Cambium Savers

Do you prefer the 2-ring or the sleeve style cambium saver? Which would you recommend for a new recreational climber?

I was leaning towards a 2-ring style due to the lower friction, but they are awfully expensive and seem more complicated to install.

-Link

Link, I prefer the 2 ring style, but I may be the only person on this site that does.

You can make your own to try it out and see if you like it. If it turns out you DO like it, you can buy a nicer one.

I can splice you one out of rope. My favorite design is made of 16 strand rope and only has the little ring spliced in. For a big ring you can use your own locking carabiner. This makes the install from the ground easier/faster.

love
nick

Oh! Welcome to the site. Where you from?

Two-ring false crotch is more typically used by arborist climbers (and Nick, a unique rec/arborist/climber/splicer/teacher and good all round guy). The pipe/conduit or leather savers are easier to install/remove and effectively reduce friction (leather a little less so) and protect the branch thus their popularity with non-arborist climbers. The lowest friction is to use a false crotch with pulley. a pulley is a dream but can be too low fricton if you're not used to it. I started out using a two-ring but it mostly gathers dust. It comes in handy once in a while, knowing how to use it is a good skill to have.
-moss

I find the two-ring cambium savers are especially nice for times when I'm on a slim stem and I need to wrap around the trunk to get a secure tie in point. As Moss points out, unless you're a wizard like Nick they're slower to install than sleeves. I go up slim stems sometimes for research, so mine don't just gather dust.

Used to use the heavy leather sleeves from Sherrill all of the time, but last fall got a pair of Su sleeves (flexible conduit) and they're my preferred tool now; they are far and away the easiest to get into place. The only problem is that the plastic coating on the sleeve breaks in extreme cold (<10 deg F), but that's not a problem for normal people.

I'm a working arborist and I prefer the ring/ring type. The ring/ring is definitely smoother and is not that much more difficult to install from the ground. However, I think the sleeve starts to shine when you are changing your tie in point repeatedly while in the tree. With the ring/ring you have to actually climb to your new tie in point to install it (unless you carry throwline around in the tree, and it would still be a serious pain). With the sleeve you can just toss your rope over any crotch you like and pull the sleeve easily into place. In theory, at least.

Well said Leon. During a rec climb it is more likely that there will be multiple re-pitches, double crotching, traverses etc., this is where a sleeve or pipe saver is going to be convenient. The two ring savers are nice when you want to wrap and create a tie-in without a crotch. This can also be done with a sling, screwlink and pulley. In both cases you need to climb to the attachment point and install/deinstall manually.
-moss

Thanks for the great info, everybody!

Nick, thanks for the welcome! I'm from Stamford, CT but will be moving to Boston soon. What would you charge for that splice job, including materials and such?

Good point about ease of installation in-tree. As a rec-climber I enjoy the process of setting new tie-in points just for kicks, even if it only moves me a few feet up the tree, so it would be nice if this process wasn't too complicated.

The ring/ring false crotches are harder to re-set as you move your tie in point in a tree. Untieing your climbing rope from the ring is a PITA. I've always preferred to use a biner for the big ring at a minimum. There are several other configurations to use too.

One that I made uses a purchased tubular sling. To capture the biner/screwlink I sewed a very tight eye into the sling. Then I ran a row of stitching along the edges of the sling to make it a flat sling instead of a loop.

When it's time to advance your TIP all you do is lanyard in, unclip your rope from the biner and leave your friction hitch tied. Move up and whip the biner/sling into the new TIP and then clip the biner onto the rope. You do have to be careful not to clip the biner on the wrong side of the small ring/screw link or it won't retrieve from the ground.

Originally posted by Link774

Nick, thanks for the welcome! I'm from Stamford, CT but will be moving to Boston soon. What would you charge for that splice job, including materials and such?

Assuming less that 48" and just with the small ring, it would be $56.50, plus shipping. I would make it of Yale XTC (either red/white or Fire color- depending on what I had in stock). I make it a little stiffer than regular climbing line, just so it's less likely to get tangled up on the way down.

love
nick