Climbing trees whether for sport or for a living can be a dangerous exercise. This is especially true when climbing tall erect trees whose branches to which you can hold or step on are perhaps a hundred feet or more above the ground. In such cases, you will need all the help you can get. A Climb Right Aluminum Climber Kit with T Pads can certainly give you a lot.

The climber kit consists of a pair of climbing spurs fastened to aluminum shafts that are curved at the bottom. To dig the spurs into the side of the tree, you step on the curved end. At the shafts’ other end are sleeves that are wrapped around your calf.

The aluminum shafts or stirrups are made of two pieces joined together just above the ankle, in a design that is intended to enhance their durability and strength. Both pieces are T6 tempered for strength, while the lower section has the added advantage of being made out of aluminum intended for the aerospace industry. This means that it is extra strong, and that you can be confident, even when standing on it a couple of hundred feet above the ground.

The gaffs are heat-treated to harden them so that they can more easily sink into the tree. They measure 2-5/8 inches, which deliver sufficient support provided they are fully sunk in. In case they are damaged, or lose their sharp edges, they can be replaced.

Once you get to where the branches are and begin stepping on them, the serrated bottom of the stirrups can provide additional traction.

The top sleeve can be adjusted to suit your calf length. You can move it between 15-3/4 to 18-3/4 inches for a perfect fit. Inside the sleeves are leather T pads with a 1/2-inch felt liner for a comfortable wear.

Created specifically to meet the needs of women climbers, the Petzl Elia Women’s Climbing Helmet provides an excellent fit and extra comfort for their intended users. The Petzl Elia is suitable for most types of climbing including rock and ice climbing, mountaineering, canyoning, caving, and tree climbing.

The helmet’s headband is designed to fit heads sized between 52 to 58 cm, a measurement that is typical for women. Featuring Petzl’s patented Omega headband system, the helmet can accommodate ponytails.

The same system also allows for a quick and easy adjustment for a comfortable and snug fit. Two lateral buttons are all you need to tweak for a perfect fit. Owing to the headband’s flexibility, it can accommodate heads of different shapes. Putting on and removing the helmet is also easy.

The chinstrap can be adjusted forward or backward to any position most comfortable to you. Its release buckle is positioned off to the side instead of under the chin, also making it less of a bother.

Made of an injection-molded ABS shell, the Petzl Elia is lightweight yet durable. You can wear it all day and actually feel like you are not wearing any helmet at all. You can even drop it from a height occasionally, or perhaps have it take a hit from a falling twig or branch, without worrying about damaging it greatly.

Inside the helmet is a lining of expanded polystyrene. This is meant to absorb any impact on the helmet, dissipating its force before it reaches your head. You will feel some impact, depending on the size of the falling object, but it is greatly weakened.

To keep you cool during your summer climbs, the helmet incorporates openings on its side for ventilation. And for your night climbing, you can purchase its dedicated headlamp clips.

The Petzl Elia Women’s Climbing Helmet is available in three colors –white with blue highlights, sky blue with red, and stone gray with yellow.

Named after a lizard that adheres to virtually any surface, the ISC KH452 Gecko Supersafe Carabiner keeps your ropes and other climbing gear close to where you want them at all times.

Made by International Safety Components, Inc, the Gecko Supersafe features a unique configuration designed to force the connection point to the ‘biner’s small end, and the attachment point to its larger end. To attain this, the upper end of the spine is angled away from the gate, thus also keeping the rope at a safe distance away from it. The spine tapers on its way to the bottom then straightens just before reaching it. The bottom section rises in a curved slant towards the hinge of the gate. With this overall shape, the carabiner fits comfortably in your palms making it easy to open, close, and manipulate.

The gate is equipped with a patented triple-lock mechanism requiring a three-way action to open. While it may take a little time getting used to such an opening, this guarantees that unintentional unlocking is practically eliminated, keeping you and your stuff away from accidents.

Crafted from forged 7075 aluminum, the ISC KH452 Gecko Supersafe Carabiner is lightweight but strong. It weighs only 84 grams. Alloyed with zinc, this type of aluminum is strong enough for use in the construction of aircraft wings and fuselage. Indeed, it is also called aerospace aluminum.

To protect the carabiner from scratches and nicks, its main body is anodized in black, while the gate in colored red. This black and red combination actually makes the ‘biner look rather attractive.

The Gecko Supersafe measures approximately 4.5 inches high and 3.0 inches wide. Gate opening is a shade less than an inch. Minimum breaking load is at 6,600 pounds, or the equivalent of 30kN. Work load limit, on the other hand, computed at a 10:1 ratio, is 660 pounds or 3 kN.

When tree climbing, you need to protect your hands as gripping ropes and grasping tree trunks and branches with rough barks can chafe or even graze and scrape your palms. At the same time, however, you need to maintain your manual dexterity in order to be able to manipulate your carabiners, ascenders, rope grabs, and friction hitches as well as tie different types of knots. The Wells Lamont 7690L Grain Cowhide Leather Gloves does a good job of providing adequate protection without impairing the functioning of your hands and fingers.

