightest. I’m not sure that weight differences at this level matter for anything but the most elite competitors or the hardest redpoints. It is the equivalent of taking a sip of water between redpoint burns or not. For almost any climber, other factors such as fit, comfort and technical features will be more important than 40 grams (1.4 ounces) of weight.
A couple of minor features of note: 1) the elastic risers for the leg loops are made from a thin cord rather than a more typical band that was used on the previous Zone; 2) the color on both the Men’s and Women’s versions is a deep purple that, I have to admit, eels more stylish than any harness I’ve worn before.
In working on this review, I’ve paid more attention to sizing than I have for any harness in the past. I realized one thing that’s probably obvious to everyone else and applies to every harness I’ve seen: if the waist belt doesn’t cinch down just right, the gear loops will not be symmetric with one too far forward or too far back, or alternatively, the belay loop will be askew. For trad climbs that max out the capacity of the gear loops, this can be a noticeable effect and add a bit more twisting and stretching when placing or cleaning gear. My waist measurements of 31 inches are on the low end of the medium range and when wearing more clothes, the asymmetry in the gear loops was noticeable. As a note to my future self (and anyone else out there who hasn’t paid much attention to this), considering the position of the gear loops, especially for a harness that’s going to higher elevation (with more clothing), should be part of the harness-shopping calculation. And for any harness manufacturer out there, is there a clever single-buckle design that avoids this?
Bottom line, Black Diamond’s Zone harness saved my life—repeatedly, and it looked good doing it. But none of that is what you need a gear review to confirm. The Zone includes a couple of features such as the seamless belay loop and expanded gear loops that set it apart from other harnesses and make a difference in day-to-day use. In my opinion, it is not a sport climbing specialist, but rather a fitting successor to the earlier Zone harness. The main features, that it is light and comfortable with plenty of room for gear, make it well-suited for cragging, multipitch trad climbs and alpine adventures.
Pros: comfy, spacious gear loops; seamless belay loop; snazzy color; durable leg loop cords with easy adjusting
Cons: slightly heavier than a specialist sport climbing harness; sizing can be tricky (as with any harness)
David Hume grew up climbing with his family in the hills of eastern Kentucky and he still thinks it’s the best climbing on Earth. He currently lives with his wife and son in Boulder, Colorado, where the climbing isn’t too shabby either. As a day job he leads a research group in atomic physics (https://www.nist.gov/people/david-hume).