Tree gaffs vs Pole gaffs! My experience!
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- I made the switch to pole gaffs from tree gaffs recently and the difference and improvements they have made for me were profound! I thought I'd share my experience for those who are interested or are perhaps struggling with using tree gaffs like I was.
I am a old climber, my knees are worn and tired. I use super short pole gaffes on everything I can. Great job spreading the word!
Pole gaffs all day every day! I’m on coco palms a lot and I tried tree gaffs ONE time! Nope! Also, your toe end of your boot can touch the tree giving you a better feel of your foot position on tree. Also, also an adjustable friction saver like the fimblesaver as tree squeeze with lanyard makes a huge difference for me. A downside gaff out on a leaning palm with wire core lanyard dropped low will make you poop your cloggers. The squeeze lanyard keeps you from sliding 10 ft down a slopey palm or euc spar for that matter. (Ask how I know..) Cheers bro!💪🏽👍🏽
Lol! We definitely don't have palms or Euc's here in Michigan but I could imagine. I have seen various tie in methods you guys use to keep from a long slide down em. The weird part is gaff outs on pole gaffs seem like a minor inconvenience and still kinda in control as your boot is in contact with the tree mostly. I remember on tree gaffs since it already felt like standing on pivoting stilts a gaff put would be more dramatic and "puckersome" lol! Thanks for your feed bad for real, I like to hear from the pole gaff users for sure!
For me it was like going from high heels to running shoes! Big difference but short spikes are tough in thick bark species, like mature ponderosa pine. I switch back and forth a few times a year but mainly it’s short spikes for me. Dude best piece of gear I still love to this day is the Velcro foot straps by Buckingham(I think). They were life changing and only like $30. Keep up the great work Joshman!!!
Glad to hear your experience Craig. Good example too, spot on! Dude I am gonna have to get me some velcro foot straps now, I totally forgot they existed, thanks! I always appreciate your support Craig thanks for watching!
One thing I forgot to mention was that I noticed my feet never felt arch pressure or sore when using pole gaffs. Also my legs felt better. It felt as if I could stay in the tree all day if I had to.
I agree with you 100%. On every single point you mentioned. Same exact experience.
Nice! Glad to hear from another fellow pole gaff aficionado! Thanks for watching!
pole gaffs are what I was taught on and I've really only used tree gaffs a hand full of times ....looking forward to seeing you experience different types of trees and climbs with your new gaffs....keep us posted
I was glad to hear that you rocked pole gaffs. I noticed early on in your vids you didnt struggle at all with the moving through the tree. That's why I'd say you moved like a fish in water, in the trees. As where I'd have struggled to get there let alone make the cut. I'll try and keep everyone updated as we go. Thanks for watching brother!
@@Joshman5000 well you're the fish now.....wait.....ummmm...yeah.....you're a fish....😜
No doubt nice guy Dave..does video on this
Nice video and explanation.
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
100% I have the same point of view with you and went through the same thing great video very useful info 👌🏽✌🏽
Tree gaffs feel like stilts is the way I would describe it
Thanks Oscar that does make me feel better hearing that you can relate. One point i wish I would have mentioned also is that my feet felt more comfortable, like I could be in the tree all day vs the eventual arch pain from tree gaffs. Must be some sort of extra torque involved with tree gaffs. Thanks for watching brother!
great video, ive never used pole gaffs always tree gaffs. i do a lot of pines around here so that was my reasoning behind not ever thinking about using them. thanks for the video bud, i can relate to all you said about the tree gaffs, but id definetely like to try pole gaffs. im on my second set of velcro wraps just like yours, they are awesome!
I like pole gaffs so much after just one climb I'll do what I can from here out to avoid ever using tree gaffs again. Unless its gonna be a big pine day perhaps
Thanks for watching brother!
Saw Dave at WesSpur mentioned it in a video of theirs when I was learning. Been using pole gaffs since day 1.
Yeah I remember that video. It was always in the back of my mind Dave saying that stuff about pole gaffs but I had went with tree gaffs cause most everyone used them but when a set of free pole gaffs came my way and I had finally got to experience them it was a game changer for me. Been on em ever since. Thanks for watching!
Whats weird for me is when i use tree spikes on redwoods a bunch then climb a phone pole with my pole gaffs. Takes me a few minutes to get used to the shorter length and angle. I have climbed redwoods with pole gaffs years ago...
Yeah I bet that would be weird. In your neck of the woods tree gaffs are a must I'm sure. Correct me if I'm wrong but dont they make an even larger/longer tree gaff specifically for those massive conifers out your way?
