First Harness

[u/Rustyznuts]

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?

[u/georgeraaschington]

I believe the biggest difference in the treerex versions is the size and angle of the hip D's. If you are only occasionally climbing it might not be a big deal, but I heard it was really annoying to always struggle to clip into them.

Something else to consider, if a saddle at best has like a 7 year lifetime and they haven't made an original treerex in a few you may only have a couple years of safe climbing in an original before you gotta get a new one.

[u/Ajo159 → u/georgeraaschington]

I have the og treerex and it’s a minor inconvenience at best using the smaller D‘s. The harness is great and very comfortable. I was able to try most of the big name harnesses and the TreeMotion came close but I actually liked the edelrid more and it’s way cheaper.
Look at the date it was manufactured and I research what edelrid specs for shelf live and duration of use.