# Spikes



## kdslocum (Sep 28, 2011)

Anyone have good input on comfortable spikes or pads? used to have bucks with steel cushion wraps.


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## Iustinian (Nov 11, 2011)

Geckos are the most comfy if you are under 220lbs. But not the carbon fiber ones for me anyway, the ultra-lights I like the best.

The Bashlin Aluminum ones take some getting used to, but not terrible.

The t-pads and triple thick pads, and the L-shaped ones get comfortable after you've spent some time breaking them in lol.

I think Buckingham has a pair with a twisted shank, so they don't turn on your leg, which is the absolute most uncomfortable part of wearing spikes IMO. 

I'm not a fan of spikes, unless I have to use them, on removals of course. But I've gotten used to them over the years


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## treemandan (Dec 7, 2011)

Alls I can say is that they are cheap, I can get my straps as tight as i need and i don't feel a thing.


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## bootboy (Dec 16, 2011)

How does anyone here feel about the aluminum climbrights. I'd like set of lighter spikes at a decent price. The climbrights seem to fit the bill. I'm 5'8" and ~ 155 so I'm not a huge guy and I don't need a 10lb set of climbers slowing me down. I've got a huge stand of 100' scotch pines that all need to be topped and they are thick enough that a throwline is simply not an option. I've climbed before but with an ancient pair of clunky climbers and a terrible butt belt seat. I want my own pair and I want to do it right. Also any recommendations on flip lines and a new saddle? My modded black diamond harness just isn't cuttin it. Once again, weight is a premium. I have climbing lines and rigging etc and I've gotten away with throw lines and srt for the big cottonwoods but I'm looking be more conifer capable. 
Your thoughts?

Taylor


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## Iustinian (Dec 17, 2011)

bootboy said:


> How does anyone here feel about the aluminum climbrights. I'd like set of lighter spikes at a decent price. The climbrights seem to fit the bill. I'm 5'8" and ~ 155 so I'm not a huge guy and I don't need a 10lb set of climbers slowing me down. I've got a huge stand of 100' scotch pines that all need to be topped and they are thick enough that a throwline is simply not an option. I've climbed before but with an ancient pair of clunky climbers and a terrible butt belt seat. I want my own pair and I want to do it right. Also any recommendations on flip lines and a new saddle? My modded black diamond harness just isn't cuttin it. Once again, weight is a premium. I have climbing lines and rigging etc and I've gotten away with throw lines and srt for the big cottonwoods but I'm looking be more conifer capable.
> Your thoughts?
> 
> Taylor



Petzl Sequioa is an extremely light saddle, and the lightest spikes you can get are the Gecko's. I use both and I'm very happy with them. My favorite flipline is the ART positioner, which allows you to adjust the flipline, even when the device is loaded. Gibbs ascenders and grillions are nice as well. There's a new one called the CE lanyard which I mite try very soon. 

Topping pines though? Hopefully you're removing them. I've SRT many pines, so I don't see why you won't be able to do that -- hang your line over a strong branch, and anchor it to the trunk at the bottom, climb on the other side of the rope.


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## bootboy (Dec 17, 2011)

Let me clarify the situation here. The stand of pines are over a structure and a recent windstorm topped of few of the trees for me. A few of the tops are still in the thick tangle of dead branches directly of the shed 50' off the ground. I have no way of getting a single line above the broken tops. I would usually just set a single line from the ground but this situation is a little unique in the way these tops are sitting. I need to climb to the broken tops, all the while removing small dead branches off the trunks. Then, rig the tops so they can be lowered around the structure. I'm not leaving any of the topped trees standing. The ones that have been topped are coming down. But to do that, the busted tops have to come out first. 

Back to the topic, the geckos are kind of spendy. Has anyone used the climbrights? They are light and more affordable. I'm pretty sold on the sequoia harness.


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## VA-Sawyer (Dec 20, 2011)

I have the Gecks and consider them well worth the money. Really a good choice for someone that doesn't spend all day every day standing in spikes. I only use spikes on 10 to 15 pecent of my climbs so I never get the toughness I need in certain body areas to adapt to them. I also don't have a pair of those $500 climbing boots that make the cheaper spikes less painfull. It has been over a month since I had to stand on spikes, but I bet I could spend 4 or 5 hours in them tomorrow if needed without my legs killing me the next day.
Rick


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## Newguy12358 (Jan 3, 2012)

I am curious about the climb rights also. Cant seem to find anyone who uses em.


