I Fear New Gear

TreeSmithAK

TreeSmithAK

New member
Location
Alaska
Lol, well, kind of! New gear still makes me feel like a kid at christmas but in the context of production work, it's something of a stumbling block to me.

Just wondering if I am alone in my little bit of hesitation of adding new gear & techniques to my climbing closet so to speak. I came up green through the mid 90's in my career, which seemingly is when the rock climbing world & gear started to really meld with the forestry/arboriculture world. Ever since then watching the gear & techniques evolve has been wild, but somewhat difficult to keep up with & adapt to. I've made it beyond the blakes hitch to some degree, but even today I still put so much faith into my familiar old school gear that each time I buy a new piece or try a new technique, I find it cumbersome, almost more mentally which in turn affects my jobsite efficiency. I know spending more leisure time practicing with new techniques/gear would help on that end, but there is a little part of me that just feels old, grumpy & don't need all that new fangled stuff! Am I alone? Do you total gear junkies laugh at us simpletons when we're not looking???

Whats the favorite new toy you splurged on? Mine was accidental in that a company I ordered just set of basic buckingham spurs from mistakenly shipped me Geko Ultra Lights & were kind enough to just say you're welcome to keep them.. I had drooled over them for years but never wanted to fork over the dough for them :)
 
We laugh openly, both at your lack of a proper gear addiction, and about our empty wallets.
I recently incorporated a secret weapon with a revolver instead of a big ring. It took some thinking and practice to get it incorporated. Studying and playing with the different applications at home made all the difference.
I never thought I would really use one, but it has been the biggest benefit to my climbing since I started using the rope wrench.
 
I understand. Often, though a system (of any sort) may not be most efficient, we are faster using it because it’s programmed in our heads. There’s a lot of research being talked about now concerning the pathways in our brain, how it makes highways for habitual tasks, while new tasks quite literally require blazing a new neural trail, which requires much more effort.
 
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New equipment can have positives and negatives in my humble opinion. I rermember watching a very experienced climber on a belay on an ice climb years ago fiddling with ice cold hands after a really, really hard pitch as he was trying to get the newest Petzl "belay device" ready to go on a 55 meter rappel. This wasn't in warm springtime sun but in really pi$$y spindrift and howling wind. Cold as skunk. After watching the air turn blue and him finally throw the thing away cursing and then bring out an old Sticht plate, I figured I wouldn't rush out to buy anything "new" until it has been through a year or two of production to get the kinks out. And nix purchasing if it needed undue effort or figuring to get working into my normal "climbing system". Everything is good till it's not. When the rigged piece comes back at you or poop hits the fan, I want things KISS. Thats why we practice rescue so it's automatic - not autopilot (use without thinking along the way) but there's muscle memory there. Remember in our brave new world - Marketing Departments and Finance and Spreadsheet dicks run the world - engineers and technical people don't. My 2 centz on "New". As the Sargeant said, Let's be careful out there.
 
I have been pretty old school for my career. Most of the guys in my area that I have worked with didn't even use a split tail. I started using a split tail and micro pulley about 12 or 14 years ago and got a pair of gekoes about 10 years ago. Since then, I haven't changed much or bought much of anything till last week. I just bought a foot ascender, hand ascender, and a spider jack. So far I like them a lot. The spider Jack is taking some getting used to, but I think I will consider it a big improvement very soon. It's not that I don't like trying new things, but when it comes to climbing and trusting my life, and pay check, on my gear, I hesitate to fix what isn't broke. But as I get older, this job gets harder. Foot locking or hip thrusting into big oaks is getting to be tiresome. I have been eyeing the spider jack for years, never wanted to spend the money.
 
There is no good reason not to use the excellent tools and technics that have been developed in the last few years. There have been huge advances in tree climbing that can make your work easier and safer. Take the time to research and learn.
 
I'm kind of in the same boat as you. Granted I love my gear addictions, I am slow to integrate much of new climbing stuff into my regular work day. Fortunately I have a decent stand of trees and a couple parks near to where I live, so I practice in my spare time until I'm comfortable with the way things function, before bringing it out at work. Depending on what it is some things I'm able to integrate after only a quick trip out. Other things (here's looking at you SRT) I'm still working on polishing enough to do routinely.
 
