Why the Need?
Guide companies, climbing schools and gyms benefit from being able to buy one type of harness for their entire clientele. Not only is it easier on the administrator, but giving an orientation and teaching one type of harness to all students in a climbing course makes it easier on instructors and guides as well as on the students. Additionally, families of climbers on a budget can benefit from being able to purchase a harness or two for the entire family to share.
Necessary Features
Necessary features include comfort, which is not necessarily related to the amount of padding; fully adjustable waist belt and leg loops that extend from the smallest climber imaginable to the largest climber imaginable; tie in point(s) and a belay/rappel loop and a gear loop (useful because of the amount of gear used in rock climbing).
Options
No company can possibly make THE best one size fits all harness, as there are pros and cons to each model available. All climbing gear manufacturers try to differentiate their products from the rest, so no one option has all the features you might want. In the end, it is good to have options and make a decision based on what features you personally need the most. The following are some of the best to choose from.
Singing Rock Fly (pictured)
This one accommodates the largest range of sizes. It is the only one size fits all harness that has tie in points separate from the belay/rappel loop, which leads to a more comfortable seat position and is a more practical style for modern climbing harnesses. It teaches good habits for safety checks with buckles that need to be doubled back and also has a gear loop, making it a good all around harness for instructional climbing programs.
Black Diamond Vario Speed Harness
This harness has auto-locking speed buckles, which are good for quick adjustment and safety concerns. It has thick, soft and wide webbing for comfort. It has no gear loop, but does have a haul loop in the back, which can be useful for clipping floor anchors and chalk bags.
Petzl Pandion
The Petzl Pandion is a lightweight, very compressible harness that is easily packed for travel. It's tie in point/belay loop is weaved with Dyneema, making it more resistant to abrasion wear. It also has speed buckles and that useful gear loop.
Topaz Harness by C.A.M.P.
Unlike any other one size fits all climbing harness, the Topaz is equipped with padding on the backs of the waist and leg loops making it more comfortable to hang in. It has two gear loops, one tie in/clip in point and sports those safety conscious speed buckles for quick adjustment.
Considerations
If we were to claim a best overall one-size-fits-all climbing harness, it would have to be the Singing Rock Fly Harness for the following reasons:
-Speed buckles are great for harness rentals in gyms and large group activities; however, buckles that have to be doubled back are best for instructional courses because they teach students to be more aware in checking them for proper set up.
-Most harnesses available to recreational rock climbers for purchase have two separate tie in points (one on the waist belt and one joining the leg loops). The climber must feed the rope through both points in order to tie in. These points are joined together by a belay/rappel loop that is meant for clipping carabiners to.
-Nylon is the age-old material for climbing equipment and proves over and over its superior stretchiness compared to newer, more expensive materials such as Spectra/Dyneema.
