Trying New Things

Ifelloutofatreeonce

Treehouser
Joined
Oct 26, 2020
Messages
6
Location
East coast
How do you guys/gals go about trying something new? Do you have someone you can borrow from? Or do you have to spend the money just to find out you dont like the product and have to try and sell it? There seems to be so many options when it comes to climbing and cutting that a man could go broke trying to find something he likes. This post is in relation to anything tree related, ropes, saddles, spurs, lanyards, saws, anything and everything.
 
I'm a (very)part timer, so I stick with the basics. Pretty much all my stuff is old school standard issue. That suits me anyway, but it makes a good starting point for building gear if you want to take it somewhere else. It gives you a baseline to know what you like/don't like about your setup, and you can focus in on other gear that provides the features you're missing.

IOW, I choose carefully and conservatively, and take a gamble. I don't have anything that isn't usable for /something/, even if it didn't end up being exactly what I wanted. If you're in the business, it shouldn't be hard to find someone that'll be interested in the gear you don't want. Just count the depreciation as a business expense. You'll be spending a lot of time in your gear, so a bit of trial/error will pay for itself in safety/comfort going forward.
 
I only use about 10 percent of my climbing gear. If that. The rest I bought and never use. Experimental. Different shaped biners, different brands and lengths of hitch cord. Different saddles, ropes, ascenders. But that's how I developed my climbing style. I found what works and doesn't work for me through trial and error. If there were any decent climbers in my area I could have tried some gear out and saved thousands of dollars. I had a guy ship me a brand new monkey beaver saddle a couple of years ago just to see how it fits before buying. I have a hitchclimber pulley and several hitch cords mailed out to a climber right now so he can experiment and see what he likes before buying. He's coming off of a Blakes hitch and is overwhelmed with what's next. See if there's a climber in your area who will let you see what he has and possibly try out some gear for a bit. Drive to an arborist store if there's one within driving distance. They'll let you try out gear. The arborist store in my area has a wall in the back of the store to try out gear. And he'll let you play are in the tree in the parking lot too.

Read on the forum and get others advice who are at the level you want to be. If you want to be a production climber you'll want different gear than a rec climber. Spread oaks will use different gear than conifer removals. It will mostly a cross over but different gear lends it's better to different work styles.

Don't hesitate to ask questions. You'll probably get 9 different opinions but they'll all be good advice.
 
Combing through reviews, asking questions here, and experimenting for yourself is what I do, though I try to wait for black friday deals or spring discounts before buying things to try. Watch videos of people using different things to see if you can picture yourself using them.

Reviews will tell you more than just good or bad, sometimes you can find someone who thinks like you and answers your questions in the review.
 
How do you guys/gals go about trying something new? Do you have someone you can borrow from? Or do you have to spend the money just to find out you dont like the product and have to try and sell it? There seems to be so many options when it comes to climbing and cutting that a man could go broke trying to find something he likes. This post is in relation to anything tree related, ropes, saddles, spurs, lanyards, saws, anything and everything.

Very excellent question!

long answer:

tree crews are only a few people, and very isolated.
so how to learn new stuff?
reading on the internet is helpful.
in my opinion, joining up with a local arborist group that has workshops in climbing skills, or going to ISA climbing comps or workshops or attending a TCI trade show is by far the best way to ‘brake the mold’.
Only by physically exposing your self to a wide variety of climbers from many different companies and areas will you get a wide variety of the current tools and techniques available today.
Alternatively, you can hire yourself out to various companies as a contract climber. That way you can see what other climbers are doing and using.

hope that helps.
 
Great point. In working for a handful of different tree co's and climbers I have been exposed to a variety of equipment and ways of doing things.
 
East coast is a pretty wide range. Could give better recommendations with narrower scope.

I just obsessively read about gear before I buy it. Hitch climber pulley was an obvious improvement over other dDRT systems to me. Got a foot ascender and SAKA after realizing the redirect advantages of SRT

I think most modern floating bridge saddles are pretty great. Haven't tried em all, but it's really just little differences. Sequoia, new tribe, ergo, tree motion, valiant/ MCRS. Most are pretty comfy, the best is really a matter of opinion based off climbing style and body type.
 
The Hitch Hiker was love at first sight after seeing Paul's video about it. I think most tree peeps buy the new stuff try it out and sell it on treebay if they don't like it.
 
I tend to buy things and try them out after reading online. This place has been great for that. I don’t give up on gear if I have troubles either. I also don’t sell gear if I don’t like it. I just test it in a different situation. Eventually I’ll figure out where it works best.
Im also good at hiding, I mean hanging out at the local arb supplier. Talk with people and share ideas. Pick up lots of tricks there
 
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