Rec harness?

ATH

ATH

Been here much more than a while
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Findlay, Ohio
I am looking for recommendations for recreational tree climbing harnesses. I am commercial arborist myself (using a tree motion) so this is not for me. I have a friend who wants to do recreational climbing and I'm trying to help him get set up.

I see some of them marketed for recreational tree climbing don't have side D rings (New Tribe Twist was one that if it had side attachments we'd look harder at). To me that is non-negotiable I think a lanyard makes climbing safer easier and more enjoyable!

Budget is a concern but don't want something super uncomfortable like the old hip squeezers! Also hoping to find something that is adjustable to a wider range of sizes. Kids may also want to use the harness in a year or 2 (I have a kid's harness that fits now...).
 
Looked at the Tengu, but it has relatively narrow sizing range. Others fit a wider range and overlap. For example, which size for a 35" waist? M goes 33-35. XL starts at 36. Not much room for an extra scoop of dessert LOL!

Looks comfortable. Upper end of what we are looking to spend, but probably in range...

The Record looks like a good option, but probably just a little too much $ pushing over $300 after shipping... Wesspur only has it with full body harness for over $400. I haven't heard of the other retailers Google found. For that money ($400) I'd do a treemotion s-light.

I wouldn't say either are ruled out, just not the perfect fit - which may not exist...if I had found it I wouldn't be asking!

Thanks - and keep them coming!
 
All good recommendations... I've been using a TreeMo and loving it, but for the sake of having one or two more saddles to use for teaching rec-climbing, the New Tribe Twist is one-size fits all, but the specs are weak compared to more rugged saddles with a floating bridge, side Ds and other enhancements. The Tengu, Onyx or the TreeMo light would be good options too, depending on your budget.
 
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I use the skylotec record, its a very nice harness. Very lightweight at 700g(1.5 lbs), enough gear loops and not too uncomfortable. I'd say the maximum hang time is at around 1-2 hours. I can only recommend it, its great!

Edit:it seems to be a lot cheaper in Germany, I got mine for 160€ (~190$)

It also has a semi-floating bridge with about 5cm of travel.
 
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You can find pretty good deals if you shop in Germany or the UK.
If you want a floating bridge, you could take a look at the Singing Rock Timber, the Weaver Cougar, and if you shop at Honeybros, you might want to look into the Treehog TH5000 or the Edelrid Treecore, they got pretty good prices over there.
Another cheap option is what I use, the Treeup TH030, which sells for around 130€ here in Germany, I haven't seen it for sale anywhere else. It's not great for prolonged suspension though, but it's fine for most uses.
 
You could always take a look at regular rope access harnesses like the Petzl Avao. They tend to be a lot cheaper, but lack the range of movement.
 
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ATH said:
Looked at the Tengu, but it has relatively narrow sizing range. Others fit a wider range and overlap. For example, which size for a 35" waist? M goes 33-35. XL starts at 36. Not much room for an extra scoop of dessert LOL!

Looks comfortable. Upper end of what we are looking to spend, but probably in range...
Click to expand...

Size Large Tengu would be perfect for a 35" waist.

The New Tribe Twist is good for a flexible sizing harness for a "guest" rec climb but I wouldn't use it as a primary harness.

Tree Motion Light is excellent but in general the TM is a high performance harness, ie: it's going to give you exceptional "pitch and yaw" mobility, I wouldn't recommend it for a rec climber just starting out, it's like taking a Ferrari out for your first drive. Work climbers need to be able to turn completely away from the tree when they're reaching out on limb walks without the harness belt fighting them, that's why the floating anchor bridge. Similarly a work climber wants to be able to pivot side-to-side to just about horizontal body position, that kind of built-in "imbalance" that the bridge gives you can be challenging when you're starting out.

The center attach harnesses like Tengu and others are super stable and I found no limitation climbing anything I went after, PNW redwoods, big pines in the east, big hardwoods in the south etc. Typical rec climbing scenario is you're going to spend much more time hanging with your full weight on the harness than a work climber, narrow leg straps/pads are not going to cut it.
-AJ
 
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Thanks Bango Skank!
This was definitely a very appealing deal. I tried to order one but the limit of their stock had already been reached. Also, the price with rebate was actually $287 (30% off) instead of $255.5 as advertised... Strange.
Thanks anyhow.
 
Batla said:
Thanks Bango Skank!
This was definitely a very appealing deal. I tried to order one but the limit of their stock had already been reached. Also, the price with rebate was actually $287 (30% off) instead of $255.5 as advertised... Strange.
Thanks anyhow.
Click to expand...
Probably the tax that was added. In the states, prices don't include sales tax.
 
Actually, the taxes come later in the buying process, I think they made a mistake when they set the price.. I checked other products on sale on the same page and their reduced prices fit the rebate of 30%. Just not this one.. Anyway, I came a bit late. It's not a problem :)
 
I think we've narrowed down to the Petzl Avao or Singing Rock Timber 3D. Upper limits of target price, but seem to fit the bill of looking comfortable, side Ds, and wider fit ranges.

$287 for the Skylotec puts it right there too...but according to their site, the Size 2 is from 90-135 cm waist which translates to 35"-53" - so too big.
 
Looking at the features, I'd get the Singing Rock, you have a floating bridge, you can clip into the shackles with your lanyard if you need to hang and it has cobra buckles for easier donning.
 
Basically wanted to be the first guy to say, yes, this is an awesome harness- better than petzl's sit (which is the same price range) and not as good as the treemotion, but is almost half the price

A small excerpt from a review on the timber taken from treestuff further my case against the avao.
 
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I do like the quick release buckles on the Timber 3D... Never really thought about the disadvantages of a floating bridge that @moss outlined for beginning rec climber - one of the things that keeps the Petzl on the table.
 
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