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How to Tie a Body Harness

Full body harnesses have five support and adjustment areas that are essential to the integrity of the harness. The easiest way to create a full body harness is to tie a seat harness and a chest harness separately and then connect them together with another length of rope or tubular webbing. The seat harness is where the weight of the body will be supported, while the chest harness keeps you in an upright position by creating a higher center of gravity.

Things You'll Need

  • 36 feet of rope or tubular webbing (for an average-sized adult)
  • Load-bearing carabiner
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Instructions

  1. Seat Harness

    • 1

      Cut approximately 25 feet of the rope or webbing.

    • 2

      Fold the rope in half to locate the center. Off to one side of the center of the rope tie two overhand knots 6 inches apart to create the leg loops. These overhand knots are support and adjustment areas one and two, and they should be adjusted around your legs to ensure a snug fit but should not cut into skin.

    • 3

      Insert legs into leg loops with the knots on the tops of your thighs and adjust accordingly. There should now be a shorter length of rope (approximately 4 to 5 feet in length) and a longer measure of rope (approximately 12 feet in length). Wrap the shorter length around your waist and hold in place with one hand.

    • 4

      Wrap the longer length of rope the opposite way around your waist. This length should have enough length to make two or three revolutions around the body.

    • 5

      Situate the two ends of rope on one side of your waist and tie together with a water knot. This water knot is the third adjustment and support area. The waist rope should again fit snugly but should not impede blood flow or cut into skin. You have now created your seat harness.

    Chest Harness

    • 6

      Cut approximately 10 feet of rope or webbing.

    • 7

      Secure the ends of this length of rope to each other using a water knot. This water knot will be the fourth security and adjustment area.

    • 8

      Twist the center of this circle of rope to create the shape of a figure eight, while ensuring the water knot is placed to one side of the figure eight (so that when the harness is worn the ropes can be adjusted if need be).

    • 9

      Place each loop around each arm, much like putting on a jacket. The cross section of the figure eight should be on the back between the shoulder blades.

    • 10

      Secure the arm loops at the center of the chest with a load-bearing carabiner. The carabiner represents the fifth area of adjustment and security for the harness. Again the rope should not be tight but not painful.

    Linking the Two Harnesses

    • 11

      Take the remaining length of rope, which should be approximately 1 foot in length

    • 12

      Loop this rope around the crotch of the seat harness.

    • 13

      Thread the rope through the two arm loops of the chest harness.

    • 14

      Tie the ends of this rope together using a water knot. This rope should not be tied to the carabineer, but should secure the two harnesses together.

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