@@Joshman5000 . Not sure. I use the gecko's. Plenty long. I have climbed redwoods with pole gaffs before in a pinch. Made sure to keep a climb line at all times cause they would come out sometimes. Alotnof these trees u are not gonna get all the way through the bark anyway. I have had large chunks of redwood break off and be stuff in my spikes. Thats a pain
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@@megadosevitaminc8774 oh man I want me some geckos bad, with pole gaffs now obviously lol but those look light and comfy. I may have seen the extra long tree gaffs on bailey's web site. Kind of a older item or more of a specialty thing that's not common now a days. Think it was like a 6 in long gaff for navigating the deep bark ridges
Have tore knee bought talons eagle ..pole gaffs..there best I've tried..there light and slightly angled.lower straps are kinda tricky but other than that thier caddilac
pole gaffs are way more stable... I too found out the hard way to what extent... smaller spars especially... no stability whatsoever
Pole gaffs literally changed my life
For real brother me too! I havnt used tree gaffs since making the switch, other then 1 time when I used someone else's gear (mine wasn't with me that day) at work to help save us some work. I don't think I'd be where I'm at far as skills and passion go if not for pole gaffs. Thanks for watching!
Pole gaffs here to bud.
Very nice! How long have you been using em? Did you have similar experiences with tree gaffs?
I have exactly the same pole spikes you have and i find it uncomfortable, the front velcro part hurts my legs and my feet become numb after a while, it might be the way i have it adjusted, i have never used tree gafts before, but im gonna give them a second chance after watching your videos, 👍
Thanks for watching! Numb feet are usually your boots ive found personally. Once I got better boots that had shanks in the sole for good arch support i didn't have numb feet anymore and can spend all day on the spurs keep that in mind I suppose.
@@Joshman5000 my man, it makes perfect sense, you save me from unnecessary buying other spikes, but other shoes 👍💯 thanks for that
Happy to help if I can. The hunt for good boots is a mother fucker though. I currently am wearing arbortec scaffel lites and they seem to be a great all around rugged boot and are great on spurs. Budget friendly boots are the timberland pro hyperions which I've done a couple vids on they are great and comfortable but don't last longer then a season but not bad for $130 or so off amazon
@@Joshman5000 awesome, im gonna do more research, but till now these timberlands looks like the most economic way like you said
have you ever tried the european gaffs? i got rid of them asap
No never tried em.
I'm going to try a set for sure! I agree, sometimes I can even feel my knees getting tired early on and I think it's because of fighting that movement at my ankles, or just using all the muscles to clamp down. Now the real question... What man needs 6 thermos'?!? I think that falls under the high capacity magazine ban legislations! I should have more thermos in my life for how much coffee I go through 🤣 Thanks joshman!
Yeah I forgot to mention how much more comfortable my feet stayed with pole gaffs. I think your right, theres a sort of ass clench leg lock involved sometimes with tying to keep the work positioning on tree gaffs. I used to drink a pot and a half of coffee a day. I'd never leave the house without a full pot in the Stanley XL bottle. Those are retired now lol! Now you owe it to yourself to get some new gaffs! Thanks for watching brother!
@@Joshman5000 absolutely ass and lower back too. I'm sold! I was hoping to never use spurs again but we all know how that goes 😂 thanks for the new content!
Just got my pole gaffs yesterday and was checking on some videos for tips on sharpening them and came across your video. Glad I found it because I was struggling with my tree gaffs on hardwood such as oak. Our property is covered with them and I felt it was time to get pole gaffs. I have the gecko aluminum climbers , anxiously waiting to try them out as soon as the rain stops. Reading everyone else’s comments has given me a great amount confidence in them now. Thanks Joshman for sharing your views because your views generated even more awesome views.
Hey thanks for watching and glad you found some use. Totally night and day difference between the 2. I'm much more comfortable on pole gaffs now and can move better in the tree.
Pole gaffs are awesome and they are all I've ever used, I think we have one old pair of tree gaffs but I've never used them, Good video man and stay safe brotha 👊
Well I'd say unless you encounter a big dirty old pine with massive bark ridge's then theres no need for you to try em lol! Even then if you're strategic you can navigate them still. Damn I'm glad I posted this vid. I've learned the general consensus from all who have commented so far is that pole gaffs are the way to go for navigating deciduous trees. I used to think there was maybe something wrong with me cause of those damn tree gaffs. Thanks for your input and support as always Dustin! Be safe see ya on the next one!
@@Joshman5000 🤘
Maybe I should give my dad's old pole gaffs another try. He got all his climbing gear at the flea market and the gaffs were old as shit then & that was 26 years ago! He swore by them and that's all he used. He climbed around his house cutting down trees and pruning ( yes wearing gaffs) until he was around 83..lol He used pole gaffs and an old Buckingham harness belt type and a lanyard he made. That's it... no fancy shit. He had one rope but hardly broke it out. It was always a smash & crash..lol
Yeah give em a whirl they are quite a different experience compared to tree gaffs. I always like hearing about the old guys like that that just climbed with the belts and nothing else. Thanks for watching!
I have Gecko Climbers with both spurs ....pole Gafts most of the time....but with PINE TREES i like my tree Gafts !!!
It's to hot for a penguin to be walking around!!!!
I use my tree gaffs more than my poles, but I climb a lot of pines. Working thick bark trees can be painful with shorties. If I'm doing a thin bark tree I use my pole gaffs every time, and mostly due to how comfortable limb walks are for those limbs that stretch way out into the next county.
Nice! Sounds like I should get an extra set of pads for my tree gaffs in case I need em on a big old pine some day. The shorty's are awsome I must say though! Thanks for watching Joe!