The Wells Lamont 7690L is designed for both professional and recreational use. It can be used while operating construction, industrial, and farm machinery. And it can certainly be used, not only by tree climbers, but by mountain climbers as well.

The gloves are made of a cowhide leather palm and a soft stretch fabric back. This combination provides extra protection to your palms without compromising your manual dexterity. Also, the stretch fabric assures a snug fit keeping the gloves in place even when gripping and twisting ropes. The fabric is also breathable, thus helping keep your hands from sweating inside the gloves.

The cowhide on the palm section of the gloves extends to the upper end of the back of the index, middle, and ring fingers as well as over the knuckles to protect them from possible abrasions.

For added comfort when gripping ropes or branches, the palm is fitted with a reinforced padding that masks the rough feel of tree barks and absorbs the heat from the rope friction as you rappel from the treetops.

Sporting a design that is different from typical harnesses, the Buckingham Deluxe Traverse Saddle has plenty of advantages over them. It uses a split tail system for more comfort and better positioning.

Taking advantage of this system, there are two sliding dee rings on the durable Nybuck webbing bridge that allow lateral movement of up to 16 inches. Although strong enough to take heavy loads, the bridge is light and compact, allowing an easier movement for the dee rings. This is adjusted at the front of the waist belt and on each leg strap.

The saddle’s 4-inch wide seat sling has a stiff batten to keep it stable. It is retained and supported by padded straps attached to the back of the waist belt. These, of course, can be adjusted for your maximum comfort. Quick-connect leg buckles also help keep the seat in place, while also allowing you to easily detach it if needed while on the ground.

The waist belt is made of an 8-inch wide nylon laminate, providing you with sufficient support for your back. Its extra padding makes it comfortable to wear even when it is weighed down by tools and equipment attached to it. And to help you keep dry, it is fitted with Drilex lining that wicks sweat and moisture away from your body.

Closed by a grommeted tongue buckle, you assured that the belt will keep the harness securely in place. It is equipped with two accessory loops and clips on each side and an additional three loops at the back so you can carry hands-free as much equipment as you need while you climb.

The Buckingham Deluxe Traverse Saddle comes in four sizes –small for waist sizes from 28 – 32″, medium for 32 – 36″, large for 36 – 40″, and extra large for 40 – 44″.

Reinforced with Kevlar and fiberglass, the composite shell of the Pacific Helmets WR5 is one tough headgear that can take bumps, crashes, and collisions in a stride. Since Kevlar is five times as strong as steel given the same weight, the WR5 is extremely light yet exceptionally strong, making it comfortable to wear, and making you feel safe as you climb and scale even the tallest trees.

The helmet comes in three colors –green, white, and red. These are painted with a high-gloss finish giving them an attractive sheen. It also makes them easier to clean. A clean damp cloth is usually enough to remove dirt and dust gathered by the helmet. Both the coating and the shell itself are also resistant to ultraviolet rays. This means that the paint does not easily fade or lose its shine, and the shell is not easily degraded.

Underneath the shell is a headband that snugly fits around your head. It can be removed for cleaning if it starts to smell of sweat, or replaced if it begins the wear. A nape strap attached to the headband can be adjusted from 52 – 64 cm with the incorporated ratchet for a comfortable fit. For optimum comfort, it includes a webbing cradle system consisting of nylon.

A three-point chinstrap made of polyester secures the helmet to your head so that even when you are hanging from a tree with your head lower than the rest of your body, it will not fall off. Notwithstanding this, it is easy to remove using its quick release buckle.

A number of options can be added to the Pacific Helmets WR5 for even more safety and comfort. A polycarbonate face shield can be fastened to it if needed. An earmuff mounting clip and a front lamp attachment can also be incorporated. For added visibility, you can opt for Fluoro painting, reflective trim, or external decals.

DMM first introduced the revolutionary concept of incorporating a pulley to a carabiner with its DMM Revolver. This, however, is a non-locking carabiner that is closed with a wire gate. With the DMM Revolver Locksafe Carabiner, a locking version is now available.

The pulley is embedded into the biner’s basket. It rotates on a high-tensile stainless steel spindle that is encased in a green sleeve, which is also made of stainless steel. It can take loads of up to 11kN, or about 2,470 pounds force, without any deformation. An IGUS dry-lube bearing allows the pulley to rotate smoothly.

When a loaded rope slides against a carabiner, friction is inevitably generated. This slowly yet surely degrades the rope over time. With the DMM Revolver’s pulley, however, the sliding friction of standard carabiners is transformed into a rolling friction. While friction is not eliminated, it is minimized thus prolonging the service life of your ropes.

In addition to the benefits to your rope, the pulley also facilitates climbing or branch walking as the resistance of the biner to a sliding rope is reduced. It is also excellent for top roping for a climber’s safety and for emergency rescue work. Apart from these, it can also be used to rig hauling systems.

Opening the gate of the DMM Revolver Locksafe Carabiner requires you to lift the barrel before rotating it through 90° before you can push it open, thus complying with ANSI standards. When the gate is released, it automatically reverts to its closed position with the help of springs inside the barrel. Matching the sleeve of the pulley, the barrel is also colored green.

