LewisPH

I've got a Zubat 300. Sometimes wonder if I should have gone 330 but its excellent.

I have just purchased some PPE (Helmet, Gloves and Chainsaw Trousers) and a basic climbing kit for myself, which will hopefully make me a little more attractive to prospective employers! I'd like to get some chainsaw boots in the near future but need to get some work to pay for them!

I finally got myself along to Honey Brothers today and spent a good long time chatting to Woody, who was immensely helpful. Got myself an Edelrid Treemagic 2 after trying out a few options (Petzl Sequoia, Edelrid Treecore and Komet Dragonfly), but the TM2 was the most comfortable for me by a long shot. I got a 30m XTC Fire, which I now realise is EASILY long enough to start with - Can't believe I was going to get a 45m - I'd have drowned in it. I decided not to bother with the Hitchclimber for the time being, but instead went with the more traditional Prusik loop and a DMM krab, plus a spare krab to keep on my harness for whatever needs may present themselves. He put together a lanyard kit for me out of a 4m rope, a 3-Way snap lock and another krab, an ISC pulley and a length of friction cord, with which I've got a Valdotain Tresse to hold with - Seems very solid. I might look to get an eye-2-eye in the future however, as the double fisherman's are a little clunky - But not a priority, as function would be no different. I also picked up a Petzl Vertex Vent with some ear defenders and a face guard, and a Silky Zubat 300 to start pruning the trees over the garden with, once I'm comfortable climbing, aswell as for use on the ground, trimming off branches to drag to the chipper. He chucked in a couple of copies of Arb Climber and a Honey Bros T shirt, so I'm a happy customer! If you're on here - Cheers Woody!

I'm still looking for opportunities if anybody has anything!

I'm 23. Will send you a PM now.

I'm based in Maidstone, and I've been doing some jobs with WM Tree Surgery (Billy on here.)

That looks like a great deal - The progressive climbers kit looks very interesting too - Something that might last me a bit longer perhaps.

Excellent stuff. Lots of food for thought there! Thinking of going down to Honey Bros in Guildford to get all my gear, do they have a proper showroom where I can test a harness out? Would you suggest any other retailers? I'm in Kent.

So I have the eye splice/term knot of my climbing rope, the prusik and the pulley all on one krab, and that krab on my bridge? Sounds simple but I can't visualise it. Is there a name for this config? Struggling to find a photo of this layout.

Rupe, I can't quite imagine how it'd work with a single pulley, where the DMM HC uses multiple holes. Do you have a picture you could show me so I could understand the layout?

Thanks again everyone. Will probably go for a simple loop instead then to get started - Did some more ground work today and the climber was only on a prusik - If it's good enough for him I'm sure I can learn with it! Can always add a pulley later on. Cheers for the offer Arran, I'll definitely be in touch once I've sorted some gear out! My main job is actually at Bluewater so you're nearby - Would love to meet some new people as well so sounds great!

I'm just getting my teeth into Arboriculture, and am looking for some more groundwork to get a bit more experience. I currently have no tickets or equipment, but in the near future I will be purchasing my own PPE and some accessories, as well as getting a climbing kit to learn to climb recreationally before looking into doing my tickets. I have done a few jobs for a local tree surgeon and I'm looking to do more. I am quite aware of what is required on the job and very eager to learn - So far I have helped with simple rigging and lowering, basic chainsaw maintenance, use of various equipment and a lot of dragging! After the work I've done so far, I feel that I'd be quite able to make use of myself on a job instead of standing around asking questions and kicking my heels. Full UK license holder and willing to travel within reason. Please PM me with any available work! Thanks, Lewis

How important would you guys consider friction savers for a beginner? I'd have imagined it'd be something you appreciate more when you've been climbing a long time. They seem fairly complex to set up when I just want to whip up a tree in the afternoon for practise?

Cheers for the input Jack. The reason I went for a long rope is that adding £20 for an extra 10m now saves me faffing around in the future. I'd agree about the price of the Hitchclimber, but by the time krabs and a pulley is added I'm practically there anyway am I not?

