Reviews written by Miles Burkart

I love this throwing line and wish they had a less visible version of it for stealthy missions.

It is a bulky line at 3mm and is great for trees that have thin skin like Banyans. It definitely has reduced my snags on those trees because it cuts less into the tree than thin lines. That said, we all get snags and this line has broken on me where my slickline would have held firm. It also isn't as smooth as other lines in thick bark trees - that can be solved with heavier weight.

The nice thing is that it is easy to hold onto. I've been cut and burned by thinner lines due to missed shots on a multipitch where this line doesn't seem to do that.

I also love that this line does not get tangled as easily as other lines. My other lines can be a nightmare without a throw cube. One unusual benefit of this line is that it doesn't seem to get as sticky as other lines I have used when sap gets on the line.

That said, 200ft of this line takes up a lot of space in a throw bag or throw cube.

This is a very comfortable harness. It's fairly silent too. I have had mine for a couple years and really enjoy it. I like the soft Ds though I wonder how well they would really hold if I did half the crazy things I used to do with my Navaho SIT.

I never liked the triangle deltas on the New Tribe harnesses. They are crazy strong and that's great...they just never feel right and are a pain to unscrew. It's just one more thing to inspect that I never undo anyway. I prefer harnesses that have a ring sewn in.

The leg pads on this harness are big and fantastic - unfortunately, they add considerable weight and make the harness very hard to pack up before and after a climb.

I should note that I have slept in this harness many times and it's very comfortable in a treeboat.

I've had this harness for years and have used it in ways it probably was never meant to be used. I have to say I really love this harness.

It's actually fairly light and has tough D rings that are really nice to use. For rec climbing, I switched away from it for a Tengu harness from new Tribe but still enjoy this one because it is lighter and still very comfortable for long days climbing.

I have the long boat and I love it for the most part.

I have camped many times at height and just a few feet above the ground and I really enjoy this hammock. I have used it in rainforests and low desert.

Some things to consider:
- The color makes it hard to see in the trees and that comes in handy.
- It's pricey, especially with add-ons.
- If you want to sleep two people at night, a single long boat will not work well. Two longboats is a pricey and bulky solution... I would recommend getting a portaledge for two instead - price is about the same.
- It's bulky. The fact that the batons do not break down is an oversight by New Tribe. This would have made it more portable.
- It's also quite heavy. The weight of the material doesn't seem to help with heat capture.
- It dries slowly when wet.
- I think an excellent tarp for the regular treeboat would be my ENO Dry Fly. It is just a little too short for the long boat. I had a custom one made by a company called Outdoor Eqmnt Supply which is awesome.

I have used this device a couple of times and it's a bit unnerving. Believe me, I climb with all kinds of goofy gear and have rescue trained on many types of gear as well.

I have never seen a device that requires as much rope out to lock as this device does on rappel. The main concern I have with this device is that tree climbers use static lines and a lot of force can be generated on a 2 foot static fall. Add in climbers that climb above their anchors and we have a recipe for disaster.

Rock Exotica claims the slip before break is a device feature. Honestly, I think the manufacturer needs to find a way to make this device lock off more smoothly in mid rappel.

That said, the fact that this device can do SRT and DRT is pretty amazing. I have high hopes for the next version of this device.

Awesome carabiner for it's weight and strength.

It's very easy once you get the hang of it. That said, it's biased for right handed use. Left handed people may find it a bit odd though still usable.

Also, I often use this carabiner for rock climbing, canyoneering, and all kinds of mischief. Note that if you submerge this carabiner often it can get grit inside and become harder to open and re-lock (rare). A shake underwater usually fixes the problem.

I'm writing this post-ownership. I recommend two things: Be careful with this when you retreive it and get the steel version. Mine fell and hit a rock on the way down. While the webbing is strong, the rings were not and the huge dent in the ring meant I had to get rid of it or risk failure on a climb.

A much cheaper alternative is to use 1 inch tubular webbing tied together with a water knot with different sized aluminum rings attached. I have used this often on huge branches and it is great. It's cheaper and lighter than the Buckingham while still maintaining around 4,000lbs of strength (basket hitch + water knot). I have also seen people use a rope with an anchor hitch on each end.

I became a convert to this pulley a year ago and it still boggles me how many setups can be done with it.

Simply put, if you are looking for advanced climbing techniques, get a spliced line and then this pulley will save you lots of headaches and time. When used for self-tending setups, I love it.

Warning: I found that I needed a spliced rope with this pulley for advanced climbing techniques. End knots on my DRT rope interfered with my hitch and the pulley - which can be very dangerous.

I was very skeptical about the three holes at first just because of strength concerns. I often tend to have multiple lines in the air and this really doesn't help much with that. I was hoping I could get the effect of Treeman's Petzl PAW with it.

Many of my arborist friends swear by this setup over a traditional pulley when used with distels, VTs, etc. I have to agree. It works great and is very strong.

I use this for kids climbs and it's very easy to use and adjust. It's also very light.

A friend of mine uses heavy DEET bug spray in the forest and his similar helmet weakened because of it. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. He tossed it into his truck and it cracked.

I had never had this issue with the 3 of these that I own.

I've been using this for about 3 years now along with a few other brands. While it was waxy when I bought it that quickly disappeared and now it feels normal. It is an amazingly supple rope and great for long treks into the forest.

I weigh close to 190lbs so blake's hitches tighten up very tight with this rope to the point where it is very slow to get out of the trees. I prefer an easier to grip rope (fatter like the poison ivy) but have not found a rope that beats this one for weight.

I've used this one multiple times is very heavy water and feel that it dries fairly quickly and sheds water easily. I really like how the blue/green blends into a canopy nicely.

I really love this rope for advanced DRT techniques that do self-tailing. Love it less for use with a Blake's hitch with or without a split tail.