Beginners climbing kit help

[base]

PhilIreland I would start off with a good old fashion prussic or similar mechanical devices are good but have some compromises, and are not the be all, (i do use a spiderjack) but as your starting off I would go with the KISS system............. Keep It Simple Stupid always worked for me!

[AardvarkTreeServices]

As above- keep it simple. Dont forget a good crash helmet too.

 

Depending on the type of trees you'll be practicing on you may want a throwline if lowest branches are high up. If the trees are congested along the stems you may want to add a pruning saw to your kit??

[stihlmadasever]

Why is a flipline a must? I've used one perhaps a dozen times in my career.

 

Ive done lots of conifers in my 3 years climbing,so imo its a must.Opinions vary though, just my 2 cents.

[gustharts]

Hello lads/ladies im looking to start climbing soon and have a climber that gets subbed in from time to time offering to get me started off before I do the ticket later next year. At the moment what I have on my list is:

 

XTC Fire One Spliced Eye 25m (80')

New Petzl Sequoia

Teufelberger CE Lanyard

DMM Boa Colour Coded Multipack(3 in the pack)

Stein Products Kit Bag

 

Thinking I need some friction management devices but not 100% sure on what one is best for someone starting out.

 

Maybe there's something else im missing? Spikes?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

If you wanna save an extra couple of quid you could switch the XTC Fire for XTC+. Same rope, different colour! Also the multi pack karabiners work out more expensive than individually. Every penny counts and all that!

[stewmo]

I would agree, don't bother with CE lanyard, do it yourself.

Learn on a Prussic or blakes KISS, but move on quickly to hitch climber type system. Mechanical, so many options better to climb first and then know what you want from a device.

Get spikes, I didn't bother for a while but most likely you'll start on the easy jobs - dismantling conifers and it makes the job so much easier, and throw some money at them, one day on decent spikes and you'll forget what you paid for them! Flip line is personal choice, I prefer, but if short on cash then lanyard is ok, but not best practise.

Get more than 25m rope, so it gives you more range.

Proper climbing helmet and some decent gloves like those £3 Pfanners.

Bungee strop for the chain saw?

You'll probably need more than 3 carabiners too.

Have fun

[Vespasian]

Not that I'm an expert, but my one piece of advice would be to test all your kit out somewhere safe before you put them to work...

 

You can never be to careful if your asking me...

[Lyndon]

I would start with a treemotion as it is by far the best harness I have ever had.

 

Then I would go for

 

1. Main line of over 30m with a spliced eye

2. 5 m lanyard with a spliced eye

3. Eye to eye friction cord x2 one for lanyard and one for main line

4. 2m of friction cord to make some prussic loops

5. 5x triple lock krab's

6.micro pulley

7. Petzel climbing lid

8. Silky zubat 300mm

9. First aid kit

 

I wouldn't bother with spikes yet as learning to climb without them will make you a better climber in the long run. Low and slow is the way to practice. Once you get bored of the prussic loop move on to a hitch climber as it will help make everything smooth and easy. For your lanyard knot I would start with a mitchocan as once you have learned that you can use it with a hitch climber on your main line. I think it's a better knot for learners as it bites a bit easier than a vt so you end up with less brown trouser moments while learning. Good luck and enjoy!

[stihlmadasever]

Not that I'm an expert, but my one piece of advice would be to test all your kit out somewhere safe before you put them to work...

 

You can never be to careful if your asking me...

 

Good advice:thumbup1:

[PhilIreland]

All this is great info lads thanks a lot. Is there much of difference between the kind of spikes there is or are they mainly the same?

[Joe Newton]

All this is great info lads thanks a lot. Is there much of difference between the kind of spikes there is or are they mainly the same?

 

 

Just get Ally Geckos

 

They are the best on the market for not much more than normal.

 

There is a huge difference. For me it was the difference between waking up in agony in the middle of the night after dismantling a big stem. I've just spent two days on the same fat chestnut stem in my geckos and I'm now dancing around the kitchen to Phil Collins.