There is a difference between being a gear junkie and buying new gear to become more efficient and/or safer. I’m a gear junkie in that I investigate and learn about all new stuff but I definitely don’t have the money to buy it all and test it out. While it probably wastes a little more time than necessary, when planning a job out I’ll let my mind use things that I don’t currently own. If I find myself often going “if I only had XYZ, this job would be a lot faster/easier/safer” then I tend to buy myself an XYZ. I find I don’t buy things I don’t use and it makes it easier to validate purchases to my wife as well. I love my mechanicals: zigzag and ART2. They have shaved more time off my work than anything else being that moving around the tree is the core of what we do. Rope Runner is on the horizon.
 
RBJtree said:
I have been pretty old school for my career. Most of the guys in my area that I have worked with didn't even use a split tail. I started using a split tail and micro pulley about 12 or 14 years ago and got a pair of gekoes about 10 years ago. Since then, I haven't changed much or bought much of anything till last week. I just bought a foot ascender, hand ascender, and a spider jack. So far I like them a lot. The spider Jack is taking some getting used to, but I think I will consider it a big improvement very soon. It's not that I don't like trying new things, but when it comes to climbing and trusting my life, and pay check, on my gear, I hesitate to fix what isn't broke. But as I get older, this job gets harder. Foot locking or hip thrusting into big oaks is getting to be tiresome. I have been eyeing the spider jack for years, never wanted to spend the money.
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Welcome dude. You will get introduced to new stuff here. Soak it up.
 
Ok so here is the thing 7 years ago I started climbing SRT. I am now 51. My body loves me for that move and embracing new techniques. I can race up 50' in less than 13 seconds without much effort. At work pruning a large tree I can weave my rope through the canopy from one side to the next and back removing my rope as I drop down without even backtracking or changing my TIP. I do a lot of treecare. Some days I hardly break a sweat just cruising through the canopy. Our tools today make that possible. Watch guys do a masters event at a comp and you will see how essential it is to progress to modern gear. Those that do not unfortunately will soon be left far behind. Our industry has evolved steadily in the last 10 years. Check some new stuff out you will be pleasantly surprised at how your game changes. It keeps climbing fresh and fun. This is not a job for me it is a lifestyle. If I walk into a room filled with my peers from elementary school I can easily look 10 to 15 years younger than them. That is no joke the only give away is a head of beautiful grey hair.. full head of hair I might add. Climb on and embrace the wave folks. Prolong a career in what I call the greatest profession on earth.
 
swingdude said:
If I walk into a room filled with my peers from elementary school I can easily look 10 to 15 years younger than them. That is no joke the only give away is a head of beautiful grey hair.. full head of hair I might add. Climb on and embrace the wave folks. Prolong a career in what I call the greatest profession on earth.
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Lots of truth there. At 64 I often hear that I'm in good physical shape and healthy. Grey hair and thin up top though LOL

I know that had I not sta rting to change my ways in my 30's to use better climbing gear and skills then figuring out SRT 20-25 years ago I would not have retired feeling so good.

Be careful of buying every new shiny bit of jimcrack that's produced. Research and study
 
Tom Dunlap said:
Lots of truth there. At 64 I often hear that I'm in good physical shape and healthy. Grey hair and thin up top though LOL

I know that had I not sta rting to change my ways in my 30's to use better climbing gear and skills then figuring out SRT 20-25 years ago I would not have retired feeling so good.

Be careful of buying every new shiny bit of jimcrack that's produced. Research and study
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I'm with you tom and Swing. 65 and still climbing albeit not every day and a little more selective in what I'm climbing. Had a civil engineer yesterday tell me he wished he was in as good a shape as me. The guy looks like the Pillsbury doughboy. Too much seat time. I have had people guess my age at 45. I'm also getting a bit of a kick from these guys talking about "old school";)
 
For me, it's about efficiency, but depending on the tree's size, I usually prefer using a multicender, with a foot and knee ascender to ascend on SRT. At that point, I think it's safer to switch into a DRT set up, as it places less friction on the hardware. In your case, I recommend trying everything and using what you want, when you want.
 
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