How do you tote all your 'toys' with you in the tree?

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treeclimber165

Member A.K.A Skwerl
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Until recently, I never carried much gear with me when climbing. I was always a minimalist when it came to using accessories while in a tree. In the last 6 months since starting to use more advanced methods, I'm finding it difficult to carry all the gear I'd like while aloft. I don't have 47 loops and snaps on my belt, and all that stuff hanging loose tends to get snagged easily. I'm going to try using a throwbag (line mug) next week, but I was wondering how others do it.
 
I have two gear loops on my saddle. That is pretty much all I need because I only carry up what I need. If I need more gear than I feel comfortable strapping on I have it sent up as I get ready for it. Normally all I keep on my saddle is two slings, line mug, figure 8, ascender, FC, handsaw, saw lanyard, four or five biners and flip line.


I keep my “line mug” on the small dee ring between my gear loops. I don’t need it often but it is well worth carrying. I use a four ounce throw bag and 40 foot of line. I put one of those small snaps on it so I can clip it to my center dee ring when I need to make a new pitch. When I stuff the line back into the mug I drop the throw bag in first and feed the doubled line in after it.
 
I've also been a minimalist until recently. I expect others to have better developed ideas. FWIW I have laid up a grommet (rope loop) which I clip to the saddle and clip biners/slings into the grommet. For the occasional cabling job I have a nailpouch I can carry hardware in( but I think I'll sell Cobra in the future). I remember you saying that you bought a new KK saddle recently. Weaver has started adding gear loops on some of their saddle as do some other manufacturers. My next saddle will probably be easier to load up.:cool:
 
Yeah, Stumper. I bought a new KK saddle recently, but the only ones at the store with gear loops were large size. The medium that I needed didn't have gear loops.
I've tried clipping extra loop runners on my side D ring, but they get snagged all the time. I was thinking of using an empty line mug as a 'purse' of sorts, to stuff with loop runners, ascenders when I'm not using them (so they aren't getting banged around while hanging from my side), pulleys, etc. I'm thinking of this as an alternative to gear loops to reduce loose clutter flapping around.
 
I climb with the "saddle tool bag" also on page 12(can't remember if i ordered the large or small size) but find it to work well for me, I can stuff just about anything in there and they won't snag on branches( handful of slings, biners, block, light rigging rope, couple of tuflex, etc.etc,)
 
Attached is an out-dated photo of my saddle. It's a shot about a year old, and since I like pushing the technical aspects of climbing to the razors edge (I'm sure many of you can relate to, and appreciate that) my saddle fluctuates in it's adornment over time.

If your personal talent is always in a state of forward evolution, then your saddle won't likely be exactly the same from year to year, which is the case here.

I would rather take a shot of my current saddle, a Buckingham versatile upon which you would see four bright pink binerslings, for which I am now locally famous, though often respectfully chuckled at.

I'll work up the photo and what I normally carry, and comment briefly on the whys. But for now I have no pic to share with the words.

I'm going to bow out briefly to ask JPS and 165 if showing my saddle to everyone is a good idea. I mean, by the picture attached, you can see I've upgraded some areas of the saddle in a rather permanent manner. I need JP's and 165's OK. I'm rather new to this site, don't want to step on cyber-toes, don't want to tell anyone how they should do it. Just want to share what works well for me -------------Tree Machine
 
i carry my chainsaw on the left, low; so left high i carry loose karabs and pulleys, usually 1 karab on the ring, and 2 or 3 linked to it.

On my right goes all my synthetics and handsaw. So lanyard, ling and biner sets, handsaw. i usually have the newest slings attatched ot saddle ring and 2-3 like sized older ones attatched to it. For a quick throwline, i attatch my 2 CMI pulleys and steel karab holding them to an eye in line and toss, gets closer stuff fairly well and pulls line to the ground, or pendulumns the pulleys back to ya if thrown a lil'hard. i usually have 6 or so sling sets (loop runer and karab), 1 lifeline sling set for redirects etc., 2CMI pulleys and 6 or so karabs, sometimes minitraxion. Lots of flexability and innovation possible in transitioned sequences to exploit with all of that!

