Starter

[WorcsWuss]

As Shutler says, start like we all started. 3 strand, prussick, and an old leather belt hand me down. You might hate tree climbing!

 

It's a wonder anyone stuck with it after that!

 

I do see the 'point' of starting the old fashioned way, but we don't start of learning to cut trees down with heavy old 08S's with no chain brakes do we!

 

I never climbed at all on a straight forward prusik, I don't miss climbing on a Blakes hitch. I don't feel any sentimentality toward climbing on a blakes, and shoving it up the line.... If the oportunity had been there to learn on something more efficient I would rather have done that....

 

With the price of everything these days it seems sensible to buy something which is going to last you and be more adaptable to a developing climbing style....

[RobArb]

But if you "don't" learn the basics, what happens when you suddenly get stuck and for one reason or another have to tie a prussik/blakes and use the other end of your rope....?

 

As others have stated, cheap harness, 25m cheap rope, couple of carabiner's and a prussik loop:biggrin:

 

Then decide if you like it or not

[mistahbenn]

Good point Rob. No point hitting the ground running. Start off walking.

[WorcsWuss]

But if you "don't" learn the basics, what happens when you suddenly get stuck and for one reason or another have to tie a prussik/blakes and use the other end of your rope....?

 

As others have stated, cheap harness, 25m cheap rope, couple of carabiner's and a prussik loop:biggrin:

 

Then decide if you like it or not

 

You can learn to tie a basic prusik or blakes with any old bit of rope, you don't have to climb on it!

Mind you, assembling a home made pulley saver is a good opportunity to learn a prusik.

 

Bearing in mind I think don't think Jack is intending to just buy some gear and go off by himself, I assume this is so that he can bring some stuff to the rec climb and learn how it works from others....

 

And a cheap harness is £100, you can't buy any new arborist rope for under 60 quid so far as I have seen.... so there's no such thing as 'cheap' anymore!

[John Shutler]

I know at least 2 people on arbtalk who are quicker climbing on a prusick than most of the other people on the forum climbing on what ever system they think is best

 

The old saying , all the gear and no idea springs to mind

 

 

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[LumberJake]

I started off with a 43m length of rope, (you don't need a long length), 2 prussiks and a Komet Butterfly 2 harness, and 2 krabs. For change overs i just used the other end of my rope. Now I have a bit more experience, i have a side strop (7m), pole belt, cambium saver, 6 krabs (including ones on pole belt), 2 1.5m split tails for blakes hitches, still have my prussiks but they don't get used much. On my main line I now use the Petzl Zig Zag.

 

For a new climber i would definitely recommend doing what i did and start off with the bare minimum and as you progress, so will your kit.

[jackmayo]

The kit is just for general use and so simple is best!

 

What the best harness to get for around £60?

 

Then all I need is rope and a couple carabiniers, right?

[LumberJake]

I may be wrong but i don't think you can get any climbing harness for £60. Unless you are lucky and find one on ebay but I'd avoid that because the harness might be out of it's life span or might have something really wrong with it (LOLER failure)

[WorcsWuss]

I may be wrong but i don't think you can get any climbing harness for £60. Unless you are lucky and find one on ebay but I'd avoid that because the harness might be out of it's life span or might have something really wrong with it (LOLER failure)

 

I think the cheapest work positioning sit harness on general sale is the old petzl Navaho at £100 inc vat, while stocks last.....

[jackmayo]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Singing-Rock-Top-Padded-Harness/dp/B008KLCWJ8/ref=sr_1_10?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1363720862&sr=1-10

 

To be honest I'd be happy with that as my last harness was four loops of blue rope tied in the middle looped over a 20ft branch and then tied onto by brothers go kart.

 

So this would be an improvement for the very odd use, this and some 30m rope and a prussic!