Shin guards and climbers

[Treeaddict]

Anyone out there ever wear soccer type shin guards to make climbers a little more comfortable? I’ve spent a few hours on the guard/climber combo and it didn’t seem unsafe. Is there anything I’m missing in regards to safety? Makes me nervous that I’ve not heard of anyone doing it. Maybe that’s for good reason!?!

 

[Tree09]

What brand of spurs are you wearing? I had Buckingham ones so i just got caddy pads, any more comfortable and you wouldn't be doing trees lol

 

[Jonny]

Butch used to do that, he spoke very highly of the comfort of soccer shin guards under the pads.

 

[Burnham]

I'm with Kyle...get caddie pads, never look back.

 

[treesmith]

Get these and be done...

 

[Burnham]

With a little judicious file work on the pad receivers, I had no trouble fitting caddies to my Bashlin aluminum gaffs.

 

[Burnham]

Scott is also giving good advice.

 

[lxskllr]

I like my shincup pads. I've spent at least three hours in them, and not even the inkling of a problem. If I lost them, I wouldn't even consider anything else.

 

[treesmith]

I forget which Butch referee to as caddies, but I’ve tried the aluminum/felt pads, the steel insert leather pads, the “super pads” (I think they’re called), as well as the old plain leather pads and the T-pads. The Geckos beat them all, hands down.

The oddity is, for the money spent, I’ve had to sharpen the Geckos a dozen times (light touch-up, mind you) in the last year and a half. It was nothing to go a year between touch-ups on my old Buckinghams (circa 1985). And the bottom straps on the Geckos might make good dog collars on mild mannered dogs. I cinch mine TIGHT, and they didn’t hold up but a few months. I replaced them with the nybuck straps off some Buckingham aluminum climbers and they’re doing just fine.

 

[lxskllr]

I forget which Butch referee to as caddies,

This just popped up on the rotator...

I always presumed "caddies" referred to the aluminum pads exclusively. Butch said he liked the shincups also.

 

[Burnham]

8th item down on the page, from Wesspur.

Spur Pads for Tree Climbing Spurs || WesSpur Tree Equipment

Ah...John beat me to it .

 

[treesmith]

Those rattled on the shanks when I tried them. Needed a couple of wraps of electrical tape to quiet them.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Off set shin cups here.
Pads are like saddles. Not all fit the same or are comfy for everyone. Body and legs types are personal and you just need to find what works for you.

 

[treesmith]

How much time one spends in the hooks makes a huge difference as well. I’m flat footed and have spent hours in them at a stretch. The Geckos have made it much more bearable.

 

[pantheraba]

I agree with several here...the leather basic pads I used early on were awful...I used leg padding too...did not help much. Get Caddie pads (stands for "Cadillac" of pads)







Cast Aluminum Climber Pads
Regular Width
$76.00SPU708In Stock
Narrow Width
$99.00SPU707In Stock
Cast aluminum spur pads are frequently called “Cadillac Pads” around here because they are so comfortable. Very light weight, and the one-piece aluminum cast will not wear out like leather, making them a great investment. Available in regular/standard width or narrow/deep width. Foam rubber padding is replaceable.

 

[Treeaddict]

What brand of spurs are you wearing? I had Buckingham ones so i just got caddy pads, any more comfortable and you wouldn't be doing trees lol

Buckingham pole spurs and Klein tree spurs. It’s mostly the 2-3/4 inch tree spurs that kill me. I use the poles when I can. Gotta make what I have as comfortable as possible- or at least no grueling pain 20 minutes in!

 

[lxskllr]

A question probably no one can answer...

I was talking to Treeaddict, and puzzling over why more companies don't offer hybrid gaffs. Seems obvious to me. The gaff choices are thick barked redwoods, or beech trees. Almost everything falls between those extremes that a hybrid gaff would fill nicely. Seems to me it would be really easy to adjust the tooling to make some, so why aren't they more available? That's the one thing I'd like to change on my spurs. Just have a gaff that's a little shorter, but longer than a pole.

 

[Fiddler]

As Stephen wrote: You have to find what fits You best.

I tried Geckos and they were most painful thing I tried...for me. Others swear by them. Keep looking, and you'll find what suits you the best.

 

[gf beranek]

Lot of truth there. As for myself it come down to "what hurt the least" after spending 6 hours in the spurs or hanging in the ropes nothing feels good. Though the carbon fiber geckos were OK.

 

[BeerGeek]

I have the steel version of the Notch Geckos as an upgrade to my noob Buckinghams, and I couldn't be happier with the performance/comfort.

On a slightly different note, I think lots of the more experienced climbers here had the old DMM Geckos, and not the new Notch ones. Wondering if anyone has actually done a comparison of the 2 to see if they are comparable or any major diffs (although looking at Maple Leaf Ropes, they list a Notch Gecko Aluminum by DMM and a newer Notch Gecko Aluminum 2.0)? Scott's above appear to be the Notch by DMM.

Add: See 3 Notch brands w/pics here: Spurs - Lowest prices & free shipping | Maple Leaf Ropes - https://www.mapleleafropes.com/store/category/spurs

 

[Jonny]

I remember seeing Geckos marked as “Distel” too, they looked better than the other ones I’ve seen. Had a straight gaff profile, not the bent Euro type one.

The gaff on the steel Geckos looks nice and straight too.

 

[Treeaddict]

Thank you all so much for the invaluable advice. 😃

 

[ruel]

I bought the dmm distel/geckos , realized the shank wouldn't take my ascender (stow the debate, I like it). So I bought the other kind too and haven't gotten around to sellingthe dmm ones. will try to take some side by side pictures tomorrow

 

[ruel]

DMM on left regular on right
Cups are the same as best as I can tell, pads have maybe a touch more give on the DMM, maybe ends Up a bit thinner when squished. Pretty minor differences

second pic shows the shank shape. definitely offset on the DMM ones


Dmm on top, showing differences in stirrup profile


Stirrup width DMM


Stirrup width regular


Shank angle is really the biggest contrast. Regular geckos are almost totally straight up and down(Left) DMM have maybe a 10 degree angle


Both have the same shape around the ankle

 

[WoodCutr]

@ruel just FYI, your address is clearly visible in the second and last pictures you posted