# stretch air



## SteveBullman (Jul 9, 2004)

if anyones debating wether to cough up the extortionate money these trousers cost, i just got my first pair and after spending the day going up and down 80ft poplars i can confirm they are the dogs genitalia


----------



## Nathan Wreyford (Jul 9, 2004)

They making them in Class C protection now 

They are the best protection there is


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 9, 2004)

they are, but you seen the price tag!! the type A are pricey enough


----------



## Nathan Wreyford (Jul 9, 2004)

the A are €190 here. The ones with the extra "wear/thorn protection" are €215.


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 9, 2004)

sounds about right, i just paid £137 inc vat
think the type c are about £200 inc vat. that would probably work out best part of 300euros


----------



## jkrueger (Jul 9, 2004)

> _Originally posted by stephenbullman _
> *sounds about right, i just paid £137 inc vat
> think the type c are about £200 inc vat. that would probably work out best part of 300euros *



OK, clue us usa guys in ..., what are they? A pic?
Jack


----------



## Tom Dunlap (Jul 9, 2004)

They are primo chain saw protection pants. 

A Pound is about $1.80 and a Euro is about $1.20 now...you do the math.

Go to Proclimber and take a look.

Tom


----------



## ORclimber (Jul 9, 2004)

So do you wear the same pair every stinkin' day?


----------



## Newfie (Jul 9, 2004)

*"So do you wear the same pair every stinkin' day?"* 

More likely the same stinkin' pair every day.


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

http://www.proclimber.co.uk/proclimber-news-stretch-air.htm

heres a link to them. i got the blue pair which aren't pictured and look a little more manly.

and yes we wear the same stinking pair every single day.
well actually some of us have a couple pairs and alternate them
its the law here to climb in protection unlike over there


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

be patient my furry friend


----------



## Guy Meilleur (Jul 10, 2004)

> _Originally posted by stephenbullman _
> *its the law here to climb in protection unlike over there *


That law does not apply if you don't use a chainsaw in the tree, right? Is there a link you can post to that legislation?
Why can't the regulators find a real job?

Muscle-power cuts <_8" oak well enough. Let the poor dog keep all his parts.


----------



## Kneejerk Bombas (Jul 10, 2004)

Does the employer typically pay for the saw protective gear? If so, I bet that causes some issues with how many pairs he lets you buy on the company tab.


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

yes its only in force if you are using a chainsaw
i'll see if i can find a link and post it


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

actually i believe for tree climbing operations type C trousers must be worn


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

yep sorry assumed you'd know.
type a are front leg protection and type c are all round protection, verrrry hot and restrictive


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

needless to say although its law i dont climb with type c, and i doubt many others do either. i have a pair that i had to buy when i did a test, and they aren't too bad to wear in the winter
i also think type c are good for people just starting out using chainsaws on the ground

the way things are going over here i wouldnt be surprised if we're all wearing chainsaw protective jackets before long
wouldn't that be special


----------



## teressa green (Jul 10, 2004)

yeah tried a pair ,very good fitting and plenty of flexibility in the material ,but just didnt find them hard wearing enough ,developed tears and rips within 2 days ,sticking to the sips and kneeflex,bit to fashionable for serious tree work,look good stood at the bar though,,,,, if thats your scene,,,


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

hmmm thats not good to hear. i've heard elsewhere how hardwearing they are.
besides they are made from ripstop so they should be better than a standard trouser material


----------



## wiley_p (Jul 10, 2004)

I'm interested, but do they come in less sporty colors? green maybe? If I showed up in the woods with those on and a Makita 7900 the boys might beat me up for sure.


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

the pair i have are blue with black hard wearing knee pads
dont think they have a pic on the site, i can take a shot if you like though


----------



## wiley_p (Jul 10, 2004)

A pic would be cool, are they a Royal blue or hopefully a darker blue?


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

ok didnt have nothing better to do


----------



## Tom Dunlap (Jul 10, 2004)

There is a very good chance that leg protection for all chainsaw users will be written into ANSI within the next five years. Probably not for the current re-write though. 

If anyone wants to give the ANSI committee feedback, there is a form at the back of the Z133 or you could write to Jim Skiera @ ISA. Instead of grumbling about legislation, take an active part in its development. This is a political process that effects you. I get a chuckle out of the chatter on the forums but the lack of participation. Like the political process, it can be changed with active participation. Instead of chatting with the choir here, talk to the preacher.

