What Do You Carry While Climbing - Basic Gear?

[ruel]

Compact Bulldog Bone on nano swivel
Handsaw
lanyard with HH2
One webbing sling
Foot ascender
Tending harness with double lock carabiner
Hitchclimber setup, 2 carabs and a hitch cord

I find if I don't bring those things up, I usually miss them. I'm in the same boat as tree09, at 195 a pound of extra stuff isn't a big deal. If I was super worried about my climbing setups weight, I'd lose a few lbs myself first!

 

[Marc-Antoine]

The gear on my saddle has slowly evolved since my beginnings, accordingly to my techniques.
Almost all the time now, (either stored on it or in use) :
Foot ascender
Hand ascender (+ foot loop)
16' pocket telescopic pole, as my magic tool
Akimbo (stays on the saddle on the fixed central point), for my 130' climb rope
Zigzag (stays on the 60' climb rope) + alu biner for it on the bridge
Neck lace for tending both in srt
Handsaw
chainsaw lanyard + chainsaw (most of the time ms 150T)
2 spare steel biners on the Ds (to hold rope and carry stuff, rigging)
a bunch of 3 strands slings with their steel biners (2 to 6, mostly rigging and redirects)

 

[Benjo75]

One of these is nice to have hanging from the saddle too.

 

[lxskllr]

What do you use your knife for? I've thought about hooking my Mora to my saddle. I use it all the time at work for cutting small branches, but my thinking is the silky can fill that duty without adding more stuff. I always have a SwissChamp in my pocket, and in my list above, forgot the TopSaw saw tool. I keep that on my saddle too. I don't know that I'd buy it again if I lost it, but it's kinda useful.

 

[Burnham]

Some of you boys are hauling a real load aloft every day, needed or not. That never has been my choice at all. Minimalist, perhaps. But also lean and mean .

 

[Benjo75]

I really don't use it much in the tree. But it's there if I need it. Never know when you'll have to cut a rope or stab a squirrel. It sits nicely on the bottom or a caritool or clipped in an extra biner. I usually carry a swiss army knife in my pants pocket but unless I can stand up and get my weight out of my saddle I can't get to it.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm just mean. Not so lean anymore :^D

I'm 220# dry, so probably ~240# with gear.

 

[Benjo75]

I used to carry everything I might need. But now I try to just take whatever I need for that climb. I used to have extra biners and pulleys and hitchcords and all kinds of things. Never did bother me though. I've always been strong enough to carry whatever I might need. One day I took off all the extras and my gosh what a pile of gear. So now I look for things to remove from my saddle but I do have a few things I don't leave the ground without.

 

[Benjo75]

I'm about 225. So an extra 3 or 4 lbs won't be noticed.

 

[Burnham]

In my working prime, I weighed about 145-150 dry. You bigger guys can haul all that stuff without noticing it, I guess. I did too, to some degree, when I was younger, and "strong like bull" .

I also think if you culled it down, you might notice a difference . It's not really the weight that is the major problem...it's the clutter that is a hindrance.

A bunch of stuff hanging from my saddle nearly always got me tied in a knot, or several, as I moved through the canopy. If I needed that stuff for that job, oh well, sucks to be me ...but if it's just there out of habit, it's causing me wasted effort and time to no benefit whatever.

Thoughts from an old climber .

 

[lxskllr]

Some of it for me is if I forget something, I have to go down and get it; no delivery service. I try to anticipate what I need, then a little extra /just cause/.

 

[Burnham]

I get that. Working alone, as I think I understand is your situation, you have to cover as many bases as you can.

 

[Tree09]

Good points, but i even graduated at 180 plus. Used to be able to do 40 plus dips with a 45 pound weight tied on me, 18 hands forward facing pull ups with a 35 tied on, set 2 pool swim records that stand almost 20 years later (calm down, i was the slow guy on relays ), in other words, i was a bad mofo. Gaining roughly 20 pounds in as many years isn't too bad imo, but you are right, i could do better. I was down to 195 a couple months ago, haven't checked lately but i would bet I've gained some back. My gut is bigger than it was back then, everything hurts more, and when I'm working 60 plus hours a week i eat enough for two people. Getting into weight lifting again would likely be hugely beneficial, might have to look into it, but with me working as much as i am i simply don't have it in me. I do try to leave my chainsaw behind if I'm really trying to get out there, i seem to catch that more than everything else combined.

 

[Altissimus]

I really don't use it much in the tree. But it's there if I need it. Never know when you'll have to cut a rope or stab a squirrel. It sits nicely on the bottom or a caritool or clipped in an extra biner. I usually carry a swiss army knife in my pants pocket but unless I can stand up and get my weight out of my saddle I can't get to it.

.... main reason a small knife is mandatory , if something terrible happens when your life depends on rope you may need to cut said rope.

 

[Tree09]

I always thought handsaw to cut rope?

 

[DMc]

Like a hot knife through butter when the rope is taut.

Climbers are way to complacent about waving a handsaw around in a tree. At least with a chainsaw, you have two hands on it most times.

 

[DMc]

Regarding carrying extra stuff on your climbing harness for those JIC situations, I'm not a fan. In my opinion it leads to a slack job site analysis.

Take the time needed to assess what is needed and climb with that. It doesn't matter how big and strong you are, you will be a better climber with carrying just what you need and no more.

 

[stig]

My apprentices , each and every one, have started out bringing everything but the kitchen sink up with them.
Then over time they have slimmed it down.

 

[Raj]

I like to double up uses, I've used my knife as a wedge to keep the cut from binding my saw in the wind, also used it for extra weight on a throw line, threaten racoons...... etc etc

 

[Jonny]

I got a couple 5” plastic wedges I cut in half lengthwise. Very handy when chunking down fat spars. I always got at least 1 half wedge in my ditty bag.

 

[Benjo75]

Lean and mean is the way to go like Burnham is. Unfortunately I'm not 160 and 6'1" like I was 15 years ago. So you deal with what you've got and make it work to your advantage. My dad is about Burnhams size and tough as a boot. Could always out work and outlast the bigger guys. Smaller climbers will always have the advantage. Like smaller bull riders. I've had some of the big muscled up guys I work out with help on a few jobs. They are strong but can't keep it up all day. Too much muscle that needs oxygen and blood and cooling. Kinda overpowered. That's where I used to think I wanted to be. The last few years I've been working on loosing size to try to get back to around 190 to 200.

 

[Porkbrick]

Harness, lanyard (15 footer, art adjuster), silky sugoi, steel oval triple locking biner, eidlerid 6mil loop prussic and biner, one extra biner, and a second akimbo in addition to my main akimbo.
I use the steel biner for mrs and for advancing my line. The prussic is for redirecting and backup climbing system. The extra akimbo is because I’m always altering the akimbo design and testing new configurations and I want a backup in case something goes wrong

 

[Porkbrick]

I forgot the foot and knee ascender. My knee ascender is built into my shoulder strap and the foot ascender is swapped out for spikes when necessary

 

[Tommy_B]

Every time I climb. Lanyard, Cinch on Armor Prus Blue with a thimble. Silky in sawpod. Couple of vaults on either side of harness.
All else gets subbed in as needed. Sometimes flip line instead of Armor prus if its sticky stuff

 

[Marc-Antoine]

I forgot the T wrench for the chainsaw, put in a thigh pocket for access. I don't need it often, but when I do, it's nice to get back the saw in working order without climbing down.
I tried to use it as a hand wedge, that would be useful, but no, it has about zero lifting power, too thin and too short lever.