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## bonner1040 (Jan 29, 2012)

*Climb Right Ultralights*

I have the Climbrights. Below is a review I wrote over @ TH... 

https://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=228&item=306

Havent spent alot of time on them but did a few small removals and so far they seem awesome. 

The attachment between the pad and the spur is rock solid. I am very tall, 6'3", and have them adjusted as high as they will go, i kind of wish they had a female to male extender available so i could put them up a little higher but i cant really complain. 

There really is no pushing/twisting of the spur shank at all against your leg, this is traded for a sort of leverage between the top of the hard pad and your shin, the foam in between is really dense yet soft and because of the velcro it can be moved. It comes centered but i offset it a little bit aimed towards the top which lets it bend over the top of the hard pad and shield your leg. 

My other pads are buckingham velcro wraps, without the steel, and i was never able to get them tight enough for my skinny calves because of the length of the velcro, which caused me all sorts of problems. These get plenty tight enough for me and even more so if you are skinnier

The only other downside i noticed so far, beyond the sleight height issue, is that the top of the pad creates a little bit of chafing between my jeans and my shins, i think for a full day removal it would be worth it to throw some athletic tape on my shins to reduce the friction.

The aluminum construction seems really rugged and is a welcome replacement to my old hand-me-down rusted over buckingham steel climbers. I cannot imagine them wearing out any time soon.

Overall i feel like these are a great product; really light without the cost of the titanium rigs, very sturdy construction, no spur shank digging into your leg whatsoever, comfortable, and they look sweet. 

Thanks to Spyderco and Treestuff!

NOTE: I have spent more time in them since writing this and I still love them. Really good stuff.


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## bonner1040 (Jan 29, 2012)

Havent spent alot of time on them but did a few small removals and so far they seem awesome. 

The attachment between the pad and the spur is rock solid. I am very tall, 6'3", and have them adjusted as high as they will go, i kind of wish they had a female to male extender available so i could put them up a little higher but i cant really complain. 

There really is no pushing/twisting of the spur shank at all against your leg, this is traded for a sort of leverage between the top of the hard pad and your shin, the foam in between is really dense yet soft and because of the velcro it can be moved. It comes centered but i offset it a little bit aimed towards the top which lets it bend over the top of the hard pad and shield your leg. 

My other pads are buckingham velcro wraps, without the steel, and i was never able to get them tight enough for my skinny calves because of the length of the velcro, which caused me all sorts of problems. These get plenty tight enough for me and even more so if you are skinnier

The only other downside i noticed so far, beyond the sleight height issue, is that the top of the pad creates a little bit of chafing between my jeans and my shins, i think for a full day removal it would be worth it to throw some athletic tape on my shins to reduce the friction.

The aluminum construction seems really rugged and is a welcome replacement to my old hand-me-down rusted over buckingham steel climbers. I cannot imagine them wearing out any time soon.

Overall i feel like these are a great product; really light without the cost of the titanium rigs, very sturdy construction, no spur shank digging into your leg whatsoever, comfortable, and they look sweet. 

Thanks to Spyderco and Treestuff!

NOTE: I have used them more since I got them/wrote this and still really like them a lot.


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## Ndigity26 (Dec 3, 2012)

kdslocum said:


> Anyone have good input on comfortable spikes or pads? used to have bucks with steel cushion wraps.



Ive been told the aluminum "cadilac" pads as they are refered to sometimes are pretty comfy and supportive. I may go in that direction my self, right now I use L pads with foam knee pads behinds them and it's pretty comfy compared to the stadard L pads which is no laughing matter. The knee pads are 8 buck so I saved there but i do think I will invest in the Opsal Cast Aluminum Pads. They are on treestuff and bailys and but they are cheaper on treestuff.com. Check them out.


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## KenJax Tree (Dec 3, 2012)

I've been climbing almost daily for 3 years on my aluminum Bashlin spurs with velrco Big Buck wrap pads, they're nothing fancy but get the job done.


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## Dsauls81 (Jan 1, 2013)

KenJax Tree said:


> I've been climbing almost daily for 3 years on my aluminum Bashlin spurs with velrco Big Buck wrap pads, they're nothing fancy but get the job done.



