Right now Ive got a weaver 4D saddle with a batten/bosun seat, which I’m thinking on getting a leg strap style soon. (Anyone’s thoughts on the new Notch sentinel or Buckingham Empire?) I’ve got New England 13mm safety blue rope with the same as a split tail using a Blake’s hitch tied through rock exotica rockD biners. When I use them, Buckingham titanium 2 3/4” replaceable gaff hooks with opsal cast pads(which I’m going to get different ones if anyone’s interested in these) Also a bunch of other biners of different shapes and sizes including steel, small web slings for light rigging, redirects and you name it! 1/2” Samson true blue for general smaller rigging and some other odds and ends.
Boy, you guys use a lot fancier stuff than I do. I started climbing in 1982. My saddle and spikes I bought around 1986. Still use them although I have replaced the gaffs on the spikes a couple times over the years. The ones on there now are 6-7 years old. The saddle is a double-D with no back pad or leg straps. I tried one with the leg straps and hated it. The knot I use is much more basic as well. We always called it a barrel knot; two wraps under and one wrap over. It will slip occasionally if you don't get it tight enough but if I need to break free in a hurry, like the time I ran into a hornet nest in a tree, I can yank down on that top wrap and zip out of a tree in a big hurry. I had to descend about 40' that day and I'm pretty sure there was smoke coming off the knot. You'll notice that I also still use the old style snap; non-locking. I don't mind the lock snap for my lanyard but I want the non-locking on my climbing line. You can't even buy them anymore but I have a few stashed away. The only newer type apparatus I have is the Gibb's Ascender attached to my lanyard that I bought in the mid 90's. It proved to be easier tightening up as I went up a tree and the diameter decreased or if I need a second anchor point. A quick tug on the tail and I can take up any slack. Then there's the trusty 200T. The only saw I take up in a tree. This one is 5-6 years old and will still snap your hand with all the compression it has. I have three others too. One is basically a parts saw. The other two need rebuilt. Someday I'll get to that.
I think Some call that the taut line hitch you use there. As for those snaps I’ll have to look around here might be a couple
A bit of messing around after lunch today. Just tossed and advanced my tie in to about 50’ then slid down to a limb about 25’ up walked out on it and set the green long lanyard About 15’ from the trunk Extend Retract All while sporting an FHC hoodie! 33 degrees with a stiff breeze today still holding the oak leaves
Weaver Cougar saddle . I had just converted it to rope bridge with small rigging plates and Sampson Bigfoot line . Most of my caribiners are Rock Exotica .
Some of my other gear. Top pic is the Hitch Hiker with an advance tether I had on the biner. Bottom is the web short sling I tied with a beer knot. Makes it so much nicer clipping in .
For a while I used a Petzel GriGri to repel with. Now it has been sent to the rigging side. It is a good piece of gear for several things but I found I preferred others up the tree with me.
I'm going to make others with about 10" longer tubular webbing. But keep the overall length the same. That will give me longer tails on the beer knot. That is how I make all my slings now, with a beer knot. Almost as clean as a sewn sling. But much less $$
I prefer the rope bridge . The Cougar came with a factory rope bridge . Due to the rings it was spliced to I had to do the rigging plate conversion. I like having the plates there as they give me another set of attachment points for different things . Mainly I attach my rescue 8 to the right side when I come down on a Blake's hitch. If I wasn't as big around as I am I would probably use an Ergovation or a Nikosi. Not that the Cougar isn't a good and comfortable saddle. It is. Buckingham has their ideas about how big a climber should be tho. And they ain't gonna offer their saddle any bigger. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not built like a climber. Oh Well all the trees I've turned into stumps didn't know that.
One piece of advice I would give to all is . Top them where they get tiny. Small tops are much easier to deal with and put much less stress on the bole of the tree and root system than taking 1/2 or 1/3rd of the tree off in one big bite. Some trees it may not be practicle to go up till it's only 5" diameter like a 300 ' tall Doug fir. But many others , it is just safer. Also , after I put a good relatively big face in the top. I cut off both sides of the sap wood . I don't want a hinge , I only want what will become a small rectangle of relatively brittle wood. Then , then I'm set, cut the back up quick. Having a tree alligator or slab when your tied to it is deadly. I also use a groundy to pull tops over after I hang a pulling line in them . Generally just 1 hand is needed to pull a top if someone is far enough away. Some 3mm line or a Dynema throwing line works great for that job and its very light and affordable. Safety First ! Both for the climber, groundies and customer.
Quoted for truth. I've had a few wild rides by taking huge tops out just because I had the space to do it and didn't feel like climbing up any higher. Around here when we start swaying back and forth after dropping a big, heavy top we yell; HERSHEEEEY! referring to one of the wicked rides at Hershey Amusement Park.
Great thread very informative, and shows some of the depth of our members that’s not highly visible at 1st glance. Now for my experience- I quit climbing trees as a youngster, rock climbed a little as a teenster, and now the only knots I tie are on my velcro sneakers....
Great thread! A lot of my tree work predates cell phone cameras common use. I've stepped away since my son was born 8 years ago, but I'm slowly easing my way back into things. I gotta agree with UncleJoe I'm in awe of all the fun gear you kids have these days. I climb with a Petzl Navajo Vario saddle that I bought new in 2000. For spikes I'm riding old school Buckingham steel spikes with weaver leather pads from the 90's. I even get them on right more than half the time As far as technique: about the most exotic stuff I find myself doing is speed line work. That was a relatively new technique that I learned in a ISA workshop in the late 90s or early 2000s. If I can't do a simple top n flop I usually end up speed lining limbs down to the chipper and blocking the spar down. If I can't just push the blocks off because of root zone compression or yard damage, I end up using a loopy and block up top with a porta wrap and whoopie sling at the base of the spar. Like I said pretty basic stuff. I should be helping a fellow fhc member out with a removal here in a few weeks so maybe he'll have rare photographic evidence of me in a tree J. Dirt You look like you have the build of someone who might want to consider finding a ISA sponsored climbing competition.
