Dilz

) i've been putting off getting one for a while.....this aint helping my resistance.....

thats a tough question really.....most newbies are greatly restricted by their budget, one of the best things to do is get down to a trade show such as the APF and try out as much as you can....my advice for a newb is not to go for all the shiny metal first, get harness that fits you well, you spend a lot of time in it. Ropes again are very personal and it depende on what system you use, though I really rate most Yale ropes (Blaze aint one i like) and when put on a spot for some one who isnt sure i say XTC spearmint or the like, its bit heavy, but is good on the hands, wears well, not too bouncy, good for working off knots such as blakes and prussik, can also be used with hitch climber set ups and the ART jacks, but once you start heading into these shiny things then you'll want to drop to a thinner a rope as it's slickness you are after, the XTC offers a reliably good all round rope, and once you move on from it in a year or so depending on how much you use it, it makes and excellent pulling rope, and even for rigging. As with hitch cords and such, you have to experiment, climbing kit is personal and evey one is different. Rather than asking such a broad general question, have a look at the catalouges and on the website, see what catches your eye, then ask about that specific product. Also if budget is a real issue then keep things simple - my first kit was - a weaver harness, 35meter xtc, a 3 strand positioning strop with a prussik, split tail for a blakes, and 4 Krabs at least 2 of which are still in the kit bag after 8 years, you could put something together like that for maybe 200 + Vat. Also another thing to remeber is you adjust to what you use, especialy when new, i only switched of XTC 6 months ago after trying the poison ivy (a good rope and one to consider imop) - ah also a taped sling is really handy to have. and be warned shiny things are addictive!

i use em, they managed to get me public liability for my work abroad as well, never had to get them to pay out mind.....and i hope i never will

how does the tachyon feel in comparison - one thing i like about the PI is that it feels almost like a 13mm rope in the hand.

My Poison ivy rocks, but at 45 meters its a bit long for small trees, my short rope is dead, long live the new short rope...but rather than just get another length of Pi im interested in trying out something different, and the tachyon had caught my eye, though i am tempeted to just grab 25meters of Yale xtc as its cheap and good (my first climbing rope and the old short rope). Im interested in Imori, but not sure who flogs it, my two usual uk sources as of yet do not.

Im thinking about wearing some light weight combats and or water proofs over my next pair of trousers, do lot of climbing over barbed wire fences....a lad i worked with did it his 2 year old sip's looked like they were brand new, and over the 2 years he had bought 3 pairs of £15 quid combats...the maths makes sense to me....and you get more pockets......

Yale bee line Prussic cord.....any one tried it? i use OP at the mo and think its rather good though i'm curious about the Yale bee line, I'll buy a length anyway to try but was wondering if any one had some personal feed back on it. Cheers

i research as best as possible, which nearly always involves this site, especially if its a major purchase, if its not so expensive new type of karabiner, or new type of prussic cord then i'll give it a go just to see. I spent at least a month asking around before i put together my final rigging kit....and i believe it was time well spent. We had a work experience girl last week who had rushed out bought a rope which was suitable for her, a hitch climber but would only climb on a prussic loop, and such, so it pays off to be cautious.

the majority of my work is take downs so the low end grunt is more useful so would rather not loose out on that. Though i'm tempted to convert at least one just so i can draw a comparison.

its more a case to stop some types whom i foolishly let loose with em from using the wrong files, despite having been given clear instruction. Thats the sense bit, the issue with spares could as you say make it less sense to do so. Also having read about 7toothed sprockets i dislike the thought of loosing some of the low end grunt which can cause problems on the larger diameter pieces, correct me if im wrong.

were very helpful in helping me get insurance to cover me outside of the uk. Never had to make a claim (touch wood) so dont know how they are with paying out.

do what you feel comfortable doing, but take note if it goes tits up there can only be yourself to blame.....i rather dislike having workexperience types now....they keep saying things like, my tutor says you shouldnt do that.... or that isnt how they say in such and such a book....'very much a case of do as i say not as i do....I'd have words with a new climber about doing that....but if they had a few years under their belt then i assume they have assessed the risks to them selves that they have made the choice which best suits them.

would anyone recommend the gladiators over the standard arb type c's?

