Along with the bridge, the hip-to-leg webbing straps on the TreeMOTION harness are the most common replacement parts requested - the trade-off result for all that freedom of movement you get with the TreeMOTION!
Genuine replacement hip-to-leg webbing straps have always been available from Treetools but some climbers have baulked at the idea of being locking into the manufacturer for parts - for whatever reason?
Surely price cannot be the issue, the genuine replacement hip-to-leg TreeMOTION straps, stitched and certified by Austria-based Teufelberger, retail in New Zealand for $35.90 a pair (including GST).
Instead of using genuine replacement parts Treetools is seeing a few NZ-made hip-to-leg straps appearing on TreeMOTIONs brought into the shop for excessive leg loop slippage at the buckle.
At first glance the NZ-made straps look identical to the Teufelberger originals - see image below, the genuine hip-to-leg strap is the one on the left.
Strength is probably not an issue with the NZ-made version but the number of bar tacks is reduced and there is no convenient twist in the eye for a tidy cinch.
And these straps are not certified - although we are fairly certain a gear checker would not easily detect this vital fact.
No. The real drawback of the NZ-made hip-to-leg straps (and the reason we are seeing the harness returned to Treetools) is their tendency to slip on the TreeMOTION hip-to-leg adjustment buckle.
Within a few minutes of setting the correct hip-to-leg adjustment the NZ-made webbing strap slowly begins to creep at the buckle - making for a very frustrating climb.
The reason for the tenacity of the genuine webbing on the buckle is unknown to Treetools… but it works without question!
The moral of the story: if you want optimum results from your TreeMOTION always use genuine replacement parts.
