Wild Country Flow Climbing Harness Review

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For nearly 50 years, Wild Country has been an innovator in climbing gear. From their first prototypes for friends in 1973, they have stayed ahead of trends and produced quality products. The Wild Country Flow 2.0 Climbing Harness is no exception. The Flow is a simple design at first glance, but many luxury features are streamlined into this lightweight harness.

Love at first site: Quality right out of the box

Right out of the package, the exceptional qualities of the harness are evident. I had been using a 9 year old harness from a trendy manufacturer but it was my first harness and I didn’t know what else was out there. I did a little research on Wild Country and their harnesses and decided that it was a huge upgrade to what I had been using. While I primarily ice climb, and only occasionally hit a climbing gym, I needed features that were conducive to ice. The Flow Harness is quick to dry if it gets damp and is super comfortable. Of course safety is the first priority of any harness, but the Flow was clearly created with comfort as the secondary priority.

The Flow Harness arrived with it’s own mesh storage bag. I immediately noticed the extra reinforced tie in points which I feel will keep this harness working safely for years. There were lots of small, but important, details such as loops to stow the excess waist webbing, loops for an ice clipper on both sides and a nice haul loop that could be used for a chalk bag if you needed it. The Wild Country Flow 2.0 is a versatile belt that could be used for ice, rock or for laps on the practice wall.

Wild Country Flow 2.0 Harness: Safety in a comfy package

The Flow is made with a self locking waist buckle and never once did I have a concern of the webbing sliding through the buckle. Happy that there was a women’s fit, I found that the Flow harness fit my curves very nicely. I normally wear a medium in everything, including climbing harnesses, but the medium was just a bit small. I sized up to the large and it fit nicely. The elasticized leg loops fit well and the leg loops stayed neatly in place. The waist belt and leg loops span a little bit further than most men’s belts to accommodate for a women’s higher waist.

Lets Talk about loops! The plastic coated loops on the Flow harness made it extra easy to store my carabiners while setting up my anchor. The four accessory loops are 3-D and angled out just a bit. They curve with your body and are easily accessible without having to fumble and search for the loops. Greatly appreciated, Wild Country!

Wild County: Prioritizing Safety

After familiarizing myself with all the features of the Wild Country Flow 2.0 harness, I took it out to our plice (plywood-ice) practice wall to test its function. The adjustable elastic straps on the back of the leg loops were helpful in keeping the leg loops in place. As a result, the harness was super comfortable, like sitting in a chair. I attribute this comfort to the nice wide leg loops and the extra padding on the top edge of the waist belt. They really did think of the climber in both of those features.

Comfort is great, but I really wanted to examine the safety features of the Flow Climbing Harness. I looked closely at the stitching and attachment points on this harness. The belay loop stitching is neat and secure without a single thread out of place. I always look at that as a symbol that attention was paid to important details. The waist belt is secured to the adjustment webbing with the same neat stitching in multiple points. The tie-in loops have an extra aggressive wrapped coating which will prevent wear in the load-bearing points. This will extend the life of this harnesses function and safety.

The lower loop of the tie-in points has a smaller piece of coated webbing to prevent the rope from sliding out of position in case you should flip upside down for some reason. The lower tie-in loop is one piece of continuous webbing around both legs with no buckles. The simplicity of the leg loops and this one-piece webbing design eliminates possible failure points on the lower half of this harness.

Technical Specifications:

• Material: synthetic
• Padding: air-permeable
• Buckles: self-locking
• Gear Loops: 4, 3D
• Ice Clipper Slots: 2
• Chalk Bag Hanger: yes
• Leg Loops: fixed, elasticated
• Manufacturer Warranty: limited 2 years

Final Thoughts on the Wild Country Flow 2.0 Climbing Harness

The Wild Country Flow 2.0 is a high quality, very versatile, climbing harness. The design provides many subtle features that keep the belt simple in design and function, but full of possibilities. I thought that the haul loop seemed a little small. I couldn’t find any details in the included literature or online that helped me understand it’s weight limits. Despite that one detail, I felt confident this harness was well made. It has all of the required safety features in a comfortable, lightweight design. It was simple and easy to manipulate both while preparing to climb and while on the wall.

As I seek out some solid ice climbs, I have my new harness waiting to take on the frozen seeps and waterfalls. I thought the price was reasonable and competitive at $84.95. If you would like to learn more about Wild Country or want to try out the Flow Climbing Harness for yourself, visit www.backcountry.com or www.rei.com.