Once clumsy and encumbering, harnesses have evolved into sleek, comfortable little numbers. Most contemporary designs have been lifted from NASCAR, mountaineering, and skydiving. And while they won’t coax a buck into range, treestand harnesses will save your life. Here’s the best the industry has to offer the hunter who dresses for survival.

Rating Key
★ ★ ★ ★ - Excellent
★ ★ ★ - Very Good
★ ★ - Good
★ - Fair

OL’s Protocol Explained
Our field of harnesses was tested over several days against a wide range of evaluation criteria that reflected real-world expectations.

We wore each harness for an hour in a treestand to evaluate its comfort. We then wore each harness for a half day while going about normal activities.

To get a real feel for the harnesses and their performance in the event of a fall, we suited up and hung suspended in each for two minutes. It is important to note that no harness was considered “comfortable” during the hang test.

The harness with the best overall score was bestowed with our Editor’s Choice award, while the unit that provides the most value was given our Great Buy award.