How to Make a Harness Out of Nylon Rope

While commercially available harnesses are obviously superior in both safety and comfort, an emergency safety harness can be tied out of nylon rope as long as you have about 9 feet or more. This type of harness, tied out of a single piece of rope, is known as a Swiss seat. The Swiss seat is not the most comfortable harness, but it is secure and can be used for both climbing and rappelling if necessary.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step 1

Hold the midpoint of the rope at your hip by your brake hand. Holding the midpoint in place, wrap one end of the rope around the back of your waist and bring the ends out in front of you.

Step 2

Tie the ends in a double overhand knot at the front of your waist. The rope should be tied tightly enough that you can release the knot and it will not fall from your waist.

Step 3

Draw the ends of the rope back between your legs and then upward, passing them inside and over the rope at the back of your waist. The rope as it comes through and up should press firmly to your back pants pockets.

Step 4

Pull on the two ends to tighten the rope, then wrap the rope again around the waist rope and then under the ropes across your back pants pockets.

Step 5

Tie the rope ends in a square knot at the hip opposite your brake hand and secure the knot by tying an overhand knot on each side of the square knot. Excess rope, if there is any, can be tucked into a pocket to be kept out of the way.

Article Written By Christopher Williams

Christopher Williams has spent over 11 years working in the information technology, health care and outdoor recreation fields. He has over seven years of technical and educational writing experience, and has brought strong skills and passion to the Demand Studios team in articles for eHow and Trails in 2009.

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