For more than a decade, the Petzl Sequoia has been a stalwart in the climbing world. Lightweight, mobile and streamlined, it has long been a go-to harness for arborists who value efficiency and freedom of movement in the canopy. Petzl has always approached saddle design with a clean, purposeful philosophy – smart hardware, thoughtful adjustability and clever details that make a professional climber’s day smoother.

That said, the previous Sequoia SRT left some climbers – including me – feeling like it was very close to being something special, but not quite there. It also felt like Petzl was overly focused on keeping the system internally integrated within its own ecosystem. That approach limited compatibility with climbing gear from other manufacturers and left the saddle feeling less comfortable than emerging designs such as Teufelberger’s TreeMOTION Evo and Buckingham’s Ergovation.

The Sequoia. Photo courtesy of © 2025 Petzl Distribution – Rama Dio Syahputra – Green Maintenance.

Next generation

With the release of the Sequoia and Sequoia Plus, Petzl didn’t reinvent the platform so much as give it the overhaul many climbers had been waiting for. (For clarity, I’ll refer to the two models throughout this article as the standard Sequoia and the Sequoia Plus.)

After nearly 80 hours of production climbing in the Sequoia Plus – and comparing notes with fellow Rooted Arbor Care arborist Matt, who tested the standard model – it’s clear Petzl put serious thought into how arborists actually work in their saddles.

Fit, comfort and support

As expected from Petzl, the hardware and adjustability are excellent. Buckles operate smoothly, webbing adjustments stay put and small touches like strap keepers prevent creeping adjustments during long workdays.

Both saddles are more comfortable than the previous generation. The padding has been improved across the board, but the biggest difference shows up around the hip-connector area, which was a common pressure point on earlier Sequoia models. The new version distributes load much better there, which becomes especially noticeable during long days in the rope or on the spar.

The saddle still moves naturally with the body during climbing and work positioning – something the Sequoia platform has always done well.

One difference between the two models is the rear support pad. The Sequoia Plus includes a significantly larger back pad, which becomes especially beneficial during long removals while working on uncomfortable leans with a larger saw. The standard Sequoia uses a smaller back pad with a compact-form factor.

Bridge architecture

One of the most important – and for some climbers, slightly contentious – differences between the two models is the bridge-attachment architecture.

The Sequoia Plus uses openable, gated front-attachment rings, allowing climbers to quickly change bridges, install hardware such as swivels directly on the bridge or experiment with different bridge materials.

Many climbers really appreciate this openable architecture. Being able to swap bridges or change hardware without disassembling the harness is a genuine quality-of-life improvement.

In fact, Matt was frustrated with the lack of that flexibility on the standard model, simply because he prefers the adaptability that openable connectors provide. The standard Sequoia uses closed front-attachment rings, limiting bridge installation to traditional knotted bridges – typically 10 mm or smaller – an approach that favors simplicity and durability over modularity.

The Sequoia Plus. Photo courtesy of © 2025 Petzl Distribution – Lafouche – Zabeil Elagage.

Integrated ascent support

Most production climbers today are implementing SRS rope-walking techniques – or at least, they should be. Petzl clearly recognized this shift and designed the system to make those setups cleaner.

The Sequoia Plus includes an integrated, elastic tether designed to connect the Knee Grab knee ascender, creating a dedicated connection point directly from the harness. The standard Sequoia can support the same setup through the optional Knee Ascent kit.

During testing, we also paired the system with other knee ascenders, including the Haas Velox and Climbing Innovation SAKA, both of which worked seamlessly with the integrated tether.

Gear storage and organization

The waist belt includes six equipment loops along with eight Caritool-style attachment slots for rigid gear carriers such as the Petzl Caritool, Rock Exotica Transporter and DMM Vault.

Additional loops allow for chain-saw lanyards and accessory attachments, while the rear of the harness includes mounting points for Petzl’s Firstaid pouch or other small storage kits.

Compatibility

One welcome shift is Petzl’s recognition that arborists rarely build their climbing systems around a single brand.

The harness works cleanly with equipment from a wide range of manufacturers. In practice, climbers often mix gear from companies including Petzl, Rock Exotica, DMM, Edelrid and others depending on preference and availability.

It’s refreshing to see a design that acknowledges that reality rather than forcing a closed ecosystem.

Conclusion

The new Sequoia line represents a meaningful step forward for a platform that many climbers already know well. Rather than abandoning the design philosophy behind the original harness, Petzl chose to stay true to the platform their team believed in while refining the details that matter most to professionals.

The result is a saddle that still feels like a Sequoia – just noticeably better in nearly every way that matters to working climbers.

Petzl has also recognized that arborists rarely build their climbing systems around a single brand. The harness works cleanly with equipment from a wide range of manufacturers, allowing climbers to mix gear based on preference and availability.

For me, that’s what it means to build gear under the “Petzl Professional” banner: thoughtful design, practical refinement and equipment that performs exactly the way working arborists need it to.

And, while I usually return to my daily driver – the Tree Austria Pro – after R&D or gear-review projects, the Sequoia Plus has earned a permanent place in my everyday kit moving forward.

Andy Jones, CTSP, is an ISA Certified Arborist, is Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) credentialed and is a production climber and co-founder of Rooted Arbor Care, a two-year TCIA member company based in St. Louis, Missouri. He serves on the TCI Magazine editorial advisory committee and is an Air Force veteran.

The Sequoia Plus. Photo courtesy of © 2025 Petzl Distribution – Lafouche – Zabeil Elagage.