The Revolver Locksafe has a closed strength of 24kN, so that in the unlikely event that the pulley fails, you still have a fully functioning standard screwgate carabiner. Open and cross-loaded strength are at 8kN.

External dimensions are 10.75 cm x 5.75 cm with a gate opening of 1.5 cm. Weight is 70 g.

The name Shanta originated from Sanskrit, the classic literary language of India. It means calm or serene. It is an apt name for the New Tribe Shanta Rope Pack, because it assures you that your climbing ropes, on which your life may sometimes literally hang, are fully protected. Climbing ropes can be damaged when exposed to dirt. It can get into the fibers and cut them, thus weakening the rope. So does prolonged exposure to the sun. It is for this reason that climbing ropes need to be bagged whenever they are not actually being used.

Shanta rope packs are not only for protecting your ropes. It is a tarp that you can spread out on the ground to sit or lie on while taking a break from your climbing. At 40″ x 55″, there is enough room for two as you swap notes on how to charge up your targeted tree. Just be sure to clean the underside of the tarp off debris before packing your rope.

Open out the tarp out when packing the rope. Spread it out in the middle leaving enough space for folding over the rope. To keep your rope in order, two loops are on opposite ends of the width of the tarp where you can tie its ends. Once the sides of the tarp are folded over the rope, roll it up into the pack.

The pack is 16 inches tall with a diameter of 10 inches, providing plenty of room for your ropes. It has a compression strap to reduce its bulk. For a comfortable carry, the shoulder straps are padded with foam, and to keep it stable as you trek to where the tall trees are, a waist belt is incorporated. It is also height adjustable.

Since it is not advisable to carry other objects inside the pack as these may damage the rope, a large pocket is included outside. There are also tie downs where you can lash other gear.

Gripping ropes, grasping twigs and branches and perhaps even hanging on them requires adequate protection for your hands, otherwise you risk cutting them with the rough bark of tall trees. At the same time, however, you also need to be able to manipulate your ascenders, descenders, pulleys, and carabiners, as well as the knots and loops of your climbing ropes. This requires that your protective glove should provide you with enough freedom of movement and dexterity to handle your equipment. The Timberland PRO Dermosafe Gloves is an excellent answer to both of these needs.

Although labeled “PRO”, and indeed it was designed to meet the rigorous demands of professionals who spend hours working at the top of poles or trees, it does not mean that amateur tree climbers have no use for them.

Coated with black Kevlar silicon, the Dermosafe resists cuts, thus keeping your fingers and palms protected at all times. It also resists liquids and oils maintaining a good grip even in wet weather. This allows you to climb even when trees are still wet from the morning dew.

The back of the glove is made of nylon and Lycra fabric. This makes it stretchable and flexible allowing you to flex your wrist and fingers completely unimpeded. It is also lightweight and thus comfortable on your hands. And as it is breathable, allowing air to pass through to your palms, you need not worry about having sweaty hands. In addition to all these advantages, Lycra is also resistant to bacteria, ultraviolet rays, and chlorine.

The wrist of the Timberland PRO Dermosafe Gloves consists of an elastic fabric that makes it self-fastening, making putting them on quite convenient.

The gloves are available in sizes ranging from 7 to 11.

Instead of the more common tie-in and belay loops, the New Tribe Pro-Gear II Arborist Saddle has a tie-in point that is fixed at the front and which is closed with a pear screw link; and, in place of the belay loop, it uses a floating roller D on the leg loop crosspiece or strap bridge.

In order to be able to extricate yourself from the leg loops quickly and easily, they are fitted with quick release buckles. They are also adjustable to assure a comfortable yet secure fit. Adding further comfort is the soft cushioning of the leg pads that extend up to the inner thighs.

The belt strap is likewise padded with double-density foam to keep your waist and back comfortable and relaxed even while you are hanging from a tree branch. At the front section, the belt is 4 inches wide but it widens to 6 inches at the back. This helps distribute your weight over a wider area instead of concentrating it on a narrow strip. This, of course, helps substantially to prevent backaches.

The saddle is made of 1¾” nylon parachute webbing that is rated at 6,000 pounds. The D rings on both sides of the belt are made of forged steel and have a 2¾” inside diameter, which means it can carry a good number of loads. Indeed, it is rated at 5,000 pounds. The rescue loop at the back of the belt, on the other hand, has a 5,600 pound breaking strength.

A stainless steel adjuster buckle is incorporated with the cinch strap to help keep the belt snug, while the roller D fastened to the leg strap bridge has a roller to keep bridge movement smooth and easy. It is rated at 5,000 pounds.

The New Tribe Pro-Gear II Arborist Saddle is designed to carry a lot of equipment. Fastened to the belt are two brass boat snaps, an aluminum ring at the back, two gear loops, five carabiner loops, and four webbing slots. There are also additional two carabiner loops on the leg straps. Should you opt to attach the saddle to a shoulder harness, two accessory rings are provided.