Tom


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

but we're lowely tree surgeons, not politicians


----------



## Guy Meilleur (Jul 10, 2004)

> _Originally posted by stephenbullman _
> *but we're lowely tree surgeons, not politicians *


YOu cannot be heard if you do not speak in the process. ISA folks I've talked to over the years say how hard it is to get any feedback at all. "Politicians" want to listen to lowly tree surgeons; don't sell your voice short.

re ANSI, there are people who make their living out of regulating. If the regulatees don't speak up, then the regulators' voice will be disproportionate. Jim Skiera's ears and mind are open as far as I know; he listened to talk about selective heading cuts.:angel: , which some others attacked without thinking.


----------



## teressa green (Jul 10, 2004)

yeah they are ripstop material ,but my opinion is they wont last 4 months if climbing daily,bit too pricey and gucci for me ,might be ok for the young trendy so called climbers....... but us ols soaks arnt fashion victims are we ? like i said look good in the pub ,


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

well my wife says they make my arse look good, like buns of steel. surely thats worth the extra £50


----------



## rumination (Jul 10, 2004)

You blue and pink wearing guys are a bunch of pansies. I am convinced that the only really manly and foolproof way to protect myself against chainsaw contact in the tree is to wear full medieval chain mail while climbing. Sure I can only footlock 40 ft in ten minutes, but I'm prepared if I run into the the black knight, and the ladies love it.


----------



## TimberMcPherson (Jul 10, 2004)

Chainsaw protective pants are compulsory here (or chaps), the law doesnt say its has to be C protection and alot of guys wear A's.
I wear a set of C's, yeah when your short of money you do tend to wear only one pair for weeks on end, luckily they are so thick they absorb alot of funk..... 
My girlfriend who can smell if I have worn a pair of socks or a shirt for 2 days has only stirred about the smell of the pants when they somehow missed the washing basket for 2 months.
Sounds crazy but on the other hand how often to you clean your chaps?

I have said it before but CHAINSAW PANTS ROCK! they do take quite a bit of getting used to but I just wouldnt be without them now. Whether for thorns, being attacked by a dog or falling off your motorcycle, or wet dish towel fights, they have saved my ass many times. (one day they just might work with the chainsaw)


----------



## highpoint-utd (Jul 10, 2004)

i was told once that ballistics should only be washed upto a max of 14 times in there useable life and then never put on a spin cycle ,somethin to do with moving the strand in the make up of the trouser ?


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 10, 2004)

i've never heard that before. i wonder if its true though because it it were surely that would have been touched upon during our chainsaw assessments and also it would be stated on the label in the trousers


----------



## Base (Jul 10, 2004)

i was under the impression that if your ballistics were washed very offen then it can possibly make the fibreious material brital if the are washed on a high heat frequantly, this is only what i have been told.


----------



## ROLLACOSTA (Jul 11, 2004)

personaly i only EVER climb in mandatory jeans and training shoes


----------



## Nathan Wreyford (Jul 11, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Tom Dunlap _
> *Instead of grumbling about legislation, take an active part in its development. This is a political process that effects you. *



That is just crazy talk 

We have A here and I use A when using a chainsaw in a tree.

Mostly I run through big trees knocking out large dead wood and doing hazard accessments so I wear jeans, shoe of the day, and a zubat on my leg.

No chainsaw = no chainsaw trousers


----------



## ccooperabbs (Jul 11, 2004)

You will find that most chainsaw trouser manufacturers won't state information on the washing of their garments, SIPs' (trade) rather than professional can be machine washed, problems arise when you tumble dry, hanging trousers causes the fibers to pull. Any advice in that area is best sought from David Cooper-Holmes at Workware. 

Ste - highly likely wouldn't have been covered within your chainsaw training as it is not part of the NPTC schedule of assessment, you have to state what PPE a chainsaw opertator shoudl be wearing but that is it. I tend to take my candidates thorugh different PPE, types, makes, cleaning also the differences in type A/C, Chaps and what chaps are acceptable. Depends on your training provider - Consistency of information what's that then?

Stretch air are good, but so are the SIPs', the new freedom range are also worth a try. Type A.


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 11, 2004)

yep a friend of mine just got the freedoms. be interesting to see whose last longest, though he wont be climbing however


----------



## jamie (Jul 11, 2004)

*sporty*

its good to hear that you can get other colours than neon (and there i was thinking that we had left the neon days in my youth, rock on global hyper colour)

i washed my huskies for the first time last weekend (got them in december....) they were worn in....felt like a second skin......

after ripping the crotch out of my last pair, i now wear a nice baggy large....

jamie


----------



## OutOnaLimb (Jul 11, 2004)

I dig climbing in old school Army issue cargo pants. The big pockets are cool for stuffing a bag of sunflower seeds, gloves, chew or smokes. I only wear the old Vietnam era pants that are solid OD green, made of rip stop materiel. They are hard to find now a days, but I order about a dozen pair from Ranger Joes every year. They are not protective gear, but for climbing they are loose and light weight. In my oppinion, they are the Dogs Bollocks!

