Introduction: How to Tie Into a Climbing Harness

Required Equipment:

  • A climbing harness
  • A climbing rope

Step 1: Get Familiar With Your Harness

  • The largest loop is the waist loop.
  • The two medium sized loops on the very bottom are the leg loops.
  • The vertical loop is the belay loop.
  • The two small horizontal loops, in the center, are the tie-in loops.

Step 2: Loosen the Waist (and Leg Straps As Needed)

  • Loosen straps like you would on a backpack.

Step 3: Check for Twisting

  • Hold the harness horizontally from the waist strap.
  • With the leg loops hanging down, locate any twists in the straps.
  • Remove any twists you find.

Step 4: Putting on the Harness

  • Place the harness on the ground with the 2 leg loops inside the waist loop.
  • With the belay loop in the front, step into the 2 leg loops, which should be inside the waist loop.
  • Grab the waist loop and pull it upward to your waist. This action should also pull the leg loops onto your thighs. (Just like putting on pants)
  • Locate the various tightening straps on the harness and tighten them.
  • Check to make sure that the 3 small loops in the front are centered on your body.

Step 5: Grab the Rope

  • Grab the loose end of the climbing rope.
  • Stretch 3-4 feet of rope in your hands.

Step 6: Tie the Knot

  • Let go of the loose end in one hand, letting the 3-4 feet of rope dangle from your other hand.
  • Take the loose end of the rope and wrap it around the rope dangling from your hand.
  • Stick the loose end up through the created loop.
  • Pull it tight.

  • You should now have a figure 8 looking knot. If it’s a 9 or a 7, you did it wrong.

    This is your initial figure eight knot.

Step 7: Attaching the Rope to the Harness

  • Feed the loose end of the rope through the two tie-in loops.
  • Keep pulling the rope up through the loops until the figure eight is about an inch away from your loops/harness.
  • Take the loose end and follow the eight knot back through where it came so that every part of the knot is doubled.
  • You should have 5 sets of two parallel ropes.