StarburstCLA said:
Certainly I might bow to the safety ratings if it's actually clear rather than a bit of hand waving over "what its designed for". Inversion might be more of a risk
My dad fell off VF Tomaselli on a vertical section. He fell straight down maybe 4 metres and was then caught by the ferrata cowstails on the next peg (with 700 metres of air below him!). That's something like a factor 4 or 5 fall.
Observation 1: don't wait underneath a climber on ferrata! Many people do, on busy routes. Thankfully I stayed to the side.
Observation 2: had he used caving cowstails, he would certainly be dead.
Observation 3: the amount of bruising around his waist and thighs was unbelievable. The climbing harness spread the load very effectively. It really hurt, but he had no lasting injuries. I doubt a typical caving harness would have spread the load as effectively.
Observation 4: in a significant vertical fall, inversion is a real possibility. When you stop hard, you might easily tip over backwards. A climbing harness is designed to grip the pelvis and prevent falling out; most caving harnesses are less good at this. Children need a full-body harness, because their pelvis hasn't fully developed.
but I felt safe and was with a group many of using caving harnesses last time I did via ferrata.
Observation 5: a bunch of other people doing something questionably safe does not make it any safer.
In the context of a holiday, the cost of a climbing harness is pretty minor. Just buy the damn kit.
Of course, if you're only doing horizontal sections, there's little need for anything specialist.
Observation 6: my dad is a badass.