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Tree Climbers Safety Harness Tools

Tree climbing is an outdoor activity that combines technical climbing techniques along with specialized safety gear for climbers to ascend trees. Due to the immense heights reached while climbing, special safety equipment is used in conjunction with a tree climbing saddle for climbers to traverse tree-tops safely. Tree climbing is a recreational activity that is available to adults and children.

  1. Tree Climbing Saddles

    • Tree climbing saddles are worn around the legs, waist and torso of the climber to prevent slippage during a climb. Saddles come in two types, either leg-strap or butt-strap. Leg-strap saddles have two straps that wrap around the upper thigh. Butt-strap saddles have one strap that goes across the climber’s rear and two straps that connect between the legs to the front of the harness. Tree climbing saddles are specially designed with heavily padded straps to ensure comfort during long periods of climbing.

    Rope

    • Tree climbing ropes connect to the tree climbing saddle and the tree, keeping the climber secure from falls while climbing. Ropes used for tree climbing are made of a polyester-Dacron exterior, making it both soft and pliable for tying knots. They are made with a braided construction, which keeps climbers from spinning while in suspension. A standard rope for tree climbing has a 1/2-inch diameter and is 150 feet long (though the length of rope only needs to be double the height of the tree to be climbed).

    Carabiners

    • Carabiners are metal clips used on the tree climbing saddle for multiple attachment purposes. To connect the tree climbing saddle to the rope, either a positive-locking carabiner or an auto-locking rope clip should be used (according to the American National Standards Institute). A positive-locking carabiner is one that requires three motions to open: usually pushing and twisting to open the lock, then pulling to open the gate. This is to ensure that the carabiner will not unlock during a climb. An auto-locking rope clip requires two actions to unlock and one action to open, and has a breaking strength requirement of 5,000 pounds or more. Carabiners with less locking protection are used for carrying accessories on the tree climbing saddle.

    Straps and Saddlebags

    • Tree climbing saddles can be outfitted with numerous types of saddlebags and nylon straps. These accessories provides space for a climber to carry extra safety equipment including back-up ropes, extra carabiners, a first aid kit or small wood cutting tools. Straps and saddlebags are usually attached to the tree climbing saddle using carabiners.

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