EKN Kolibri MultiSlide harness

R.Boreal · 3rd October 2007, 02:21 PM

EKN Kolibri (Hummingbird) MultiSlide
climbing Harness

User Tips

}:-"

This post addresses the following:
- Keeping the leg rings from rotating out during a climb
- Keep from damaging the primary leg straps by checking for creases thru the steel rings
- Specific adjustments, and the differences they make
- Ideas for attachments
- My own rating of the product

If you want to view this harness online,
go to
EKN - Treeworker.co.uk
or
http://www.arborist.com and run a search for "kolibri". (Kolibri is German for hummingbird.)

Since my Kolibri came with no user guide, I happened upon these
"best practices" thru experience.

To summarize my rating of the Kolibri (Hummingbird) MultiSlide , here are Pros and Cons

PROS
** - By FAR the MOST comfortable harness I have tried (see below for list)
** - Excellent weight distribution and balance aloft
** - Floating ring system is beautiful, never hangs up or snags
** - Superior mobility for working or recreational climbing
** - Fully adjustable (I am 5'7", 155lb, 29" inseam
I believe my Kolibri Multi-Slide is a "medium")
** - A lot of built in attachment points
** - Very light
** - Hi-tech paratrooper style buckle mechanism on waist strap
** - Provides great back support. I tighten the waist strap more than with my other rigs,
because of an ultra-wide back pad.

CONS
** - Not fast / not easy to get in and out of. I have to let out both leg straps and the waist belt to take it off,
and loosening/tightening the leg rings is not the quickest process, but not too bad.
Plus, just getting your shoe or boot thru correctly is a production. (See accompanying user tips)
** - The stitching around the leg rings is unraveling. (See KMS_01.jpg) Lots of black, fine web-like thread
is shedding away, mostly from only one side. But I keep inspecting it
and it looks like it's glued as well. Nothing is actually coming apart, and American Arborist Supplies
in PA say if it becomes a problem they will either fix or replace.
** - Had to "invent" my own way of wearing it so the leg rings stay where they should.
** - Doesn't come with any clips. All the attachment point are simple loops. The two main
left/right hip loops require you to use a carabiner (or something) on each side, if you wanna hang
multiple biners. So now you will be down 2.
** - I always need to carefully check that the main leg support straps are running neatly thru their
circular steel guide rings, and are not folded. If they are stressed while creased,
they quickly show signs of fatigue.
** - The leg ring design, with positioning straps, tends to "catch" hanging gear sometimes
when I put it on. I have to check nothing is pinched inside the straps.
** - Expensive, to the tune of around $400 clams with tax.

USING IT -
When I first used this harness, maybe the first 10-20 climbs, I naturally
put my leg thru the leg rings in the most logical manner. Both of the SKYLOTEC (orange lettering)
positioning straps seem to be designed to route in back of my legs.
But I would find that, when climbing,
the leg rings would rotate out, and the padding would end up on the outside of my thighs,
not under and in-between my legs. I would rotate them back in and it would feel great.
For about 5 minutes. And then I had to do it again.
The pressure points from hanging go to my waist, back, and the bottom of my thighs.
Those leg rings need to STAY under and inside to maximize comfort.

I have a cheap Weaver, a French Creek (so-so) and a Buckingham Mobility (excellent).
Saddles I have also tried (but not purchased) include a Komet Butterfly and a Bashlin XS.
The Kolibri blows them all away.
I am about a 75% recreational climber, 25% work. But especially in working situations,
when hanging from only side rings while re-tying, or whatever, the EKN Kolibri's
super-ultra-thermonuclear (??) padding is amazing. Both my waist and thighs compain far
less during the more extreme positions and situations tree work demands. No pinching. This thing is awesome.

In my experience, modifying how I put my legs thru the ring positioning straps
makes a huge difference in how it performs. I was starting to think about fashioning my own
straps to keep the legs rings in place. But in one single A-HA moment I realized:
they're already there, they just need to be used differently.

Here's how I put it on -
1) I ignore the leg rings at first. I just cinch the waist belt, but very loosely,
so I can hang it on my upper thighs when I spread my legs. (KMS_01.jpg)
2) I put one boot at a time through the leg rings. I thread my boot around
the back of the longer SKYLOTEC leg ring positioning strap (the thin straps with the orange lettering)
so that it comes OVER my instep, as shown. (KMS_02.jpg)
I have to shake my foot to get it thru, because my hands are busy
holding up the rig. The waist strap has to be loose enough so that the harness falls
low enough to get my boot thru the ring. This means it won't stay up on its own.
3) As depicted, the SKYLOTEC straps now run over the front of my legs.
Yes they are a little twisted, but after checking to be sure no biners or tools are caught in them,
the twisting does not affect fit and feel. (KMS_03.jpg)
4)Cinch up the waist, but not final. Just snug. Now the rig hangs without help. (KMS_06.jpg)
5)Cinch up the leg straps. This is a push-me-pull-you, thread the strap through affair.
They do not just pull tight with one quick motion. (KMS_06.jpg)
6)Carefully check that the main leg support straps are not creased thru their guides.
"no folds here" (KMS_07.jpg)
Notice the picture (KMS_08.jpg) of the one strap with "damage". These are stress marks
from climbing while it was creased.
7)Route the excess main leg strap through the guides on both sides. (KMS_09.jpg)
If not, it may become a nuisance when working.
7)Final tightening and stowage of the excess waistband. I double it over because
once again, it gets in the way.

Here are some other points worth mentioning:
- See "lots of excess tied up" (KMS_07.jpg)? That's the one of the straps that control
how far down your leg the leg supports go. Both leg supports have this adjustment. If you are very big
or tall, you can let them out. I tried them longer, but when the leg supports are closer to the
knee, my balance was adversely affected, making it difficult to remain upright.

- The primary leg straps in general. I have tried them loose and snug, and since this harness
is extremely comfortable to begin with, I run everything very snug and it still will
not pinch. For this rig, everything's better snugged up.

- Where are the "flats" of the steel rings supposed to reside?
I don't know. But after tediously struggling and rotating them back several times so that the flat part
of the rings are inside the sewed-on loops that are part of the saddle ...
only to have them come out again circle outward again ...
I sayyyy ... they belong on the outside!

- I use oval connectors thru the sewed loops of the saddle. Other shapes have rotated in an unwelcome
manner. Also, note that you can slip a leather band thru the factory slits in the steel. This works well for the kind of accessory connectors shown here.

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