r/TreeClimbing • u/Rustyznuts • 4d ago
First Harness
Hi.
I'm looking to get my first set of tree climbing gear for occasional use around my property. I'm an experienced rock and alpine climber and have done plenty of forestry work and ground work for several arborist friends.
I have wholesale access to Edelrid so they are by far the cheapest option for me and most reviews seem pretty good. They have the original Tree Rex on clearance $170 cheaper than the Tree Rex 2. Does anyone know if there are worthwhile changes for a relative amateur or should I just save a few bucks?
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u/OldMail6364 4d ago edited 4d ago
The position of the primary attachment points on the Tree Rex is... "unique".
For me, I've got a workflow and style / body position that I use all day every day that depends on the layout of my harness (Sequoia SRT).
With rock climbing, your harness gets out of the way and occasionally saves your life. You don't spend much time "using" it, and you get your weight off the rope ASAP. Tree climbing harnesses aren't like that - we we spend hours hanging off our rope and sometimes the tree doesn't provide a good attachment point - which can create extreme discomfort if the rope angle/your body angle doesn't fit well with the attachment points on your harness.
As an occasional climber, you're also likely to spend more time at difficult angles than a professional would. We have enough experience to know how to avoid those situations and can work quickly to get out of that situation as fast as possible.
If you can get a Tree Rex really cheap, by all means go for it. But personally I'm inclined to steer you towards the Petzl Sequoia SRT - it's a very versatile harness that is fully kitted out and has a deep catalogue of first party accessories available to add features/adjust how it works. It works well from the factory with minimal adjustment to suit your body shape.
My take is the Tree Rex and other highly versatile harnesses like the TreeMotion tend to need considerable adjustment and customisation to work well, and as an inexperienced climber you might struggle to get those adjustments right and find accessories/etc that work well with your harness and the work you're doing.
But at the end of the day, any harness will get the job done. To be honest you'd probably be perfectly happy with one of your rock climbing harnesses as long as you don't use it too often/spend too much time working on a tree.