@@Joshman5000 I only use caddy pads, and I highly recommend them! Very affordable, last forever and super comfortable. 🤙
@@sawdustjunkies5779 thanks joe I'll keep that in mind.
Great video, can you just file down tree gaffes so they are shorter ?
Thanks for watching! I suppose one could do that but it’d be difficult to get em even, and I’m sure many folks would advise against it. It’d be easier to just replace the gaffs with pole gaffs if your spurs have removable gaffs. Also a person may be tempted to use a bench grinder of some sort to make shortening tree gaffs easier and introducing heat like that would not be a good idea I can’t imagine. I my self would say buy the gaffs when you have the means instead of alter them, and that way you’d have a set of tree gaffs still for future use. I still have my tree gaffs but haven’t worn them in years now and don’t plan on it if I don’t have to
Great now I've got to find some body to trade me some pole gaffs, I've got 2 pair of tree and never tried pole. You best not be lying JoshMan
They may not be everyone’s cup of tea but for me and a handful of my buddies we’re all on pole gaffs and haven’t had the need for tree gaffs ever since switching. I try and rope walk past the lower trunk sections anyways if it’s larger diameter then when working the tree down (if the tree has deep bark ridges) I’ll just be a little more strategic and try and look more where I’m placing my spur and go into the thick bark. Same if you’re spuring all the way up and the lower portion has deep ridges, often times they’d be big enough to where tree gaffs still wouldn’t sink in between bark ridges so you gotta spur the bark anyways. Once you’re past that it’s a breeeze, but that’s not too terrible often it’s an issue. Gaffing out with a pole gaff is way less dramatic too, it will catch something else real quick. Having your feet that much closer to the tree gives you a more in control feel, and more natural, for me at least I always felt like I was on stilts with tree gaffs and couldn’t balance/ position well at all on small diameter wood up top.
It may not have been a completely life changing situation like you experienced but it's a big improvement for me Joshman thank you
You know how it is when a climber is all grown up and has surpassed his mentor and he instead becomes his competition/hater, I appreciate the help, don't have anyone
That’s awesome! Glad I could help you out !
Great video with great information, thank you...
I have never climbed but am going to start soon, I just received my Notch Gecko Steel Climbers with pole spurs, that's the way they came...I was going to see about buying tree spurs for them but wanted to know the difference first, so of course I went to RUclips to check it out...This was the first video I watched on the subject and now it will be the only one I need to watch, it all makes perfect sense, I don't need to buy any tree spurs...
I have a question though, the Notch Geckos have a hard plastic around the calf part, they seem loose on my calf even with the Velcro straps as tight as they can go, should they be loose??? I am not small either, I weigh around 200 so it's not like my legs are small, thanks...
Thanks for watching! Glad to hear your going with pole gaffs! You will have an easier go at it I believe, or your confidence should grow quicker I imagine. Tree gaffs are a nightmare really. As far as those gecko pads I have no experience with those, I have to assume they shouldn't be loose at all on your calf. If it's just a little slop with the pad at the piont it attaches on the shank of the spurs that probably in normal, my Buckingham hams have a little play that you only notice if you wiggle them by hand. Id go over them to make sure they were set up properly and also it could be your lower strap causing a good portion of the looseness too. I don't use leather lower straps any more (the ones with the belt style buckle) I believe the geckos come with that kind and one of the first things you'll learn from folks is to actually wrap that strap around the shank one fill turn before you pass the strap through the buckle to tighten it. Like go behind your heel like normally then tuck in in-between your ankle and the shank and wrap around and then go across your foot to the buckle. It makes a WORLD of difference hoe much tighter and more secure feeling the spurs are to wear. If you already wear them like that my apologies for being a "captain obvious" but if you didn't know already I'd suggest wearing them like that because if the lower strap isn't properly tightened down it makes the upper/pad seem too loose and moves around quite a bit. The calf strap actually doesn't have to be crazy tight it's the lower that's the most important.
Too much slop around the calf and they will start to Chafee and rub the shins. I love my Buckingham velcro lower straps and with those I do not have to do the wrap around the shank but I do have to really crank them down hard before securing all the way and I'm super comfortable with the cushion wrap pads, those aren't the most sex appeal having spur pads but they haven't given me a reason to want a different pad yet. I may go with a lighter then steel set of Buckinghams though to treat myself some day
Interesting video..I used pole gaffs and gaff out sometimes..I switched to tree gaffs and didn't have such a problem... But on the other hand your right it's harder to move on a limb I find with tree gaff's... Might have to make the switch back..🤔🤔🤔
Yeah its a trade off with each of em. Makes best sense to have a set of both so you're prepared for any situation. I gaff out a little more so with pole gaffs as well but its weird how a gaff with pole gaffs seems to be less drama then when there's a tree spur gaff out. I feel like I've gotten used to it and it doesn't happen really after I'm past the thick bark ridges toward the base of a tree, then its prime territory for pole gaffs. Thanks for watching, I appreciate you're feed back as well, let's me know people like it (or dont)!
@@Joshman5000 I enjoy your content... you certainly have a tree guy sense of humor 😁😁😁😁
Thanks much appreciated! 🤠
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