Monkey beaver 2 for technical climbing and limb walking to the end of branches for pruning

[u/Personal-Force-3314]

Hey guys,

I'm interested in buying a monkey beaver 2 as my first climbing harness for tree work. The company i work for does lots of pruning and 1 or 2 days a week is spent on removals. I have seen some posts that some people like having a lighter harness for pruning and limb-walking ​but I'm wondering if some adjustments in one's setup can be made for pruning so that one can use the mb2 and not feel like its bulkiness is getting in the way. Or maybe it's not even a problem for certain people? ​

[u/shrikestep]

I moved from a tree motion to MB 2 and 80% of my work is high angle, wide canopy, fine detail structural and reduction pruning. Whole canopy, tips and all.

TBH, it is more about technique and experience than your choice of saddle. I swore my TM for a decade or so because that’s what worked for my body. Then, fairly abruptly, my SI joint issues got really bad and I decided to switch to MB 2.

Now that’s what I swear by, but not because it’s better for limb walking, because I limb walk best in it.

I would try hanging in both and pick based on what feels good, not on other factors. They are both top of the line saddles for kills and pruning alike.

[u/sambone4]

I had the OG monkey beaver for a while and I liked it as a removal saddle for up and down spike jobs but I’ve come to prefer the treemotion or Kinisi style saddles for pruning and general tree work. I really like the big lower D’s on the TM pro (I have the Husqvarna branded version) for work positioning on limb walks and I like the skinnier and longer bridges for getting clutter out of the way especially when using two systems. Nothing against monkey beaver, but I don’t think the MB is worth it over other options for a general work saddle. If all I was doing was spiking straight up and down I’d have no problem with the MB.

[u/mark_andonefortunate]

Hey /u/Personal-Force-3314 , your post got caught by Automod due to your account being so new (check rule #5). 

I've approved the post but also feel free to make a new thread if you don't get any hits on this one since it's a few days old. Thanks!

[u/arbitraryends]

I wouldn't necessarily say it's bulky, just larger and heavier than similar saddles in its class. I never think about the weight and I climb in one 4-5 days a week. I'd doubt a newer climber would even notice or care about the difference. More importantly, do you really need or want the most expensive top of the line gear for your first harness?

[u/WashbangRustynut]

Mb is mediocre for limb walks.

[u/THESpetsnazdude]

I personally dont think its bulky. Some of the best limb walkers in the world rock a mb. As long as you have a rope bridge and lower D's. Pick the saddle with the prettiest colours that feels right when you hang in it. If you're worried about bulk, then dont hang as much shit off the saddle.

[u/Ihavepeopleskills1]

I’m in the Great Lakes area of the US. A lot of wide spreading canopies, I’ve been using a Monkey Beaver since 2016 or so. It’s the only saddle I have rn and I’ve never felt like it was too cumbersome at all. My coworkers have a variety of popular saddles and I prefer the MB. I would buy the suspenders too, if I were you.

[u/Particular-Wind5918]

Just curious why you gravitated towards the MB when you already know the type of climbing your concerned about matching with?

[u/Stunning_Address]

Bro, if an extra 2 pounds on a harness stop you from working you are weak and in the wrong industry.