Hi all - As someone in the very early stages of getting into Arboriculture, I'm looking to purchase my first climbing kit. I'm going to start off recreationally on our own land, and then work my way up to getting my climbing tickets when I'm more comfortable moving around in a tree. Looking for your opinions on this kit list, anything you'd change, anything that might not be compatible etc. I know a lot of you will suggest a simple prusik loop instead of the hitch climber, but a pulley to tend with seems a lot more convenient for a beginner. But of course I might be wrong. I understand that the 8mm friction cord bites a little better but can seize easier with certain knots - I intend to use a simple prusik, which I understand doesn't bind up too much? With regards to a harness, I intend to go to Honeybros and test one out before buying, but the Sequoia looked like a good choice with decent reviews. I don't think I'd need the SRT version as I don't plan on climbing in that format until I'm far more advanced. I also need to add a kit bag to that list, but not something I need to much help on! This is the lanyard kit - Clicky.

No offence taken Difflock! I can appreciate that there are some people who just don't have the aptitude for it - Hopefully I'm not one of them! I like the idea of a rec climb with some skilled professionals - Sounds safer than jumping up a tree in my back garden! Is there a particular place where these get planned? I've added my location to my user profile. The idea of overseeing projects is a nice one, but I feel that it's something a way off in the future. I don't feel that I could command respect from a team of workers without being able to jump up there and do the job myself - Lead from the front and all that! Thanks for all the answers so far, the arb community seems like a good one to be a part of!

Cheers for the replies so far gents. I think PPE would be my first purchase anyway, as it's the kind of thing that will come with me in any job whatsoever so it'd be a sensible place to start. Difflock - I'm pretty handy already I'd say, obviously not by your standards but I know the physics behind a lot of the work - When a branch is going to pinch, where the leverage comes from, whether to cut from the top or bottom and what way it's likely to fall, so on. Our house backs into a forest so I've had some experience dealing with storm damaged trees and some pruning, so I'm not walking into the job completely blind. Would it be sensible to obtain a basic climbing rig (Harness, rope, prusik loop, flipline and some crabs) to learn to climb recreationally? This way I could get myself comfortable with moving around in a tree before looking at getting tickets. I can imagine that a newly qualified climber isn't worth a penny until they can operate quickly and safely in a tree?

Hi all, my first post here! I recently decided to explore the world of Arboriculture and after doing a large amount of research and spending a day with a local Arborist, I quickly realised that this is an avenue I want to follow. I'm 23, and at present I have a good understanding of the job, but little experience, no equipment and no qualifications. I am eager to change this as quickly as possible. I work an unrelated retail job, 3 days a week. I'm in a fairly fortunate position, in that I am able to reasonably support myself on this (Although I don't have a disposable income), leaving myself time to work any opportune groundwork/labour jobs that may come my way. Should Arboriculture become a solid job for me, I'd happily leave my current job to make it a living. I'm fairly well read on what qualifications and skills are required to make myself attractive to a prospective employer, but my question is primarily pertinent to the progression one should follow in order to achieve this as quickly and cost effectively as possible. I understand that there are employers who will take on trainees/apprentices and partially/entirely fund their tickets, but they still seem to expect candidates to be qualified in CS30/31 and Climbing/Aerial Rescue. This immediately requires me to drop something in the area of £1500-2500 on PPE, climbing gear and training before I'm at a stage where I am even a viable candidate. That's a lot of hours to make up! Don't get me wrong - I'm not opposed to an initial outlay if it is a sensible and worthwhile one. My question is whether I'd be throwing money up the wall, and if you would do things differently. I'm also aware that I can work as a cheap labourer while I build up my funds and equipment, which I fully intend to do. However I want to make myself as employable as possible, because I know that a brash dragger is only worth so much when there are more qualified groundworkers available. I apologise for rambling, and I'll attempt to summarise. How would you spend your early time and money, in order to make yourself an attractive candidate to a prospective employer? Cheers guys! Lewis.