nothing ventured nothing gained i guess....will probably switch back to type A's in the summer any way....

right, my old hi flex are nearly ready for being put in the rag pile, tempted to try out the stretch air after many years of the hi flex. Any one got any feed back on them? the gladiators appear to be class 2 im guessing they might get a bit toasty.....

i know and trust the 200t its a reliable work horse....how is the newer 201t holding up? I'm looking at getting some more climbing saws so wonder if i should stick with old faithful or go for the newer model. Also wondering if i can switch over to .325 pitch chain and bar on my climbing saws without any issues, would i need to change the sprocket? helps keeps things more simple with files and guides etc.

but are its water retention problem as bad as some people are saying?

been on P'ivy for the last 3 months but with a HC, its a nice rope, very nice in the hands, though i'm starting notice some signs of wear and it will be interesting to see how well it lasts. It runs through pulleys and such very nicely and though its a dual core and needs milking it in no way requires it on the same level as the blaze, i think my mate got about 2 feet of slack off after milking his blaze. Planning on buying a short rope, and though i really like the P'vy i might buy a different brand, just to try em out, though with winter coming i reckon i'll switch back to good old 13mm XTC so i can grip it with gloves better as i was thinking of the Imori but as i will be usining it mostly this winter then if it gets wet and stays wet it aint so good for me.

can they take crampons?

points well made.....she doens't appear to keen about not having two spliced eyes....appears they don't teach them that you should know and trust your knots before relying on such niceties as spliced eyes, i showed her the one rope does all system which she had never seen before....i tell you these swedes are all about the shiny things......

We have a work experience girl with us this week, she is on a course...the course....the only one in the whole country of sweden that deals with arboriculture. Like so many newbies she is keen and asks lots and lots of questions..... also like a lot of newbies who get a loan....she rushed out and bought lots of kit....some of her choices are fine but there are couple of things i think she should have waited to buy. But any way to get to the point.....'She purchased the Yale Blaze 11mm from a well known uk supplier, she requested a spliced eye in both ends (upon the advice of her instructor () said uk supplier sent this rope as requested..... now the Blaze i think is well noted for needing quite a bit of milking, and as a dual core rope it shouldn't have a splice in both ends as it means you cant do this... she climbed on the rope a few times and it is already playing up and she is planning on cutting an eye off. Now i have told her she should contact said uk supplier and ask them 'why! did they not inform her that the blaze shouldnt be spliced at both ends?' and i personaly think she should get a refund for at least the splice. So do you think that suppliers of arb equipment should be able to explain to customers when they make slightly foolish or misinformed choices regarding kit?

i and a work mate had similar issues...,check for slight damage to the air filter, often caused by over vigorous cleaning with out an air line. But it could be any of the others. as well.

i dislike how i sit with the flip line in my central ring, however having the flip line in a figure of 8 configuration i am told has the similar effect of not making you part of the loop should the top rip. These events can sometimes catch us by suprise, i hate using my flip line in a figure of 8 as it rubs across my knot. I recognise more now the kind of trees where this is likely, mostly if they have a forward lean, there are way we can cut to aviod this such as boring in behind the hinge so that the hinge is already formed as it is usualy the tree trying to go with too big a hinge that causes it to rip down in this dangerous manner we are talking about, or using the double sink cut technique...though this means you have less control over the direction (with the double sink cut) but if the stem or branch has so much of a lean its going that way no matter. Also I have noticed over the last few weeks here in sweden how the instances of tearing increase this time of year and i guess its the same in the uk, due to the changes in the sap wood, so i make my cuff cuts deep, especially on the oaks as these have caused me grief in the past and when the temperatures get to around -15 and below well......its all rather experimental.......i spoke with some real old school foresters out here and even they say you can never be sure what is going to happen when the trees are frozen...

that vid is good, i'm going to show it to some folk, although it did need you to 'go for it' and id hope that most of us can tell when we hit something metal and stop quick... especially when jamming an 880 with a big bar in to a nail and being then handed the file...... but it does prove my point that you can cut through them, and with an 020 as well... i was thinking it would struggle...

indeed - one conclusion was form the chat i had at work and a point we agreed on, you'd have to be not on the ball that day of just a bit of an idiot to do so....