Found a brand new pair in a pawn shop a while back with pole gaffs for $100.00, ordered the 2.5" gaffs and love them to death. Asplundh used to give us those bare bones Buckingham climbers with the fixed straight gaff and rawhide pads, gosh they were uncomfortable. We figured out if you bought the biggest granny maxi pads you could find and stuffed in between it made them more bearable.


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## simpleiowaguy (Jan 7, 2013)

I weigh 250 lbs and do a fair amount of climbing. I have bashlin aluminum gaffs and use the triple thick t pads. Very comfortable in my opinion.


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## freeweight (Jul 11, 2013)

im a klein man myself ,want to get the caddy pads


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## Hoowasat (Jul 12, 2013)

kdslocum said:


> Anyone have good input on comfortable spikes or pads? used to have bucks with steel cushion wraps.



I bought a pair of Big Buck Pads with the double straps to use with my Buckingham steel climbers. At about the same time, I had ordered a new pair of aluminum Geckos having the U.S. tree gaffs (not Euro tree gaffs). I tried the Big Buck Pads and absolutely loved 'em. I'm not up a tree much (maybe 12 times this year), but found I can now stay up for several hours using the Big Buck Pads. The Geckos? I'm now pretty reluctant to try them since I've fallen in love again with my Buckinghams, so the Geckos are sitting in a box waiting for me to decide whether or not to sell 'em. They're "new" and unused right now, but if I try them, they definitely become a "used" pair.


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## Hoowasat (Jul 13, 2013)

Hoowasat said:


> The Geckos? I'm now pretty reluctant to try them since I've fallen in love again with my Buckinghams, so the Geckos are sitting in a box waiting for me to decide whether or not to sell 'em. They're "new" and unused right now, but if I try them, they definitely become a "used" pair.


Well, I went ahead and listed the Gecko climbers for sale on eBay today.


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## NHlocal (Aug 31, 2013)

Hoowasat said:


> Well, I went ahead and listed the Gecko climbers for sale on eBay today.



That's too bad, I would've bought 'em..... :msp_sad:
.....been lookin' at the Gecko's for a while, I keep hearin' "they're well worth the money".....


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## Hoowasat (Aug 31, 2013)

NHlocal said:


> ... I keep hearin' "they're well worth the money".....


Yeah, I heard that a lot, too. But since I couldn't justify having two pair of climbers, I sold the Geckos without ever trying them in a tree (still new). On a positive note, I made an extra $100 on the sale. I did another dismantle & removal a week ago, and the Big Buck pads are comfy ... a little bulky, but comfy.


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## NHlocal (Aug 31, 2013)

One good thing about posting them up for "open bidding", people get caught up in it and will often pay more than list. 
Good deal for you on making the extra money. :msp_thumbup:
I have aluminum "caddy pads" right now. They're pretty comfortable, even for 5+ hours. I'd like to get the Geckos 
'cause I hear they are very light(and not "big and clunky") and very comfy. We had a Woodsman competition at a local 
old home day last Saturday and I entered the pole climb event. I didn't have my gear but one of the guys there loaned 
me his and he had a set of Geckos. As I said, wasn't really prepared to climb, I was wearing T shirt, shorts, and hiking 
boots. Now granted, just climbing up a 40 foot pole ain't much time to spend on spurs but, they felt REALLY comfortable 
considering I had them strapped against my bare leg.


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## Hoowasat (Aug 31, 2013)

NHlocal said:


> ... "open bidding", people get caught up in it and will often pay more than list.
> Good deal for you on making the extra money. :msp_thumbup:


Actually, the winning bidder saved about $20 over buying them retail. I made my profit because I bought them on eBay as soon as they were posted with a $250 "buy it now" price. At that price, I just couldn't let 'em slip away. :rolleyes2:


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## KodiakKen (Sep 2, 2013)

*as a telephone man i have a question*

I work for the local telephone company for 13 years now. I was started on Klein all steel spurs with t-pads. I would imagine the cheapest things they could get. I have climbed for many years on them. I use Klein on trees too but upgraded to cadipads...unbelievable difference. If I didn't have a bucket truck and climbed at work often I would buy them for work too. but my question is..does the weigh of spurs slow you down. 60% of the time you are standing on them not holding them. Just curious. I am a lightweight at 280 pounds and never had strength or leg stamina issues. Maybe it is different with lighter weight people. Maybe it is just that I started there and only burned a telephone pole one time(my fault). never had an issue with Klein. Still use them now. Can someone else help me out?


