Spring is finally here, it brings with it those beautiful clear, slightly breezy  days where the air is warm but the stone is still cold.  We here at czechclimbing/Lezec took advantage of such conditions and hit the rocks with three different models Ocun sent us: the Mojave, the Zeptor, and their latest model- the Twist.  Read more about each below.

The Twist

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foto by © Andrew Burgoon

This is Ocun’s newest harness, and it is no surprise that it was the most popular of ocun harnesses in the test.  Ocun has really put some thought into the function of the harness, with the result being a harness that performed well in all aspects of the test.  Of all the harnesses in the test so far, this harness fit the largest range of testers with an exacting fit.  This is due to its ingenious design of a floating waist pad: the central weight bearing sling is not connected to the surrounding padding, and it can be shifted to the right or left to center it after tightening.  No matter how much you loosen or tighten the waist, you can always center the harness to your body.  Both the waist and the leg loops are adjustable via a self locking buckle, buckles that didn’t slip over time like those of some other brands in the test. 


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foto by © Andrew Burgoon
Other features include large, easy-to-use gear loops, which are strategically slanted to keep draws and gear at your side and not between your front legs or too far to the back. It means your gear is exactly where you need it when you need it, no reaching around back, no pulling it out from between your legs if you are high stepping.  Overall the harness provides ample padding for long belay sessions and hang-dogging, while the fit was the best of all the Ocuns in this review.  While the Twist performs as well as any other sport climbing designated harness in this test, it’s use is not limited to that realm.  Its full adjustability, large gear loops, and ice screw holder side strips make it an excellent choice for winter climbing as well. 


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foto by © Andrew Burgoon

Finally, Ocun picked a sleek color scheme and styling for this, their new flagship harness. There are little reasons for complaint; only on future models it might be nice if the padding was tapered thinner in the front where it is less important.

The Mojave

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foto by © Andrew Burgoon

The Mohave is Ocun’s lightest weight harness.  Its no frills design delivers exactly what you need for difficult red point and on-sight climbing: sufficient padding for falling, and big, easy to use gear loops that make clipping a breeze.  However, this harness has one major downfall- fit and adjustability.  The leg loops are a fixed size- most testers found them a bit tight.  There is absolutely no adjustment to them at all.  Second problem is, unlike the Twist which has a floating waist belt, the Mojave’s belt is fixed- meaning that unless you fall into the middle of the harness’s size range (most testers didn’t) the result is that the gear loops or tie in point end up off center.  Lastly, for a light weight harness, the overlapping padding in the front of the harness is superfluous.  That being said- the few testers who did fit it well felt like they had a custom made harness and were very happy with it. 



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foto by © Andrew Burgoon


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foto by © Andrew Burgoon


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foto by © Andrew Burgoon

The Zeptor

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foto by © Andrew Burgoon

The Zeptor shares a similar design as the Twist, except it had traditional buckles for both the waist and leg loops, and the leg loops offer additional padding.  If you are looking for more comfort, or will be climbing long or winter routes, this provides a better alternative to the more sporty Twist design. 

Conclusions

Ocun provided one of the biggest hit’s of the Review- the Twist.  A well rounded design with smart functions, you could hardly go wrong with it no matter what discipline you choose in the sport.  The Mojave provides a lightweight platform for hard RP and onsight climbing, providing that its limited size range fits you.  There are a few design flaws which if alleviated, would make a superb harness.  Finally, The Zeptor also fills in a niche for those seeking more comfort in a fully functioning harness.  What we are looking forward to see is a bare bones version of the Twist- built on the same design but with lighter weight materials and slightly less padding.