When climbing a tree, there are certain pieces of equipment that are absolutely essential. Whether you're a professional tree surgeon or you climb trees for some other reason, safety should always come first and having the right gear will dramatically reduce the risk of injury.

Tree Climbing Equipment

Safety Harnesses

You have a reasonable amount of choice when it comes to selecting a suitable safety harness. The harness you choose should fit snugly but still be comfortable to wear.

Tree Climbing Harness

The tree climbing work positioning harness pictured above is a great option because it is affordable, comfortable, and has multiple attachment points. Make sure you know your waist size before ordering as this will ensure that the harness fits correctly.

Alternatively, you could opt for a full body harness. These harnesses are probably a more comfortable choice for tree surgeons because you can easily sit down into the harness and still feel secure while working at height for extended periods. One of our favourites is the PETZL AVAO rope access safety harness, which wraps over the body in an 'X' shape to reduce the pressure on your body during longer suspensions.

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Lanyards

A lanyard (or flipline) is a length of cord that can temporarily hold a tree climber in place. Having a lanyard attached to your safety harness allows you to maintain a point of contact with the tree at all times.

Climbing Lanyard

There are many options available when it comes to picking a lanyard: the length, mechanism and material can vary from one product to the next, so be sure to do some research before making a purchase.

View all lanyards and fliplines >

 

Helmets

If you're working up a tree, it's important to buy a protective helmet that was actually designed for arborists and tree surgeons. A standard hardhat is not acceptable - hardhats are designed to protect the head from falling objects, and while this is still a potential hazard when climbing a tree, there's also a risk that you will be hit from the side or fall from a great height. Your helmet needs to be capable of protecting you in all of these circumstances.

Climbing Helmet

The helmet shown above is a favourite amongst arborists: the PETZL Vertex Best Climbing Helmet. It features:

  • A CentreFit adjustment system
  • A strong chinstrap
  • Attachment points for a visor / ear defenders

View all safety helmets >

At Life-Gear.com we stock a variety of arborist bags that are designed to serve different purposes; some arborist bags are ideal for storing all your equipment as you move from site to site and others are more compact and secure for use while you’re working in the trees.

Arborist bags need to be:

  • Durable
  • Easy to access
  • Watertight
  • Big enough to store your equipment
  • Compact enough not to get in the way

We have selected a few of our arborist bags to give you an overview of their different qualities and uses. Our arborist bags will get you on site, up the tree and able to work with as little hassle as possible.

 

Getting on site:

As an arborist you will have a lot of equipment you need to take on site with you, this may include your:

  • Harness
  • Helmet
  • Ropes
  • Hardware

Whatever you need with you will be kept together, dry and secure in this Large Edelrid Arborist Equipment Storage Bag. This bag has a capacity of 45 litres, D-rings so that you can secure your equipment into it using a padlock, and it’s floatable and watertight meaning none of your equipment will get damaged even in the harshest conditions.

 

 

For use in the trees:

Once you have ascended into the treetops, you need an arborist bag that’s easy to access and close to your body. This Edelrid Mini Equipment/ Tool Bag for Harness Belt is the ideal bag for the job! It can be attached to any harness or belt using a standard hook, or pair it with one of our tool lanyards.

 

For smaller items:

If you need to carry small pieces of equipment like pruning tools etc. into the trees, this Lyon Arborist Equipment Bag is perfect. It can carry up to 3litres of equipment, has a drawstring closing mechanism and will fit easily to any harness.

Not sure if any of these arborist bags are right for you? Not to worry, we have lots more for you to choose from on our site!

View our arborist bags here >

If you have any questions about any of the products featured in this blog, or if we can help with anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re happy to help with whatever query you may have.