How to Make a Swiss Seat

A Swiss seat is a climbing harness tied using one continuous piece of rope. While there are many commercially available climbing harnesses, a Swiss seat offers the same safety in climbing without the hefty price tag of something premade.

Things You'll Need

  • Sling rope, 9 feet
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure your 9-foot length of sling rope is sturdy, not frayed and in good condition. Another option is to use tubing or webbing, which is another type of climbing rope that is 1-inch wide and flat. Fold it in half so that there are two even lengths.

    • 2

      Hold the folded rope at each end.

    • 3

      Take the midpoint fold of the rope (the center) and place it on your hip that is opposite your brake hand. Your brake hand is the stronger hand.

    • 4

      Hold the "center" point in place on the hip, then wrap the rope around your waist above your hip bone. This varies according to gender, so adjust for comfort and size.

    • 5

      Take both ends of the rope and hold them out in front of you.

    • 6

      Hold the rope in front of your navel and cross the right end of the rope over the left end so that it makes an X shape in front of you.

    • 7

      Bring the left end of the rope (that's in your right hand) up and over the right end of the rope.

    • 8

      Take the right end of the rope (now held in your left hand). Tuck the rope under the left end of the rope and bring it back up and over. You are essentially tying a double overhand knot.

    • 9

      Check to see that your completed double overhand knot looks like this. If it doesn't, go back through the steps until it does.

    • 10

      Allow the ends of the rope to fall to the ground in front of you.

    • 11

      Lean over and bring the ends of the rope down through the legs and up over your bottom. Do not let the free ends of the rope cross.

    • 12

      Take the ends of the rope and thread them through the already-tied rope "belt" that you tied earlier around the waist. Make sure the rope ends are threaded through at the two points above the center of your two rear pockets (or where they would be, if your pants had rear pockets).

    • 13

      Grab the ends of each rope with each corresponding side's hand (right-side rope with right hand, left-side rope with left hand). Squat down and pull on the ends of the rope simultaneously while standing up. The purpose of this is to tighten the seat. Now thread the two rope ends down and back over the waist rope. Make sure the rope threads on the inside; bring the ends back under the rope that are threaded across the buttocks (see picture).

    • 14

      Bring the rope ends together to the front around the side that is opposite your brake hand. Hold the rope ends on the hip that is opposite the brake hand.

    • 15

      Take the ends and tie a square knot. Do this by crossing the left end over the right end.

    • 16

      Tie the right end over the left end and tighten. Check to make sure you have a square knot.

    • 17

      Take the rope ends and tie two overhand knots, one on each side of your square knot. These are known as safety knots because they securing your square knot. If you forget how to tie an overhand knot, see Steps 7 and 8.

    • 18

      Place any additional length of rope in your pants pocket near the square knot. Check to make sure the rigging is comfortable and form-fitting. You have just tied a Swiss seat; happy climbing!