ProView – Edelrid Autana Review

I had the pleasure of testing the Edelrid Autana harness on alpine rock in the Eastern Sierra, multi-pitch climbs in Red Rock Canyon, and coarse grain cragging in the Alabama Hills. From run out slab, to crack climbing, and even chimney groveling, I put the Edelrid Autana harness through the wringer, and it came away as one of the best harnesses I have used thus far.

As an all around climber, dabbling in traditional (trad), sport, alpine, and ice climbing, I try to make sure my gear is versatile and can be used across many disciples. I also consider myself a medium style climber, medium fast and medium light. I don’t see the point of sacrificing all comforts when venturing out into the alpine. So trying out the Edelrid Autana turned out to be a dream come true. The Edelrid Autana is a do it all harness, without sacrificing comfort, but also being light weight. Edelrid has managed to pack in so many excellent features into a very light weight and compact harness. My primary climbing passion is alpine trad climbing, so most of my time testing the harness has been out on multi-pitch trad climbs. I tried the harness out for many pitches in Red Rock Canyon and alpine rock in the Eastern Sierra, which helped me evaluate how comfortable the harness was after wearing it all day and sitting in it at hanging belays. I was also able to test the harness out while single pitch cragging in the Alabama Hills, which put the durability of the harness to the test, as the rock is very coarse and gravelly. 

Performance

When I took the harness out of its package I was immediately surprised to see what a low profile harness is was. It packs down into a slim package, even the gear loops lie very flat, making it ideal for fitting into an alpine pack. The harness weighs in at 0.65 lbs, which I was very surprised by, considering how many features it has. 

Fit

I was very pleased with the fit of the harness. It is ‘butterfly’ shaped which enable the harness to sit above the hips and distributes the weight of the gear hanging on your harness more evenly. Despite being a thinner harness, it still has adequate padding, and a thicker waist belt, which is essential when hanging at belays all day. This is the first time I have tried out a harness that has center fit construction, meaning you can adjust the harness tightness from either side of the waist belt, ensuring the harness and padding is always centered where you want it. It’s a really cool feature and helps you even out the load on your harness even when your gear is lopsided, or you’ve decide to put on a jacket. I will also add that the slide block buckles in the waist belt and leg loops are incredibly smooth. It was not at all jerky to tighten any aspect of the harness. My only negative comment on the fit of the harness, is that the harness is specifically designed for climbers with a narrow waist, and yet an XS just barely fits me. I am 5’2, 115 lbs, with a thin waist (I usually wear a size 2 in climbing pants), and I have to tighten the harness down to it’s maximum unless I am wearing a jacket. 

Features

The Edelrid Autana is chalked full of great features. The leg loops fully open, so for ice climbing or snow climbing, you can put the harness on over your crampons. The harness has a drop seat that is attached by a small buckle, rather than a metal loop, making it a breeze to actually drop the seat yourself to use the bathroom and then reattach, all by yourself. The gear loops are a good size, though the XS only has four gear loops rather than five, which I was a bit bummed about. I also like that Edelrid included an additional safety feature, where the tie in points and belay loop have a wear indicator, so when they are wearing through you see red threads. This helps eliminate the question of when it is time to retire your harness. I was not able to test the harness out for ice climbing, but it does has two reinforced slots for ice clippers that seem like they would do just fine with the standard ice clippers. All the adjustability would be great for when you’re adding layers while ice climbing as well. 

Style

The Edelrid Autana is a very good looking harness, and I have gotten compliments from other females on it already. I would describe the color as desert rose. It is a kind of dusty pink, but isn’t overly feminine. The butterfly shape design is very flattering as well. 

Durability

After a month of constant use, the harness is holding up well. It does have some wear marks forming on the waist belt, but considering the coarse rock and rough chimneys I’ve taken the harness on, I’m overall pleased with the durability. I was skeptical because the gear loops are made out of a hard plastic, without any kind of fabric or rubber coating, but actually it makes them more supple to work with and more lightweight. So far I haven’t seen any durability issues with the gear loops.

What sets the product apart?

What makes this harness special to me is the perfect balance Edelrid struck between a lightweight and packable harness, but also a harness that is comfortable and has features that makes your climbing experience more enjoyable. The feature I value most is that the waist belt has a center fit construction, so you can easily adjust it to be balanced. I hate when my harness is off center and weighing me down unevenly! 

Who is the product for? 

The Edelrid Autana is designed for alpine climbers, both rock and ice. It is more specifically geared toward climbers with a narrow waist. Considering I have the XS harness, however, any individuals smaller than myself would struggle to make this harness tight enough for safety. 

Eco-Friendly

The Edelrid Autana is listed as an Edelrid bluesign® PRODUCT. This “guarantees an eco-friendly manufactured product that is low in pollutants and safe for health and the environmental”. According to the Edelrid website this product is meeting “the most stringent environmental standards for the production of textile products.” It’s great to see that Edelrid is prioritizing environmentally friendly products! 

The Final Word

The Edelrid Autana really is a fantastic all around climbing harness. If you are a multi discipline climber, looking for a harness that can do it all, then the Edelrid Autana should definitely be on your short list. Edelrid succeeded at their goal of making an alpine harness that is light weight and packable, while still being incredibly comfortable and convenient to use. For all of my alpine rock adventures this summer I know which harness I’ll be grabbing! 

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