Kenn


----------



## John Paul Sanborn (Jul 11, 2004)

The saw protetion class/type system was developed for different sizes of saw. In the US, I think if all you operate are small saws, then class A is ok, but if your's running higher CC models then class/type C would be required (at least for ground operations)

LaBonniville reps have told me that it is a myth that washing chaps/pants will degrade the protective fibers. Just follow the instruction tag and you'll be fine. Mine have one.


----------



## OutOnaLimb (Jul 11, 2004)

Here is a novel concept, Dont hit your self with a saw!!!


----------



## MasterBlaster (Jul 11, 2004)

> _Originally posted by OutOnaLimb _
> *Here is a novel concept, Dont hit your self with a saw!!! *



You ain't done it yet?


----------



## ccooperabbs (Jul 12, 2004)

JPS,

We are of cause governed by 'ENs' or European Norms. Norm EN 381 complies with protective clothing for chain saw users, part 5 EN381-5 specifies the demands for leg protection wear. This norm definies three types (or designs) of leg protection wear, according to the kind of protection Type A, B and C.

The norm also prescribes 3 classes that correspond to the chain speed with which the tests have been done.

Class 1: 20 m/s
Class 2: 24 m/s
Class 3: 28 m/s

On your trousers you shoudl find the following: the design (A, B or C) of your trousers, the class and the pictogram of norm EN 381

The disscussion point of washing trousers was raised so it may be a point of reference to say that all tests unless otherwise indicated are carried out after 5 washings at 60 degree C and line dried 5 times.


----------



## jamie (Jul 12, 2004)

*types*

corect me if im wrong

a, front of both legs and a bit on the left side of each leg

b, same as a but with some protection on the right side of each leg

c all round

jamie


----------



## Nathan Wreyford (Jul 13, 2004)

He has it correct, Class is a speed number

The A, B, C is a coverage. Here we just need A.

.02


----------



## ccooperabbs (Jul 13, 2004)

Jamie,

Type A : Type A or front protection covers each leg partly (180 degree) and 5 cm to the interior part of the right leg and 5 cm to the exterior part of the left leg.

Protection starts at max. 5 cm from the bottom of the leg and ends at min 20 cm above the crotch.

Type B is identical to type A but has an extra 5 cm of protection to the interior part of the left leg

Type C covers each leg all round (360 degree), the protection starts at max. 5 cm from the bottom of the leg and ends at min. 20 cm above the front side of the crotch and at min. 50 cm under the back side of the crotch.

For types A and B the protection must be fixed permanently on the sides of the protective padding, and the fixation of the protection must resist to a force of min. 200 N.


----------



## jamie (Jul 13, 2004)

*ok*

cheers for the clarification, i could have gone and read the label on my trousers, but i cant be arsed

jamie


----------



## SteveBullman (Jul 14, 2004)

don't you mean your skirt


----------



## goldpoint (Aug 23, 2006)

*chainsaw protective clothing-important raw fabric*

opcorn: We wish to establish a business relationship with some manufacturer about Raw material for chainsaw protective workwear. I think i could go to win-win about our raw material supply if you i am looking for who could connect us and the workwear manufacturer.

As known ,there is one kind of stuff inside the chainsaw forestry trousers or chaps,it is light weight,comfortable and fully washable.The stuffs can stop a chainsaw running within a certain time once the blade hits the chaps or trousers,so to protect the front of the legs. 

Our product being tested the chain has stopped within 0.1seconds.The chainsaw runs at 20m/sec,24m/sec wchich is EN 381-5 Class 1,2 Norm.So if possible,could we do some business with this raw material? 

We have the certificate of the raw polyester fabric from TESTEX Swiss textile testing institute. 

Are you interested in this fabric business ?They will take you into great surprise with our good quality and best price for you or your customer.

Look forward to getting any person reply soon. 
With thanks & best regards,

Gavin

Email:[email protected] :spam:


----------



## Buzzlightyear (Aug 28, 2006)

When I first started wearing chainsaw trousers around 10 years ago it was the done thing not to wash them but that appears to be an old wifes tale !! We only put them on when using the saws and took them off to drag brash etc !!! :bang:


----------



## B-Edwards (Aug 28, 2006)

(((YET))) being a very key word!!!


----------

