If clothes make the man – or woman, as the case may be – then what does that say about the choices in work wear made by climbers? Every piece of clothing a climber puts on must be functional in the extreme, so consequently, the choices he or she makes in work wear often reflect personal preferences and even body type.
Back “in the day,” or even as recently as 10 to 15 years ago, arborists had way fewer options when it came to climbers’ work wear, according to Ryan Torcicollo, CTSP and talent developer for SavATree-Park City, the Park City branch of the 35-year TCIA member company based in Bedford Hills, New York. He’s been climbing for 14 years – most recently being awarded first place overall at the 27th Annual Utah Tree Climbing Championship in 2020 – and says he has seen a lot of changes. “I started out when the general attire (for climbers) was jeans and Carhartt shirts,” he notes. “And that’s still the general rule with a lot of basic tree care companies that aren’t up to the level of those TCIA represents. I’m talking the mom-and-pop companies and fly-by-nights.”
Because he has been in the industry a long time, Torcicollo says, “There are things I see (in the field) and things I look for. I was just talking to Clogger about this the other day, giving them my thoughts for some future designs, specifically things for their pants.”
At SavATree-Park City, some work wear is provided while other pieces are left up to the decision of the individual climber, says Torcicollo. “We supply Arborwear two-tone hoodies and shirts, but pants are on you. Currently, we don’t supply saw pants, but some SavATree branches may. We do supply all PPE, including saw chaps. ANSI says that climbers aloft are not required to wear saw pants – most injuries aloft are to the upper body and arms. But who knows, that standard may change in the next revision.”
Personally speaking, Torcicollo has several things he looks for in work wear when he takes to the trees. “I look for stretch for mobility, and I also want durability – we’re not sitting at a desk all day,” he says. “Pants must be rough and rugged, not excessively thick and hot, but rugged enough to stand up to thorns and other stuff we get into. And if I’m just doing a simple pruning, I’ll wear arbor pants and then use saw chaps when I’m on the ground.”
One other important feature is pockets, according to Torcicollo. “I’m a big fan of mid-hip or cargo pockets,” he says. “That way I can have my phone right there in case I need it in an emergency. And zippered pockets are great for keeping my keys in and sawdust out.”
When asked what brands he gravitates toward in work wear, Torcicollo responds that the two big names are Italy-based ArbPro and perennial-favorite Arborwear, which he describes as “the pinnacle that everyone seems to go to.” One of his favorite pieces, he says, is Arborwear’s double-thick hoodie for winter wear. “It’s absolutely amazing, super toasty and warm for winter, and a great layer.” As a summer layer, he likes Truewerk’s sun shirts with built-in UV protection. “When it’s hot, you put this on and immediately feel cooler.”
Torcicollo’s footwear of choice is a pair of ArbPro Evo climbing boots. “They just seem to fit my foot well,” he notes. “They’re so comfortable that I even wear them hiking.” Generally speaking, Torcicollo says a pair of climbing boots will last him about 18 months, adding that he treats the leather for even more durability and waterproofing.
Canadian arborist Peter de Vries, owner of Designs By De Vries in Ontario, says he’s been climbing for seven years, and looks for comfort and fit foremost in his work wear. “What fits me best and works for me might not work for someone else,” he notes. “In Canada, we’re required to wear protective pants when aloft with a chain saw, and I like SIP Protection’s Canopy W-Air chain-saw pants. They’re comfortable, they shift with my body and there’s ventilation on the back of the knee that’s breathable.
“For boots, I wear Haix Protector (chain-saw boots),” de Vries continues. “They’re comfortable and have a good fit, and the Vibram-sole tread lasts and has good grip. Before that, I used Stein Defenders, but I found that the tread pattern didn’t grip as well for me in awkward positions in the tree. For non-PPE, I wear Salewa boots.”
De Vries offers advice on when to retire climbing boots. “At the most, expect to get 18 months to three years out of them, unless you change out the insoles often. Otherwise, you lose that important support, and that affects the rest of your body when you’re on your feet all day.”
He also suggests proper care for chain-saw pants. “I’ll typically wear them three to five days and then wash them, depending on how much dirt and grime I’ve gotten on them. The more you wash them, the less protection you’ll get from them. Use a mild detergent and always hang them to dry – never put them in the dryer. I actually have several pairs, so I can cycle through them and make them last longer. They’re a big investment, but you’ll definitely extend the life of your pants if you take care of them.”
