Tree Climber's Companion 2nd Ed. by Jeff Jepson

2Reviews
$15.95
SKU: BOO101

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Many tree workers have started learning their careers with the information contained in this handy manual of techniques, equipment, and safety information. This is the book we recommend as a guide for new employees, rec climbers, and tree workers, due to it's clarity and the high quality of the written descriptions and illustrations. The Tree Climber's Companion is the best-selling pocket reference for tree climbing techniques, equipment selection, and provides instruction on basic methods of entering the tree, working safely, and getting back down. A great guide for beginners who want to get started with the safest and most modern equipment and techniques, or old-timers looking to learn some new tricks. This guide is one of the best sources for learning about the equipment featured in this catalog. No book can replace hands-on instruction, but the Tree Climber's Companion makes a great for manual to aid in the training of new recruits.

To date there is not a better book about the subject of tree climbing. Jeff Jepson and illustrator Bryan Kotwica have really set the standard with this handy reference book. It is a soft cover 104 page book that covers all the basics and them some. Topics include the pre-climb inspection, rope installation, entering a tree, positioning in the tree, knots, friction hitches, mid line knots, bends, and much much more. You will not find a better value for your money. Every tree climber should have access to a copy of this book.

The Tree Climber’s Companion

A Reference and Training Manual for Professional Tree Climbers

This best selling pocket field guide covers tree climbing techniques, equipment selection & use, and provides instruction on basic methods of entering the tree, working safely, and getting back down. A great guide for beginners who want to get started with the safest and most modern equipment and techniques or old-timers who are looking to learn some new tricks. This guide is one of the best sources for learning about the equipment featured in our catalog and web site. Great for use as a training manual for new recruits. Spanish language version available.

The Tree Climber’s Companion is written by a certified arborist and tree service owner, Jeff Jepson, who is also a two time winner of the All-Around Climbing Champion of the Minnesota Chapter of the ISA. This means that the tree climbing info in the Tree Climber’s Companion comes from first-hand, professional experience. Bryan Kotwica provides the climbing and tree equipment illustrations for the book, and is a professional tree climber in addition to a professional artist. This make the illustrations in the Tree Climber’s Companion top-notch, as they are clear, well-drawn, and come from someone with direct experience of tree climbing techniques and equipment.

The Tree Climber’s Companion is now a part of every WesSpur Tree Climbing Kit.

  • 103 pages
  • Softcover (stapled)
  • Excellent illustrations

Chapters:

  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Tools of the Trade: Gearing Up
  • The P.R.E.P Tree Climbing System
  • P. - Pre-Climb Inspection
  • R. - Rope Installation
  • E. - Entering the Tree
  • P. - Positioning in the Tree
  • Knots for the Tree Climbers
  • Friction Hitches
  • Mid-Line Knots
  • Bends (end-to-End Tie-Offs)
  • Sources of Information
  • Arborist Equipment Suppliers
  • Skill Performance Sheets
  • About the Author and Illustrator

Detailed Overview:

The Tree Climber’s Companion is a tree climbing guide book that we recommend to all beginning tree climbers. Written and illustrated by professional climbers, this book is an easy to use field guide that gets straight to the point. Right after the preface, the Tree Climber’s Companion opens up with an illustration of a fully-equipped tree climber. The gear in this diagram is clearly indexed with the pages where the items are described in detail. This is very handy for new tree climbers who may be bewildered by the wide arrangement of tree equipment they may see in our tree climbing kits, a catalog, or used by a climber.

A very important aspect of the Tree Climber’s Companion is the P.R.E.P. system it uses to introduce tree climbing in a systematic way. This system stands for Pre-Climb Inspection, Rope Installation, Entering the Tree, and Positioning in the Tree. The guide book works through all of these sections, from the inspection of the gear in the first step to finally coming back down the tree. This is great for new climbers as it introduces tree climbing in a systematic way, making it easier to keep in mind the safety checks which should be remembered along each step of the way.

The knots section of the Tree Climber’s Companion is extremely in-depth, covering almost 30 pages with detailed instructions, illustrations, and descriptions of uses. Unlike a general-purpose knots book, the Tree Climber’s Companion will not only show you how to tie the knots, but also shows you how they fit into the tree climbers' tool bag. The knots are broken down into three sections; attachment knots, friction hitches, and mid-line knots. In addition to the instructions and uses for each knot, the Tree Climber’s Companion also describes general knot terminology, selection, and application.

The sources of information section in the book includes a listing of national tree climbing organizations, books, magazines, videos and arborist equipment suppliers where you can buy your gear.

The final pages of the book are skill performance sheets, which are useful for recording the skills learned and progress made.

Ratings & Reviews

2 reviews

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11/7/2023 7:05 am

Well worth it

by Samantha -

Knowledge is key in this business and this book is loaded with it. I've been climbing for three years and still keep this in my gear bag. It covers different climbing techniques and knots and pretty much a little of everything.

2/10/2024 5:24 pm

You need it.

by Ian

If you're going to look at one book for the field, this needs to be it. Perfect amount of information and diagrams in an easy to read and digest manner. Handy to keep in your gear bag just for an extra point of reference while you're in the field.