First climbing set up

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Looks like a primo kit, Weedkilla. Get a leather cambium saver/rope protector or some such to reduce friction for your DdRT work.

The APTA works very well...you will need it or a Big Shot most likely. Be sure to have at least two throwbags...eventually one will get stuck.:(

Welcome to the House...good thread.
 
Hello. It's Andrew, isn't it? AKA weedkilla? My name is Tim. I'm not a pro arb like most of the guys here, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I went through a process similar to yours as far as trying to learn about the different types of gear I'd need. I'd strongly recommend the videos by a guy on YouTube who calls his channel "Climbing Arborist" or something similar. A really talented guy who shows all the techniques, from most basic to most cosmic and cutting edge. He shares his knowledge freely. I think his name is Dan Holiday or something similar. Here's an attempt to put a link to his YouTube page here. http://www.youtube.com/user/ClimbingArborist1

In my own case, I'd spent a bunch of money on all sorts of gear, and by the time I got to the point of feeling like a Big Shot would be nice to have, the cost of it all was starting to sting a bit. So I thought about a way to save a little money by finding a cheaper alternative to the Big Shot. I'm not saying it's efficient, just cheaper. In the end, you'd probably really be better off buying or making the APTA, I think it's called. My cheap way out was to buy one of those $8.00 wrist rocket sling shots, along with a short fishing pole and an inexpensive but high quality open-sided reel. I use a 3oz stainless steel egg shaped bass sinker that has a little ring on the end that makes it easy to tie the monofilament line to it. With the slingshot I can probably hit a crotch about 70 or 80 feet up after a few tries, usually. I then pull in the Zing-It line with the monofilament line, and then the rope with the Zing-It. So it adds a step, and is harder to see than just shooting the Zing-It with a throw ball attached. I'm pretty darn sure I'd save time with the APTA, and when I finally break down and decide to spend the money, I intend to skip over the Big Shot and give Tree Stuff my money for Nick's invention. Thanks for listening, just thought I'd give you a cheap way out just to try if you felt like it. And like everyone says, practice "low and slow".

Best of luck.

Tim
 
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Thanks guys. Alrighty, it's go to work time, I'm going to sit on an atv till dark, but I've got to pay for this stuff!

Andrew.
 
Tim_B. said:
My cheap way out was to buy one of those $8.00 wrist rocket sling shots, along with a short fishing pole and an inexpensive but high quality open-sided reel. I use a 3oz stainless steel egg shaped bass sinker that has a little ring on the end that makes it easy to tie the monofilament line to it. With the slingshot I can probably hit a crotch about 70 or 80 feet up after a few tries, usually. I then pull in the Zing-It line with the monofilament line, and then the rope with the Zing-It. So it adds a step, and is harder to see than just shooting the Zing-It with a throw ball attached.
Click to expand...

Hi Tim,

I am no pro too and don't like to spend money for a bigshot. Maybe I will try to build a copy of an apta one day.

Doing three steps is a really clever solution getting up the rope the cheep way. A light "throwweight", which you can shoot up with a normal slingshot, is not able to pull the zing-it down. The thinner fishingline could create problems pulling up the rope. With your three steps everything can go together. Owning fishingrods and reels, I will give it a try. Thanks a lot for sharing this.

@weedkilla
There are many really good videos on youtube. Some of my favourite channels (besides ClimbingArborist) are:
https://www.youtube.com/user/countryboypa31
https://www.youtube.com/user/MrSingleJack
https://www.youtube.com/user/arborpod
https://www.youtube.com/user/richardmum10
https://www.youtube.com/user/murphy4trees
https://www.youtube.com/user/AccessTechniques1
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAYruUhleA50juRid7GaK4Q
and on Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/natureclimber

I hope theese are helpful for other beginners. I learned a lot by viewing them, reading in different forums and hours of practice, always starting low and slow. And I am still acting slow in the trees. I am always thinking twice before acting! Slower is safer for me.

Best regards to all of you from Germany

Uwe

Edit: and I forgot to mention, that I like to learn from the mistakes, other people made (videos and descriptions). There is no need to make your own. And sometimes it could be impossible to learn from your own mistake...
 
Uwe, be aware that some of the stuff shown on youtube isn't necessarily the "right" and safe way to do things.
Not all of these selfclaimed experts are in fact that.
Daniel Murphy for example has a habit of showing tecniques that are not considered safe by his peers.

You'd be better off by ordering Jerry Beranek's "Working climber" DVDs.
They are absolutely the best of their kind, and Jerry does everything the safe and yet most efficient way.
I strongly recommend them.
 
Hi Stig,

thanks a lot for your advice!
Of course the quality of the videos is very different. Anyone can post anything, if right or stupid. I don't take each single video of the posted channels (and others) as a lession without thinking critically about. I try to pick the right and safe techniques and tipps from each of the authors.

But I will look for the Beranek-DVDs, so again, thanks a lot!

Oh, from your point of view (avatar), "my" trees will look like gras.

Edit: forgot to mention a book I bought at the very beginning: "tree climber's companion"
and a second one "Stupsi"
 
Lots of good advice. FWIW I would NOT buy the kit you are looking at. Saddle preferences are SOOOOO individual dependent that starting out with an expensive saddle with 10 jillion features seems counterproductive to me. -After buying a $450-600 saddle almost everyone feels obligated to love the purchase.....even if it really isn't the best fit for them. I also don't think much of having a multitude of throwbag weights-Most of us adopt a favorite weight and then use that one all the time for greater accuracy. Put together a list like Butch gave you and choose your items for your own custom kit-chances are it will get you more gear for less money.
 
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Thanks all. There is some great advice in here, in the end I couldn't make a custom list much cheaper than the kit. Now I just have to wait as it takes the slow boat from the states to here.
 
Dont spend a ton of money up front. Climbing trees is for very few people. Keep it cheap, decide of its for you, then upgrade from there. Im sore I'll be flamed for saying this bit its true. Many guys aspire to climb, make it to 20 feet, and say hell no. Now your sitting on a pile of gear that you bsolutely will not get your money back out of in one shot unless you sell it for pennies. Chances are you'll have to go through the headache of breaking up your kit and getting stuck with some of it. If you decide its your calling, start buying the gear that appeals to you and the things you desire to have to fine tune your discomforts and comforts. Each climber has his own kit that suits their exact style.
 
The only thing I am not into in that kit is the bag. I like Metolius bags. I agree that you dont have to buy super pricey stuff just to get into it, but thats not how I get into new hobbies so I get it. Im a gear junkie and whenever I try something new I go crazy!
 
Chris, when I took the climbing course at the forestry school back in83, they said that their statistics showed that out of the people who passed the course, only 10% ever made it as working climbers.
Even though you had to wreck a big tree out in oder to pass.
 
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