When it comes to color, de Vries says that for him, it’s a matter of maintaining high visibility. “A lot of arborists like to have flashy gear, and I get that. It does look professional if everyone on the team has matching shirts in company colors. For me, I’m always looking at wearing high-vis whenever possible. For example, the Canopy W-Air pants have high-vis striping down the legs, so I can be seen at night. And I always wear high-vis yellow and orange in shirts.”
When it comes to the women’s perspective, climber Alliyie Shults is happy to weigh in on what she looks for – and doesn’t look for – in work wear. She’s been climbing a little more than a year, and has been working with Chippers, Inc., A Davey Company, out of their Meredith, New Hampshire, branch office for about a year. “The most important thing is stretch,” she says. “We’re moving around in the tree in a lot of awkward positions, and you need that stretch not only in the pants but in the shirt, too. And for the pants, I want a slimmer fit with a lot of stretch in the ankles and around the boot.”
Shults explains that at Chippers, they are required to wear chain-saw pants aloft. “We primarily climb in Clogger Zeros,” she says. “We’re issued green. I wish they came in more colors, that would be awesome!” She adds that Arbortec offers a line of chain-saw pants in “some great colors.” In looking at the Arbortec website, we saw blue, red and multi-colored, as well as female chain-saw pants with sections of pink, purple and lime-green contrasting with black.
Chippers also supplies logoed shirts and fleeces from Arborwear, Shults notes. “Actually, we just talked about this at work,” she says. “The newer shirts they just issued are great, but they’re made of a more breathable fabric and you can see a bra under them. They’re fine for the guys, but not so great for women, so I’ve brought this to their attention.”
When it comes to footwear, Shults says she doesn’t actually climb in arbor boots. “I climb in Timberland Pros,” she explains. “I like the height of the ankle, and I treat the leather to waterproof them. Generally, I change them out about every eight months.”
According to Shults, her absolute favorite item of work wear is the pair of Dovetail Workwear Cordura Britt Utility pants she field tested for TCI Magazine this past spring. “This is a women-owned company made exclusively for women’s work wear,” she explains. “My first impression was that they (the pants) would be comfortable, and I was right. I love them! They stretched like I needed them to (during testing) and allowed for full range of movement in the canopy. At Chippers, I can wear them under my chain-saw chaps if I’m doing ground work.”
For Shults’ complete review of the Britt Utility pants and other Dovetail Workwear clothing, see the April 2021 issue of TCI Magazine at tcimag.tcia.org.
When asked what she would like to see in women’s climbing work wear, Shults is quick to respond. “More options! Specifically with chain-saw pants. Clogger is the only company I know of that makes women’s chain-saw pants, which is great that they do, but I’d like more choices.”
A second thing she notes is the issue of small women finding any kind of arborist work wear that fits. “It ends up being baggy on them, and of course, that’s not safe. I know there’s a huge problem with extra-small women’s wear not having enough cubic inches of yellow and reflective tape to meet ANSI Class 3 high-visibility standards. You’d think by now, in 2021, we’d have solved that issue, but here we are still.”
Jacque Fink, arborist and owner of Integrity Tree Care, LLC, agrees with Shults on the issue of finding climbers’ work wear that fits. “A common struggle for female arborists in general is finding proper work wear in women’s sizes,” she says, adding that she’s 5-feet, 2-inches and weighs about 115 pounds. “In fact, I spoke with someone at the Arborwear booth at the last EXPO (2019) about this. I saw my rep there and said, ‘C’mon man, where are my women’s chain-saw pants?’”
Since that TCI EXPO, Arborwear has, in fact, introduced the Women’s Ironwood Chainsaw Pants, which Fink says she is looking forward to seeing. “It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had to replace a pair of pants, so I’ll check that out,” she notes.
Fink, who’s been climbing for five years, notes that in pants she looks for “that four-way stretch fabric, because everything a climber wears has absolutely ridiculous forces put on it. And I look for nice strong seams. Starting out (as a climber), I wore out a pair of nice, double-kneed Carhartts in six months. The salespeople I showed them to were blown away by how well I had destroyed those pants.” She says now she wears Truewerk’s T1 WerkPant, a lightweight and breathable women’s pant made for summer wear. She also has a pair of T2s, a slightly warmer pant with “a nice, soft shell.”