1 of the things i like about using all slings that is parallel to using the split tail, is that i am more likely to second guess, explore and maximize with the availability of quickertotal adjustments. Especially, with the slings as hitches on loads, as i can be presetting 3,4 as the crew is unhooking a load and returning a line. Or sometimes setting up 3-4 hard to reach hitchpoints at a time, then tailing back each hitch to the cutting area to reset the next after each cut! i firmly beleive in setting the maximum hitch point, line tension and torque as an ongoing journey and education, these slings and their fleaxability of use and attatchment have really helped that.
 
TM-
I appreciate the pic, that is exactly what I do NOT want my saddle to look like. Gotta take off, got 6 trims to do today. But I found an alternative container for my throwline so I'm going to try using the line mug as my 'purse'. :p
 
You should use a different rope grab on your lanyard. It's not good practice to use one with the spring pin. Get one that has a bolt and nylock nut. Also, I think that you're pushing the rope capacity with that size Microcender. Steel core flipline is pretty thick.

When I hang tools [I leave my toys at home :) ] from my saddle I have some rings. When I use my Ultra Light I use some of the rings found on this page:

http://www.para-gear.com/index.htm


Go to Hardware and look at Page 1. The 302-307 style rings work well on modular saddles. in my 1995 catalog I see that the #H301 is seperable so that the pin could be tucked into a slot on non-modular saddles


On my Butterfly I have some rings that I made from brake line tubing and some flat metal. The advantage to using this style ring is that theyturn the biners 90 degrees so that when I clip/unclip I don't have to roll my wrist. Keeps things in phase. Also, I can put the rings just behind my hip bone on my side. This makes the rack easier to see so I don't ahve to twist around or fish for gear. I still have the material loops on my Butterfly but they're reserved for hanging gear that I don't need at arm's length.

Tom
 
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That may be the first sign you are haulin' too much in the tree with you. A lot of gear is good but there is a diminishing return. After a certain point, it is just extra jingly things to make ya look important. At least that is what the girlfriend says.

I'm guilty of the same when it comes to riggin-removals

nice pic Brian:p
 
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I have the gear loops on my saddle, since both saws are on my right side the hardwear goes on the right loop and the fabric stuuf goes on the left so I wont nick them (again).

If I'm ding any seriouse rigging then I have a stitched daisey sent up with a s-load of karabs, slings and pullies. I got a whole backpack full of the stuff and keep making more.

You can connect the daisey to it's self and wear it as a rack, or bandoleer style.
 
Originally posted by Down To Earth
I use a rock climbers chalk bag for all kinds of odds and ends. Plenty of rock climbing stores in Colorado


Dan

My line mug is a chalk bag. :D I am thinking about getting another mug for a grapple line.
 
Since they dont have the lineing chalkbags have, the NewTribe product works much better for holding throwline, spare gloves, slingas and whatnot.

Granola bar...
 
Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn
Since they dont have the lineing chalkbags have, the NewTribe product works much better for holding throwline, spare gloves, slingas and whatnot.

Granola bar...


JPS,

Maybe a mini cube would work better. I would love to try one in a tree.
 
Carrying all your gear up there

Attached is a today pic of my saddle. Biners, slings, ascenders, flipline and saw lanyard. This is my rig, unless I've got some special ops going on
 
Front view of how I get goodies up in the tree

OK, here's a front view of my saddle.

When I put this attachment together, I drew in a bunch of arrows pointing to what it was I was describing. If the arrows don't show up, you'll no doubt still figure it out. TM
 
Sling / False Crotch nuance

It's a sling if it has just the one caribiner in the end of it. It's a false crotch if you drop in another biner, gate opposed, or a locking biner.
 

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