APF 2014

Managed to get across to Ragley Hall yesterday to check out the APF forestry exhibition. Its always a good opportunity to check out the latest gear and machinery, as well as do some shopping!

Picked up a few bits for myself -

Another Petzl bucket bag! 25m of 8mm Sirius accessory cord (my hitch cord of choice, this should last me a while!) and some 8mm Liros armor hitch cord I decided to try.

Also got myself a pair of Arborwear canopy trousers that I've wanted to try for ages 

As well as an Arborwear polo shirt. I'm currently looking to get some work shirts printed, but want to start off with a decent shirt, rather than the standard fruit of the loom ones. So thought I'd give one of these a go. 

Also picked up some bits for the company I do some work for in London - 

A tree runner p500, to replace the portawrap in our lightweight rigging kit (fixed bollards are so much easier for people to get to grips with)

Some weaver spikes for the aerial rescue kit and a new husky T540xp for the other team. 

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 

Ariel rescue kit

So when not working with a second climber who has their own climbing kit I have this kit set up ready to chuck in the van

The Petzl bucket bag comes in useful once again (35lt)

Harness at the top of the bag ready to put on straight away

Then side strop/second line and spikes

With the main line loosely stacked into the bottom of the bag with a blakes hitch pre tied. Attached to the harness are a couple of slings, some extra crabs and a folding knife, first aid kit is on the list of things to buy. 

Ant one else have a dedicated ariel rescue kit, or do you rely on spare/second climber kits?

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 

Lanyard setup/Work positioning strop

I've played around with various different lanyard setups over the years, I First started climbing with a big thick 19mm wire core thing with a massive triple action fixed krab on the end, it was about 4m long and adjusted with a prussic, pretty basic and very heavy. I then moved onto a thinner diameter wire core strop, about the same length only with an ISC rope grab and wire eyelets each end. I climbed with this for about 5 years and never really had and reason to complain, I still have it and will use it occasionally for chogging down big stems. 

I then moved on to trying out various rope strops, all of my own making, I went though a couple of different lengths and thickness of ropes/hitches before I came up with what I am currently using.

The rope is actually a 3m replacement rope for the Petzl Grillon, which I chose because I wanted an 11mm rope with a spliced/stitched eye either end and this was actually the most cost effective way (about £30ish) and came with the added bonus of the protective sheath. This is particularly good for keeping rope and hitch clean when working on conifers or dirty trees.  

I chose 3m as with my style of climbing I rarely need anything longer as I'm usually able to get most places in a tree with just my main anchor point and use the lanyard only to attain my final working position. This means I don't have to drag a long lanyard around the tree getting it tangled and caught up on everything, or have to daisy chain it or stuff it into a stuff sack. 

I use a hitch climber as the tending pulley because of the added versatility the additional attachment holes provide, allowing me to use it as a secondary DRT (double rope technique) anchor when needed. Or if I need a little extra length as a SRT (single rope technique) strop (assent/positioning only)

The stitched eyes have a protective plastic covering that holds the DMM ultra O karabina firmly in place making clipping in one handed very easy. (These are my crab of choice at the moment, full review to come)

Having a spliced eye either end negates the use of a stopper knot 

And enables me to clip both ends up out of the way, keeping everything nice and neat as well as not having to drag it along the floor when I walking around on the deck

The hitch cord is 8mm Sirius and works really nicely on a Distle with this rope, it rarely jams and grips every time. 

All in all I love my current set up and would replicate it in a heart beat should any element need replacing at any point. I much prefer the versatility and flexibility of a rope strop over the rigidity and additional safety of a wire core.

 I'm always interested in other climbers setups if anyone wants to share theirs?

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.

 





My Rope wrench/SRT set up

I did a post last week on some of the benefits of SRT and i thought I'd just share a few pics of my current rope wrench set up

I love climbing single line, but I don't use it for every tree, so having the wrench set on a Dmm oval, means that I can quickly switch from double rope (DRT) to single. The knot is a distil tied on 10mm line, but with fisherman's either end instead of spliced eyes. This enables me to keep it real short and minimise sit back. The knot works equally well for DRT

The tether is based around a short Wild Country quick draw sling, this fits snugly in the wrench, keeping that end fairly rigid, the other end has a petzl quickdraw rubber and another karabiner rubber that stops the tether moving too much on the Krab. it is all then stiffened up with a few layers of heat shrink. 

My climbing line is Yale lime light (11.7mm) works really well with the wrench, can be a little bit bouncy when working single line but otherwise a really nice rope. May well do a full write up on it at some point. 

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!

 

 

 

 

Everyday carry items part 1.

So this is just a couple of pictures of the sharpening kit and mini tool kit I mentioned in my previous post

The sharpening kit is one I made up myself in an old axminster chisel roll, contains the usual items you'd expect to find; files, spanners (both kinds) couple of mini allen keys, piston stop, carb screw driver, guide bar raker and a couple of beech file handles my brother turned me years ago.

The mini tool kit contains a few essentials; some spare chainsaw bar nuts, selection of bolts, pull cord, socket screwdriver, mini adjustable permanent marker, bar greaser, guide bar clamp, knife, tape, pliers and a torx and allen key multitool.

They all live in this petzl crampon bag

This is by no means a comprehensive kit, but does seem to cover most field repairs you would be likely to make. Its stems more from my days of freelance climbing when I got fed up of working for guys who wouldn't even have the most basic tools, but I didn't want to take everything with me. So by stripping it down to the bare essentials I could take it wherever I went and it wouldn't take up too much room. 

I have a larger kit in my work truck that I will post about soon.

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. 

Petzl Caritool - large vs small

The Petzl Caritool is a superb addition to any harness (assuming it fits) and one that I for one would hate to be without.

I started off with the small version, as it was cheaper and I worried the large one would be too big and get hooked on branches all the time. Surprisingly I have found the opposite to be true, the small one is fairly weak and as there is not a great deal of tension in the sprung clip I found it was forever clipping itself to branches, usually at the most inopportune moment! This frequently led to it snapping or the clip popping off.

After going through 3 or 4 of these in the space of a few months, I decided to try the large Caritool, hoping its heavier weight rating would also mean it was slightly more robust. I have been proved right, and have yet to break one, despite nearly 2 years worth of use. Which for £12ish is pretty damn good.
It also has a stronger clip, meaning branches are less likely to clip themselves in (it still happens, but not nearly as often!)

I have mine attached to the right hand side of my harness, just off centre from my hip, I use it exclusively for clipping my saw up and have developed a technique to do this one handed, quickly and easily (more on this when I do a post about my saw strop)

As stated before its robust, well made and currently standing the test of time, putting up with considerable abuse and must have been clipped into thousands of times by now. My main criticisms are firstly that I'd happily trade some weight gain for a solid gate rather than wire, as you'd be amazed how frequently tiny little branches can wedge themselves inside the wire gate!

My second criticism is one that I have in part managed to solve and its probably more to do with compatibility to my harness than anything else, but I found that it would often turn its self upside down or move around the harness webbing, or slide upwards and the little clip wasn't really sufficient to keep it in place.

I solved this with the addition of a strip of tire inner tube, cut to twice the width of the harness webbing and with two slits, centred and cut slightly further apart than one width of webbing, the caritool is then poked through one slit, into the harness and the other end stretched and round the caritool, the two ends of the rubber then get folded round the back of the harness strap and hopefully everything then stays happily in place

Hopefully the pictures explain it better than my ramblings