As a Teufelberger Ambassador, Fink also is partial to the company’s newly released Ambassador line of clothing, including the Ambassador Climbing Long Sleeve T with coolmax and coolpass technology. “The shirt is really breathable and light, with four-way stretch,” she says, adding that the company is coming out with its own Way Up Light climbing pants as well.
When it comes to the cost of arborist clothing, Fink says she views her work wear as life support. “I’m of the mindset that cost isn’t the question, it’s a matter of comfort and safety. When you buy quality pants and give them proper care, they really last. Like I said, I haven’t had to buy a new pair of pants for two years.”
Fink says it’s the same when it comes to her boots. “If I’m climbing, I’m wearing ArbPro Evo 2s,” she says. “I actually won my pair in a competition. They’re SRT friendly, with a built-in strap to attach my knee ascender to. But I don’t find them comfortable and I can’t wear them for long periods of time, so I still struggle with finding a good boot.”
As for color, Fink says she enjoys matching her carabiners to her shirts in her favorite color, hi-vis yellow-green. “But no orange!” she says with a laugh. “And definitely no pink! We (women) have enough obstacles, we don’t need to stand out on the work site!”
When it comes to seeing changes in climbers’ work wear over the years, Phillip Kelley, safety lead for Wright Tree Service – a 44-year member company based in Chehalis, Washington – says there have been huge advancements made. “It used to be blue jeans and cotton shirts and big, clunky boots,” notes Kelley, who’s been climbing for 30 years. “Now it’s real arborist-oriented performance clothing with things like wick-dry fabrics, gusseted crotches and pockets that don’t get in the way when you’re in the saddle.”
The real evolution, he says, didn’t start until the early 2000s or even later, “when manufacturers started getting into performance fibers, probably in conjunction with arborist wear merging with the rock-climbing world. Clothing became more athletic, less tough and durable, like canvas, and instead stuff that would perform better.”
According to Kelley, Wright Tree Service has an account set up with Arborwear, and crew members get a credit to spend there as needed. “We have days when we need to be in a meeting in the morning wearing a collared shirt, and then later be in the tree,” he explains. “I have a guy with me right now who’s wearing khaki Arborwear Canopy pants that he can be in all day long. They’re tear resistant and breathable, and they look very professional, like Dockers.”
Though ANSI standards currently don’t require climbers to wear chain-saw-
protective pants while in the canopy, Kelley says the trend is moving more in that direction. “High-performance (chain-saw) pants like Clogger’s are cooler, lighter, breathable and wear almost like a pair of regular pants, but not quite,” he says. “Clogger Zeros are affordable and you don’t trip over them like chaps, and you don’t have to take them on and off. All I have to do is put on a pair of pants, and now I’m 100% protected. And let’s face it, chaps don’t get washed, and they get covered in dirt and oil and lose their efficacy. I haven’t worn a pair of saw chaps in eight years.
“My favorites (chain-saw pants) are my Clogger Zeros and my Husqvarna arborist tech pants. I have four pairs, and I switch back and forth when one starts to smell bad,” he says.
“Anything I wear on my upper body is going to be Arborwear high-vis,” he continues. “The quality is great and their customer service is outstanding.”
Because he works in the Pacific Northwest six months of the year, Kelley adds that rain gear also is important. “You need rain gear that actually keeps you dry and is very breathable. I used to wear Grundens. They’re great if you’re standing still – nothing is going to get through them. But the minute you start moving, you sweat so much that you’re wetter inside than out.” Now, he says, his rain gear comes from Kühl or Patagonia.
Finally, Kelley says his footwear comes from ArbPro. “I slip them out of the box and they fit me like a glove,” he says. “For me at least, there’s no break-in period. And they have features that make it easy for my ascenders to attach to.
“I cycle out my boots after about a year – I’m pretty terrible with them,” he admits. “I don’t maintain them, and they get hard wear. I’m wearing them 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, and all I do at the end of the day is take them off.”
Obviously, personal preferences, fit and even regions of the country dictate what climbers look for when they choose clothing for the canopy. And it’s also obvious that manufacturers are listening and advancements are being made all the time.
For more opinions and preferences from working arborists on work wear, go to tcimag.tcia.org and click on this article.
