Stein RC3001 - storage solution

Anyone who has read more than one of my posts will no doubt be aware of my slight obsession with climbing/rigging gear and there associated kit bags, as well as generally being OCD about organising my tools and equipment.

So when I recently got a new Stein rigging bollard I was faced with the challenge of somehow getting it to fit in one of the Petzl bucket bags I'm always waxing lyrical about.

I knew it would fit, but not lying down as it would be too wide, so it would have to be standing, but weighing in at 14kg that was going to be an awful lot of pressure in one spot. That coupled with the general awkwardness of getting anything else in the bag, as well as keeping the bag upright in transit led me to the following solution.

It all fits

Stein block, ratchet, strap, dead eye sling and rubber mountings... 

With everything else removed the stein block remains upright with the aid of a lump of Cedar

A 4" thick plank cut to roughly the dimensions of the bag, with a slit notched into it for the bottom anchor point of the bollard to slot into...

Which keeps the Stein block nicely upright and means the rest of the kit can be fitted in around it 

The rubber mounting blocks fit into the back of the bollard, as they make it too wide if fitted in their normal configuration 

Everything needed in one 25lt bag, it is pretty heavy, but manageable on your own 

Rigging kits

This is my current set up in terms of rigging gear that I take out on my own private jobs. 

I've talked about these petzl bags before, still can't say enough good things about them.

First up in the large (35lt) bag I have 60m of 16mm Sirius Bull rope and a 4m long 16mm dead eye sling with a small ISC cast pulley attached, this kit only comes out on big jobs or if I don't know the job (i.e.  freelancing) then I may chuck it in as well. 

Then in the first small (25lt) bag I have a selection of things; 30m 14mm sirius bull rope, 5 m dead eye, small ISC portawrap, small woopie sling, large woopie sling,  Medium ISC swing cheek lowering pulley with steel dmm crab,  2m split tail, large loopie sling, x2 petzl tandem pulleys, another smaller woopie (orange) , small mallion, small rigging plate,  2m tape sling and crab, 10m length of xtc line, couple of lengths of hitch cord. 

The idea with this bag was to have everything I'd need for small/medium scale lowering, as well as all the other trinkets you occasionally need for complicated lowering jobs. The 30m rope is usually sufficient for most small trees and also comes in handy as a second line if using the bigger rope. 

Then in the other small bag are some other bits that go out with me on almost every job now. From left to right: in the black bag is the Mini MA system, 22m of 12mm sirius bull rope (tag line), 5m multi sling, 4.5m dead eye, rigging gloves, and big shot/trigger set up 

The tag line has come in handy on numerous occasions, especially on those jobs where I've been told there is no rigging to do and then discover that there definitely is!

I'm pretty happy with my current set up, It covers me for a large range of rigging scenarios, the only major thing I need now is a decent bollard, something like the Stein RC3001 that I get to use for my current main employer 

Every day carry Items part 2

Just a quick follow up to a previous post where I mentioned that I carry one of these Petzl Bucket bags with me on every job

 

Here's a photo of the contents

 

 

 

So there is the Crampon bag and tool roll that I have mentioned previously as well as the following:

- Couple of pairs of gloves

- Set of ex military Gore tex over trousers, quite good for climbing 

- Pair of leather heavy duty gauntlets, for those spikey trees

- Dry bag with spare T shirt and socks, encase the water proofs fail!

- Another pair of water proof trousers, only these are salopette style ones, made from cheaper flexothene material, ideal for ground work on those proper wet days

- Hi vis

- First aid kit,

- Felling wedge, there is usually a high lift one in here as well

- Gore-Tex jacket (not shown)

 

I find these items cover me for most eventualities, the bag doesn't take up much space, I always know where everything is, its always kept together and I can always have it with me.

I still have to take another bag with my lunch and drinks in, but it means the bucket bag can stay at work/in the van and I only have to take my lunch bag in with me every night.

 





Gear storage - Petzl Classique 22

I've nearly always used a large duffle type bag to store my personal climbing gear (there will be a post about this at some point) and for years I always just coiled the rope in the conventional way and lay it onto of everything else in the bag. Then when working a tree I would simply take the rope out, and uncoil it at the base of the tree, laying it out so that the working end was at the top and it would peel off without getting tangled

 

There was nothing wrong with this and didn't really take up much time, it wasn't ideal in wet or dirty conditions, but ropes get wet and dirty all the time. You had to be careful not to drop too much around it and inevitably brash would tangle up in it or a careless groundy would drag it across the garden! 

 

I'd seen other climbers using rope bags and had often thought of trying one out, but to be honest if someone hadn't of given me this one I may not of ever bothered.

