How to Choose Tree Climbing Spurs

Video Caption File/Transcript by Arborist Industry Expert Nick Bonner.

[Music] Hi, I'm Nick Bonner for TreeStuff.com. Today we are going to talk about four specific models of spurs or tree climbers that I think are the four best models available. I think, in my opinion, if you're looking to buy a set of spurs, you can limit your search to these four models, and I'll try to tell you why and talk about each one.

So, the four that we're going to talk about: we have the Notch Steel Gecko—really like this one. We also have the Edelrid Talon, one of my all-time favorite spurs, as I've already mentioned. This is the Notch Gecko Aluminum 2.0; this is a relatively new version of this spur, and it's awesome. And then this is the Stein X2. This is sold under several brand names; it's also sold by Climb Right and Stein, but this is a great spur, and when I was a field worker, this was the spur that I chose to wear. It comes in a couple of colors and is a really great option.

So, a couple of things that are common amongst all of these models: all of these models have a hard shell, and all of them have a fixed shell or a fixed cuff, right? So that's really important. You see some of the other brands out there that are still making spurs like the same way since 1980, like with leather and foam and stuff. It's just, it's not nice, and you'll see that the pads are like—they're not connected, the shank or the cuff is not connected together, and what happens then is the shank can kind of rotate wherever it wants, and the pads try to restrict it, but it will oftentimes come to the side and then start leveraging into the inside of your calf, which is definitely where you don't want it.

So, all of these models have incorporated a hard shell cuff, and they have a fixed attachment of that cuff to the stirrup shank—the piece of metal that's coming up. That means that the engineers that have worked on all these products have specified exactly where all the force is going to be. It's going to mean that when you suction it down on your leg, it's going to stay exactly where you put it, and that the shank isn't going to move. It's also going to mean when you stomp your foot into the tree, that it's going to go straight in and stay where it is. So, I think that that feature specifically sets all of these apart.

All right, the three that are made out of steel are this one, this one, and this one. Obviously, the Notch Gecko Aluminum is made from aluminum, which offers a weight savings. I'll be the first one to tell you, you don't always get the perceived weight savings from aluminum over steel. It takes more aluminum to be as strong as steel, and while aluminum is lighter, more of it—obviously the weight starts to go up, and especially with ASTM standards on these spurs, you do see that the shank here is pretty bulky. So that's the difference in the materials. Other than that, these spurs are fairly similar. They all come in short and long gaff versions. I have a variety here, and they're all going to do what you expect them to do and what you need them to do. So, if you end up with any of these four pairs, you're going to be in a pretty good spot.

All right, the Climb Right or the Stein version—these come in towards the lower end of the price point. I think they're actually a little more expensive than these Notch Steel Geckos. All right, the Velcro doesn't do well on the microphone. Here we go, ready?

All right, when I was a climber, a lot of these other options weren't out there. There were only the aluminum Geckos, and then they were really expensive. This was much less expensive, and it still is, than a pair of aluminum Geckos. You get the cuff adjuster, which is really nice. This foam, which is removable, can be positioned in different places, which I really like. So, you can kind of cheat it up, which I did because I'm fairly tall, so I always felt like I was pushing over the top of the cuff here, but you're able to move that around. It's a really high-quality thermoformed foam, and it, in general, is just very nice.

These are Gaff Guardians. These don't come with the spurs, but pretty standard attachment. These are all going to use the same style of bolts, and they all have height adjustment in them, although that will vary by model. There are height adjustment sleeves available for these, but you would only use those if you were using a soft pad. With the hard shell pads, you don't need it. So, I really like these. These were way ahead of their time. These were definitely, I think, the best value spur out when they came out. I think a lot of people really like these and still have them.

But next on the list, we're going to talk about the Notch Steel Gecko. I hate to say it, but I think that this is the best spur available on the market today. All right, for the money, for the price—these are $300—but the comfort and the quality that you get, it really doesn't compare to the rest of the assortment. Like, these are really nice, but they're like almost $200 or more than $200 more in price. I find that these are so comfortable. They have such a huge, expansive hard cuff. You don't need to cheat the foam around the edges because it's already around the edges. I wonder where they got that.

It's, again, got really high-quality thermofoam foam. You've got really wide, heavy-duty Velcro, right? The way that this is free-flowing and not fixed actually makes it easier to tighten down, and because it is this smooth metal, it's just going to run right through it. I just—I think that these spurs are the best on the market. There's no doubt about it.

