Six of one and not six of another... Silly marine pricing

Whenever possible I prefer to buy gear outside the marine industry as on one hand, there is that mark-it-up-till-their-head-explodes pyratical bent and on the other, a lot of backpacking or climbing gear is simply built better...

Hey, don't blame me I'm just the messenger!

Don't believe me? Let's look at an example...

It's a Spinlock deck and mast harness and it sells over at West for $179 and change. It has wider leg loops, a place for your multi-tool, and maybe you'd call it a fid carrier but otherwise, it is simply a rather uninspired same old same one-size-fits-all climbing harness...

Now over at EMS.com they have over thirty climbing harnesses (which you could call deck/mast harnesses if you feel it needful) and only one of them costs more than $100 at $130, with most being under $60 and any of which are as capable as the Spinlock.

Why so many harnesses? The big answer is Fit (with a capital F) as most folks don't have cookie cutter bodies they actually need a harness that fits, which is especially needful in the comfort zone, but even more important in how well a harness works. A badly fitting harness is a dangerous harness and one size fits all is a seriously outmoded concept where safety is concerned.

This harness, the BOD by Black Diamond, would make an excellent harness for anyone needing to go up the mast on a regular basis (or climbing in the Dolomites or Yosemite perchance...) and is pretty close to what I use personally. What makes it better than the Spinlock is that it comes in sizes from XS though XL (five different sizes) which from my days designing such gear, is much more expensive to make than a one size fits all which is why some companies roll with the one size fits all compromise as it right with different sizing cuts into profits...

So, one wonders why the less expensive seeming harness costs $179.99 and the better harness costs $49.95?

Does the fact that one is marketed for boat folk make any sense?