Petzl Adjama vs. The Black Diamond Technician Climbing Harness: Which is Better?
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In my search for the perfect, all around harness, I have purchased and reviewed several that I felt would fit my rock climbing needs. These harnesses needed to be agile enough for sport climbing, utilitarian enough for trad climbing, and comfortable enough for long days in the mountains. Two of these harnesses-the Black Diamond Technician and the Petzl Adjama, came with all the features I desired.
Earlier this year, I purchased each of these harnesses with the purpose of testing out each of them, and deciding on my best fit. Now, I am pitting these harnesses head to head to help you decide on the right one for your needs. Please enjoy my article on the Petzl Adjama vs. The Black Diamond Technician.
Related: The Best Harnesses for Indoor Rock Climbing
Petzl Adjama Climbing Harness
The 2018 Petzl Adjama is the latest and greatest in the Adjama line of climbing harnesses. The updated Adjama sports an extra gear loop for increased racking space, a wider waist belt for a more comfortable fit, and a new look, all while retaining the adjustable leg loops, and competitive price point. The Adjama sits in the entry level, do-it-all niche in Petzl’s current line of harnesses. It is not a sport climbing harness, nor is it a dedicated big wall harness. Instead, it sits somewhere in between, ready to climb nearly anything.
The women’s version is known as the Luna. The Luna touts all the same features, with the only differences being a different color, and more tailored fit.
For a better, more in depth review, you can check out our 2018 Petzl Adjama Harness Review Here.
Black Diamond Technician Climbing Harness
The BD Technician Harness is a relatively recent addition to Black Diamond’s harness line. Released in 2017, the Technician is a modified version of the Aspect, with the most notable update being the addition of an extra gear loop. The Technician promises to be a light and nimble, yet utilitarian harness. It’s fifth gear loop remixes extra racking space, and four ice clipper spots allow the climbers to send all year round. The design of the Technician’s waist belt is said to evenly distribute a climbers weight, making for a comfy ride.
To learn more about the Black Diamond Technician, you can check out our own in depth review here.
Petzl Adjama vs. The Black Diamond Technician Harness
Pitting these harnesses against each other, we will focus on the factors that we feel are relevant to these two particular harnesses. First, we will judge the features and design elements of the respective harnesses, the comfort, and the weight. We will decide which harness is a better fit for sport and trad climbing, the best uses for each, and our overall impressions.
Features and Design
Both the Technician and the Adjama tout many of the same features. Both have a fifth gear loop, ice clipper loops, adjustable leg loops, and a haul loop. Neither is short on loops.
Though each harness is similar to the other, we feel that the Adjama is the better harness. To start, the Adjama gear loops are larger, making it a better option for carrying large racks up long routes. The Adjama’s belay loop is much larger, inspiring more confidence in the construction of the harness. Unlike the Technician, who’s waist loop was difficult to undue, the Adjama’s comes undone with no issue. At a similar price point, we suggest the Adjama as the superior harness.
Winner-Petzl Adjama
Comfort
Comfort wise, the Adjama fit our gear tester much better. Though comfort is largely subjective, we pick the Adjama as the winner in this category. Choose the Adjama for multi pitches where you would anticipate plenty of hanging, and long belays.
Winner-Petzl Adjama
Weight
The Black Diamond Technician is the clear winner here. Weighing in at 376 grams, it undercuts the lightest size Adjama by nearly 90 grams. The reduced weight is likely due to the Technician’s slimmer design. For your next fast and light Alpine objective, you’d do better with the Technician.
Winner-Black Diamond Technician
Sport Climbing
If sport climbing is your aim, then it’s hard to go wrong with either of these harnesses. They are both nimble and lightweight enough for the hardest sport routes. The Adjama has a slight edge due to being more comfortable. When comfort is taken as a subjective metric, then these harnesses are just about equal.
Winner-Draw.
Trad Climbing
Owing to the more comfortable fit, and the generous real estate of its gear loops, the Adjama is the better option for Trad Climbing. While the Technician Gear loops felt cramped and anemic, the Adjama ensures that you have all the space you need for whatever you need to bring up long routes, including a full trad rack, anchor gear, and even a water bottle and approach shoes. You could probably squeeze some aid gear onto there, too.
Winner-Petzl Adjama
Best Uses
Petzl Adjama-The solid all around harness that does everything well, but no one thing exceptionally well. This harness will climb long, multi-pitch trad routes with ease, all while remaining light and nimble enough to send hard sport climbs.
Black Diamond Technician– A Jack of All Trades, entry level harness. This harness, like Petzl’s competitor, is designed to do everything, but falls short in key areas where the Adjama does not.
Related: The Best Rock Climbing Gear Starter Kits
Overall Impressions
In our opinion, the Petzl Adjama blows the Black Diamond Technician out of the water by nearly every metric. It is more comfortable, fits better, can carry a trad climbing rack with ease, and the design inspires more confidence while wearing. Not to say that that Technician is a bad harness by any means, but we believe that the Adjama would be a better use of your money.
That being said, buy the Technician if it is more comfortable for you than the Adjama. Ultimately, that should be the deciding factor between the two harnesses. The Technician is a much lighter harness than the Adjama. If you are looking to focus more on sport climbing, or fast alpine missions, then the Adjama will be a better contender than the Adjama.
As for my search for the perfect harness, I ultimately settled on a Misty Mountain Custom harness. If you are willing to spend a little extra, Misty Mountain will tailor a harness to fit you exact needs. You can check out our Misty Mountain Custom review here.
| Harness | Black Diamond Technician | Petzl Adjama |
|---|---|---|
| Picture |  Click Image to Purchase on Amazon |  Click Image to Purchase on Amazon |
| Weight | 376 grams (13.3 oz.) | 485 grams (17.1 oz)-Mens M |
| Waist Belt Size | Small: 27-30 in. Medium: 30-33 in. Large: 33-36 in. Extra Large: 36-39 in. | Small: 28-30 in. Medium: 30-33 in. Large: 33-36 in. Extra Large: 36-39 in. |
| Gear Loops | 5 | 5 |
| Ice Clipper Slots? | Yes; 4 Slots | Yes; 2 |
| Haul Loop? | Yes | Yes |
| Adjustable Leg Loops? | Yes | Yes |
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