Edelrid Hand Cruiser | Gear Review: A REALLY Good Hand Ascender

After years of using a Petzl Hand ascender, I have switched over to the EDELRID Hand Cruiser. It's an excellent versatile piece of climbing kit I think everyone should have.
Josiah, the Tree_Strider is a tree climbing Instructor focused on training the next generation of climbers, arborists, and other tree care workers in safer, more efficient work practices at height and on the ground.
What is a skill or technique you would like explained? Let me know in the comments.
For those who would like to support the channel, the purchase of ANYTHING on Amazon after using my link is helpful, and the following list consists of Many of my favorite daily use equipment for climbing and rigging. All these are excellent pieces of gear you won’t regret owning!
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▬Climbing▬
Helmet: Pfanner Protos amzn.to/3xZMX71.
(THE BEST!! If you can find them, the integrated glasses are great)
Helmet Intercom: Cardo Packtalk Bold amzn.to/3exMvFo
Saddle: Edelrid Treerex amzn.to/3CsNfqH
Gloves: ANSI A5 Cut resistant amzn.to/3uBySKZ
▬Saddle accessories▬
Carabiners I love:
Edelrid HMS Bulletproof Triple eco : amzn.to/3vHBau1
Rock Exotica Transporter: amzn.to/3hgz1zr
Edelrid 2500 oval : amzn.to/3CsNn9F
Petzl Zillon Lanyard : (my personal favorite ) amzn.to/3uE6XtB
Yale Steel Core Lanyard: amzn.to/3o5lvQu
Silky Tsurugi hand saw: amzn.to/3tvKcqA
Notch Quickie: amzn.to/306eAvB
My Climb Saw:
Makita 36V top handled Saw amzn.to/2Rc8wRd
▬Climb System▬
Petzl zigzag (Best for beginners) amzn.to/3o3QFYw
Petzl Chicane (for SRT use) amzn.to/3o7itew
Rope: Edelrid Bucco amzn.to/3XaHsy8
Foot Ascender: amzn.to/3VODRoj
Knee Ascender: amzn.to/3beZnhG
▬Rigging Equipment▬
Cmi Rope Jack: amzn.to/31qUlKq
Soft shackle: amzn.to/3jfCBaK
Notch portawrap: amzn.to/2Qob7Uf
Throw Line: Tuefelberger Dynaglide: amzn.to/3ogU1Ym
Ultra Slings ( rigging rings and Arborist Block/Pulley): amzn.to/3fmGURd
X-Rigging Ring amzn.to/3wb2or1
Light duty Rigging: Notch sasquatch: amzn.to/3fknlJp
Heavy Duty Rigging: Pelican APE amzn.to/3Zsjh0b
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[@PhilEvansOnline]

Looks cool, thanks for sharing.

[@jonaseriksson175]

Eh... I'll stay with my CT quick roll with the built in pulley.

[@alotl1kevegas860]

Great video. Do you have a knee ascender comparison video? I'm torn between which one to get. I have been leaning towards the Foldable Saka. But really like the looks of the Stein.

[@tittyrino]

SAKA works great and I have been using mine for 4 years with no problems. Any quality knee ascender is the same except the foldables are more pouch friendly. SAKA has a folding version also from Climbing Innovations.

[@alotl1kevegas860]

@@tittyrino The Saka foldable is the one I meant. Forgive me, I'm new to climbing. Well technically, I've never climbed before lol. I have been acquiring all the gear before attempting. A knee ascender is one of the last few pieces of gear I wanted to get. That and a hand ascender, to make a 3:1 on a limb walk. Would you recommend a single hand, or a double hand ascender, like the petzl acsentree/ct quick arbor ascender? Thank you

[@tittyrino]

@@alotl1kevegas860 I like the single L and R hand ascenders. They are pretty affordable now. I started climbing for recreational only and have spent a small fortune on ropes and gear. It is costly but we don't want to fall so it is money well spent. I ended up with a Treemotion S Light saddle after trying 2 others. Very nice and tough saddle.Stay safe

[@jonbacon8924]

saka is way better

[@jonbacon8924]

@@alotl1kevegas860 Get the single handed CT w/ the small pulley. Best hand ascender available.

[@bazatron13]

Hey Strider , what's the device on your bridge ? 👀

[@Zogg1281]

I'm pretty sure it's the Edelrid Megawatt decender

[@samsungtv4u]

Santa Rosa Cotati Petaluma.???

[@jtr109]

Can’t you run the carabiner through the hole above the cam? Wouldn’t that give you even more rope throw for each pull?

[@Stridertrees]

You can, but depending on the pulley and exact arrangement the rope rub on the device and alignment can add friction and make it less efficient.

[@kmk1428]

@@Stridertreesalso using the very top hole on the ascended could put a slight side load on the toothed cam - no bueno

[@TimberWolf21]

What chest harness is that?

[@Stridertrees]

Its called the Vectory Chest X it's super comfortable and when the black carabiner is attached to the SRT loop in the TreeRex harness it makes it into a EN 361 full body fall arrest system. Its much more sturdy than most of the chest harnesses that are just designed to tend a SRT friction system.

[@Bsquez0129]

Is that thing on your bridge taking the place of a mechanical prusik? What is it?

[@FalenAnjel2]

The device on the Bridge as you term it for me it's the ventral is called the Maga Walt, also by Edelrid, they also have a back up that looks like it too and very smooth on the rope.

[@blakefollett]

@@FalenAnjel2 - Those devices are more for rope access like washing windows and descending a building. Not really great for tree work.

[@chillipphi]

@@FalenAnjel2 Edelrid Megawatt and Fuse. The Fuse is their fall arrest devise used more in industrial rope access work.

[@boumarc]

hand ascenders are obsolete / useless gear. much better and more efficient to climb with knee/foot ascender combination

[@jameshancock18]

Disagree, they’re super useful for srt ascent with knee and foot ascenders

[@oxyehho]

Traverse from tree to tree without one is a struggle sometimes. Mostly depends on what you do in rope access

[@Stridertrees]

The knee/foot ascender combo is awesome when you have the right SRT friction management system. The comps seem to have proven them to be the fastest way up, but the hand ascender especially combined with a foot loop or a pulley like I was showing here can make sense in other scenarios. This configuration is certainly NOT the most efficient access technique for a long rope climb, but it has its place, and like others mentioned there are other cool uses for a hand ascender. Its also just a more ergonomic way to pull a rope for folks who have joint pain or are just older climbers.

[@boumarc]

@@Stridertrees knee/foot ascender combo works great with DRT systems too

[@treespicemedia]

Gotta be careful with like, useless and obsolete, especially when you’re talking about a piece of equipment that is in more use than foot and knee ascenders in the greater rope access community. It may not be the most common tool for tree climbing, but it certainly has its place. Like Strider pointed out, it makes a very ergonomic system when you create a 3:1. The most important place for this is dense and difficult parts of the tree to pass through and long difficult limb walks. You’re not likely going to have any luck returning from a 50’ drooping burr oak limb walk using a standard knee and foot ascender setup. 3:1 is a really important tool for tree climbing quickly and effectively, the hand ascender is a fantastic way to accomplish that system. Cheers!

[@viisteist1363]

so u actually need to bang the tree to climb with this thing?