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## NHlocal (Sep 2, 2013)

KodiakKen said:


> I work for the local telephone company for 13 years now. I was started on Klein all steel spurs with t-pads. I would imagine the cheapest things they could get. I have climbed for many years on them. I use Klein on trees too but upgraded to cadipads...unbelievable difference. If I didn't have a bucket truck and climbed at work often I would buy them for work too. but my question is..does the weigh of spurs slow you down. 60% of the time you are standing on them not holding them. Just curious. I am a lightweight at 280 pounds and never had strength or leg stamina issues. Maybe it is different with lighter weight people. Maybe it is just that I started there and only burned a telephone pole one time(my fault). never had an issue with Klein. Still use them now. Can someone else help me out?



I can only give you my experience. Moving around, working up in a tree the extra weight can be noticeable. If you spend more than 4-5hrs it can also be noticeable. Some people will say it's no big deal, some will say it's a really big deal. I started out with L pads and changed over to caddy pads, that's what I have right now. I can stand in my spurs for 5hrs and still be "somewhat" comfortable. But, it's not the pads that bother me, it's the bottom of my feet. And that's a whole other problem. 
I'm hoping to upgrade to Geckos..... :biggrinbounce2:

I'm sure(I hope)someone with more experience will jump in and offer what insight they have. Hope that helps.


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## Jlhotstick3 (Sep 2, 2013)

I'm a lineman n do a lotta climbing, try buckingham titanium lights. That's wht I use for trees w l pads, a lotta people call me crazy but I love leather l pads, light weight n comfortable for me. I started w/ buckingham's cushion pad with an insert, they were comfortable but heavy n bulky. They sell these pads without and insert, my advice is stay away from those!! Without the insert they tear ur shins up. I'm sure ill get flack for saying the leather L pads r great, but I love them and spend plenty of time in the hooks every day, I'm 6'3" and 190 n love my buckinghams! Good luck!


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## joezilla11 (Sep 19, 2013)

NHlocal said:


> I can stand in my spurs for 5hrs and still be "somewhat" comfortable. But, it's not the pads that bother me, it's the bottom of my feet. And that's a whole other problem.




the foot plate on kleins are wider than others which makes them more comfortable to stand on and easier on your arch. I used the climb rights for a while and came across an old pair of kleins for cheap. I didn't notice much weight difference at all and actually prefer the kleins now. the climb rights also were a pain on the bottom of my feet. kleins definitely bite the wood better too.


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## Young Mark (Sep 19, 2013)

I have an old pair of Kleins that I am pretty happy with. I do prefer the full wrap aluminum caps (which I currently do not have). I have seen the Geckos and the carbon fiber ones are super light but not in my budget right now. I think a good pair of climbing boots is half the battle. I would like to try some lightweight climbers and see if the difference is that great.


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## KodiakKen (Sep 22, 2013)

*ok back to this*

so you are in a tree for 4-5 hours a day. the weigh of the climbers moving around can take a toll..I get that..when you are tire it gets rough pulling up rigging lines..but you say the most wear and tear of your arches..they make sole plates for that...SCREW THAT..have you ever used them..try it at crazy angles..better off getting steel supports in the arch of your boots..or better yet..the fiberglass they offer now. Sole plates are great for straight up and down(poles) which I have used. but when your not straight up and down the sole plates put ungodly pressure on parts of your foot that isn't normal..talk about uncomfortable. I worked with a guy that climbed in tennis shoes..with sole plates..a good climber..but when you set up to splice a cable..your not always at that ideal angle..he learned at a 6 year veteran that good boots are a must. He was a drop guy..up the pole..tie in a line..down the pole. no extended time. cadi pads are nice..added weight? yes..if you are close..call me..I will lend you mine!


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## Paul Brown (Jun 22, 2014)

I have a pair of 30 year old brooks, there great! I wouldn't take anything for them.


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## chevybob (Jul 15, 2014)

I have Buckingham spurs and rocked T pads since I got them up until now. I just bought a set of Big Buck Velcro wraps. Haven't gotten to use them I. The tree but tried them on and they are the more comfortable then I ever thought spurs could be. A bit bulky but I'm constantly spending entire days several days in a row in the air so a little weight doesn't bother me. Hopefully it'll get my legs a little bigger so they fit a little better.


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