The best choice—they do still come with the basic lower straps, which is worth noting, and that's a possible area for upgrade. Maybe if you want to spend a little more, you could get the upgraded straps, but these come with the basic lower straps. The Stein pair that I showed first doesn't have any straps on it, but it does come with the basic style of straps that you see here. So, you could stop watching the video now if you wanted, because I think that the Notch Steel Geckos are the best choice. They're certainly the best value—lifetime guarantee.

Next, let's talk about the Edelrids. When these came out, these were by far the most technologically advanced spurs. I think they still might be. There is a three-dimensional bend here, so this is actually bending in two ways—it's coming this way and it's bending in this way. Edelrid spent a lot of time trying to fine-tune the amount of material used here to make it as light as possible, even though it's still made out of steel. So again, what I described with, you know, sometimes it takes more aluminum versus less steel—Edelrid found a really great balance here.

They also innovated on the lower strap. I think that these are the best lower straps available. They've set a heel distance that you can leave fixed, so you just kick the back of your foot into the heel here and then pull the front strap over. I think that that's a really elegant way of doing it, and I really like these strap solutions. I think that the Edelrid team is really creative, too. The way that these adjust and replace is very simple and elegant, and I think if you are looking to spend at the high end of the spectrum, these are really, really great spurs. The pads are removable, it's got this really cool-looking exo shell. If anything, I would say that these are a little bit bulky, and they did have some issues at the very beginning with the strap lengths needing some fine-tuning, but this is a really cool product. The Edelrid Talon is definitely one of my favorites—just a little on the stinger side of price.

Next up, you see the Notch Gecko Aluminum 2. These have all of the qualities of the Gecko line that have made Gecko the predominant spur brand for the last 20 years. They have a really high-quality, very rigid cuff and shell that's very thin, so it doesn't add a lot of bulk, but at the same time, it offers a really dynamic level of resistance, and it's going to form to your leg really well. People report these as being the most comfortable. They're obviously a little bit lighter, despite still having to use a fair amount of aluminum to get the job done. They come in all the spur lengths that you see. You're going to have a similar tension bar, the same wide Velcro, the same thermoformed heat pads—all the things that you see on all of the Gecko spurs you've ever seen that really make them great.

And then they've also added this quick-release buckle style clips for the bottom, and this allows you to simply put your boot in, throw the strap around your heel, bring it up, and click it in. If you want to then tighten it up, you can remove this Velcro and go. So, all right, this is a pretty nice strap. People have been raving about these. I've heard a lot of really positive results. It's an all-metal buckle—it's just a super nice system. Like anything Notch sells, it's lifetime guaranteed. I think, again, if you have some bucks to spend, you're probably between this version and this version, but I think if you're at all budget conscious, the only spur to really consider is this one—the Notch Steel Gecko.

It's disappointing to me that some of the brands that were really predominant, other than Gecko, just kind of never changed. They never made anything different or made anything better, and you saw the team at Notch and the team at Edelrid and Stein really just kind of run away with it. And that's the reason these are the four spurs that I would recommend.

Whatever spurs you end up with, get a set of Gaff Guardians. These things are awesome. They're bright orange, you can't lose them, they're guaranteed for life—although I don't necessarily see how you could damage this. I think you could probably, like, stomp on it, it wouldn't break it, but run it over. But if you do, you can get them replaced. They clip on to any style of spur. They might seem a little loose, but they're on there, they don't fall off, you can't hurt yourself, you won't tear your gear, you won't take one to the leg if you fall while you're carrying them—or to the stomach, that would hurt, right? Like, you definitely don't want that to happen.

But yeah, pick up a set of Gaff Guardians. If you have more than one set of spurs, get more than one set of Gaff Guardians. I obviously have too many sets of spurs and not enough Gaff Guardians, so I think I'm going to go to TreeStuff, I'm going to use the arborist discount code, and I'm going to get five percent off my Gaff Guardians. Let me get the new version 2.0.

And that's it. Thanks for joining us. I hope you guys enjoyed this video, and I hope that it was helpful. If you're looking for spurs, we've narrowed it down for you. Only need to consider four models. Pretty cool, huh? Cheers, thanks.