Page "Webbing" Paragraph 5

The most popular webbing is one inch but it is available in two and three inch widths which in earlier days were often used in lieu of climbing harnesses.

Wrapped around the waist several times, they were less bulky and more comfortable than the old school method of tying the rope around the waist.

More elaborate configurations would include leg loops, which were essential to hold a climber who had fallen or otherwise found themselves dangling.

If left supported only by rope or webbing wrapped around the waist, the diaphragm could be constricted and many climbers died as a result of asphyxiation.