 

 

I have to say I'm glad I did, the bag still fits in my large duffle bag, but now I just dump it at the base of the tree, clip into my harness and climb away. No uncoiling or making sure its not tangled, no more trying to find a dry spot or branches getting caught...well to start with anyway, as you might expect in the course of working the tree it inevitably comes out of the bag and gets in the way again! But on straight forward conifers and small trees it definitely keeps things tidier.

 

Construction -
I've been using this one for about 18 months/2 years now, its made to the expected high standards of most petzl gear and it is definitely what I would call 'Bomb proof' it frequently has lumps of wood falling on it and piles of brash dragged over it and looks none the worse for wear. Made from TPU its tough and water resistant, most of the seems are welded and show no signs of failing. The stitching on the handle/straps seem solid and I fully expect to get many more years of use out of it.

Features -
With two webbing shoulder straps its easy to carry over long distances, being unpadded you wouldn't want to carry too much weight but for the average tree climber they are more than adequate. It also has a carry loop on the top with a moulded handle, handy for short distances. The bag also features a cord loop inside for tying the end of your rope too, making it easier to find, if like me you coil the rope directly into the bag. There is also an internal waterproof flap with a clear window for a label, presumably this is for further protection of the contents but to be honest I never use it and it really serves no purpose.

Usability -
The bag is 22lts in volume and happily holds my 40m 11.7mm rope and 3m strop with some space to spare. With some rope in the base it will stand up on its own, but obviously not as well as the Bucket bags. When coiling the rope into it from over your shoulder you sometimes need to lean the bag against your leg to start with and as the opening is not especially stiff it isn't quit big enough when the bag is empty and nothing is keeping it open. But you soon get the hang of it and feeding the rope into the bag takes only a few minutes and ensures that it comes out tangle free when you need it too. The draw string closer is strong and simple, basically there to stop the bag filling with sawdust and the rope from falling out in transit.

 

Overall I'm very happy with the bag, its solid, well made and if it ever wears out I'd definitely buy another. It is slightly overpriced at around the £60 mark, but if it lasts as long as I think it will then definitely a worth while investment. I'd sooner have one thing last me ten years than have to buy one a year! And as for coiling vs using a rope bag, I'm definitely a convert, the only thing you have to remember is that a wet rope doesn't dry in a water resistant bag, they just go mouldy!

 

 

 

 

Gear storage - Petzl bucket bag

As well as being a self confessed gear freak I'm also a bit OCD when it comes to storage. 

"a place for everything and everything in its place" 

And these Petzl bucket bags fit the bill quite nicely as you can see. 

I've got 2 of the 35lt bags, one for the rigging line/block and dead eye sling and one for the arial rescue kit. So they will happily take 60m of 16mm line or 30m of 13mm, a harness, strop, spikes etc…

Then i have a few of the 25lt bags for tag lines, porta wrap, speed line stuff and other general lowering equipment. 

I also have one that goes out with me every work day regardless of task, this one contains full water proofs x2, sharpening kit, mini tool kit, first aid kit, felling wedges, spare tee shirt and I'm sure theres some other stuff in there as well. This one is going on for 3 years old now and has been fairly well abused but is holding its own pretty well.

I think that says a lot for the construction of these bags, they are pretty bomb proof. with a reinforced base and a thick waterproof outer they keep everything nice and dry from the ground up. They only have a drawstring top so are not rain proof but do keep out  the worst of it. Both sizes have a shoulder strap and two heavy duty carry handles that flop to the side when not in use, you can see these are stitched all the way down the side to the base so are not going to fall off in a hurry. 

When it comes to using these as an actual rope bag they are brilliant and work exactly as a rope bag should. they are rigid enough to stand up when empty, making spoiling the rope back in easy, the drawstring top is big enough to fold down over the outside so its completely out of the way. 

A nice touch that a lot of rope bags seem to miss out on. And if leaving at the base of the tree the top can be synched up to stop dirt/sawdust filling the bag and still the rope will pull out nicely. 

The bags also have a clear window on the outside for labelling, and a small zippered pocket on the outside. Yet to find much of a use for this as its quite small and fairly awkward to get into if the bag is full. 

There is also a small haul loop on the top of the bag and a small one inside, this one 

I find quite useful for tying the end of the line to, making it much easier to find.  

This is the only gear loop on the inside of the bag, so some might say it lacks some of the features of the other bags on the market, but I don't think that detracts from the use of the bag and I'm not a massive fan of having kit hanging off the bag anyway, as i think its a good way to loose stuff. 

So all in all a bomb proof bag that does what it says on the tin very well. But could potentially benefit from some internal/external gear racking. But for £25 - £35 you will struggle to get any better.