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It’s not fun, it’s not easy, but climbing poles is a part of the job for every lineman. There comes a time when you cant get a bucket truck to the pole. Or you are down a truck, but have multiple lineman. You gotta have climbing gear if you’re gonna become a real lineman. There are a few essential equipment and accessories you’ll need in order to thrive as a fiber optic lineman. Below we’ll go over each and give my favorite options for each category.
Climbing Belt
Arguably the most important piece of climbing gear is the belt itself. There is no getting the job done without a belt to keep you attached to the pole. There are a ton of awesome lineman belts on the market today, but here is the one I enjoy the most, Buckingham Heritage Short Back Mobility.
The way you deck out your belt is ultimately up to you. I like to have 1 diddy (nut and bolt) bag, a hook, a small piece of rope with a swivel snap, a tape thong, and my bell wrench holder. When installing strand I use the 4 loops in my belt to carry additional bolts and frames. Sometimes it’s easier to take materials off the frames than search in my diddy bag, especially when you have gloves on.
Bucksqueeze
The climbing belt might be the most important piece of gear, but the bucksqueeze is what keeps you safe and able to climb with confidence. The bucksqueeze (fall restraint) attaches to the pole to secure you in place just in case your gaffs slip out.
Old heads always will be about free climbing, but personally I love knowing I don’t have to worry about falling off the pole, so I can focus my attention on the work at hand and make the climbing aspect subconscious….step step slide.
If you need a new bucksqueeze or fall restraint check out this list of my favorite options here. My 2 favorite, one more affordable than the other are the Buckingham EZ Squeeze LeverGrab and the Buckingham EZ Squeeze with woven inner strap.
Secondary
Truthfully I don’t use this climbing gear very often. I work in rural areas of the midwest and most poles don’t have communication lines on them until us fiber guys install our new line. However, I have had to use my secondary plenty of times and when you need it you’ll be glad to have it, especially if you are a new climber.
I’ve gone over existing lines multiple times with and without my secondary…I always prefer to have it and really you should if you want to make sure you safely make it back to the truck and the end of the day without serious injury.
Secondary lines allow you to safely move above and below existing lines, staying attached to the pole the entire time. Yes they take more time and it’s more work, but it too is just part of the job. Once you get really skilled at using your secondary line you can quickly pass above and below existing comm lines like butter.
Climbers
You’re climbers attach to your legs and house your gaffs. Climbers are made of steel, aluminum, or titanium. There are also a few different styles of climbers or shanks- contoured, twisted, and offset.
It’s important to adjust your climbers to where they properly fit your legs/shins or you could give yourself some serious blisters…
Honestly I’ve never tried any other climbers, which should say something about their durability. The same climbers that gave me those scabs in that photo above are the same climbers I still use to this day. That’s why I say it’s important to make sure you have them adjusted correctly. For my climbers there is a screw adjustment area at the top, where your pad insert is.
Play around with that until you get it fitting comfortably. I do recommend the lineman climbers I have which fit comfortably and feel quite light- Bashlin Aluminum Climbers.
Gaffs
The gaff is the key component of your lineman climbing gear. It’s funny how the smallest piece of the climbing gear kit is quite likely the most important. Just like the climber section above, I am still using the same replacement gaffs from my beginning days of climbing. I got hand me down climbers, but I replaced the gaffs and pads and they work so well together.
I’ve never sharpened my gaffs, 4 years in, and they work perfectly. Also I should mention how durable they are. I’ve gaffed into copper vertical lines numerous times and it doesn’t seem to phase the gaff a bit. However, I think you’d be best to not make a habit of it. I’ve also gaffed into signs, tags, riser guards, staples and probably more. They are tough, important and cheap. You can pick up this crucial piece of gear for less than $100- Bashlin Standard Replacement Gaffs.
Boots
When you climb up poles you put a lot of pressure on the stirrup area of the climber and the arch of your foot. Boots made for lineman have a steel shank in the arch allowing you to not feel the pressure applied by the stirrup of the climber. I’ve seen guys climb without lineman boots, but their quickly returning to work with new boots 🙂
Most of the tools and gear we have as lineman make our job efficient so we can concentrate on our work, not how uncomfortable and painful something is. You’ll be happy to have your lineman boots when you need to climb all day, all week, or on a consistent basis. The steel shank really helps you stay up on that pole for long periods of time without pain.
Here are 2 of my favorite lineman climbing boots- the Wesco Highliner and the Carolina Linesman 10. If you want a list of my favorite lineman boots check out this article here- The Lineman’s Best Friend: Lineman Boots.
Rope
The lineman handline rope is a handy tool that lets you bring materials and tools up and down the pole. I like to hook my strand up to the rope and once I’m ready I will pull the rope up and then unsnap the strand from the rope and place it in my clamp, ready to be sucked up.
When installing fiber, the rope is essential when you need to put up a riser guard. I will hook up the saw, riser guard, and my impact drill all on the rope. Once I am ready to hang the riser on the pole, I’ll pull the rope up to me.
I should also mention another rope that is beneficial to have. It’s a small rope, maybe 6-8 inches long, that is always attached to the your climbing belt. The other end of the rope has a swivel snap that you can attach to other items. Most of the time I just attach it to itself after wrapping it around my drill. This little guy is quite handy and I didn’t realize how often I would come to use this modification and I sure am glad it’s there.
The rope I linked above- i recommend you switch out the snaps for quick and easy snaps/hooks. For fiber lineman 30-40 feet in length or rope should be fine.
Drill
Every line on every pole needs a frame. and every frame needs a hole. There are actually 2 drills I will talk about. 1 drill for strand, 1 for fiber.
Let’s discuss the first drill that is essential in a lineman’s climbing gear kit. This drill needs to be able to drill those holes over and over and over and over. These poles are often 10 inches thick or more. And some of these poles can really make you and your drill work hard just to get that hole drilled. So you need one that is powerful enough to handle that type of work, day in day out.
You can go big and buy this Milwaukee High Torque Impact Drill that will shred through poles like not other drill. It’s expensive, but wow is it impressive. Or you can get this DeWalt 20v Drill Kit that will get through most poles without much fuss and it comes with the drill we discuss below. Don’t forget a GOOD auger bit- here’s a solid and affordable option- Irwin auger bit.
This Dewalt drill is a nice to have- the impact driver. Most riser guards have 16 screw holes. You can either hammer these screws in with a quality hammer or you can use a drill. I’ve done both and the drill is the way to go, especially when your run has a lot of taps. You’ll also need one of these nut driver attachments. I strongly recommend magnetic- nothing worse than your screws falling to the ground when you’re trying to hold 6 things with 2 hands! Impact Driver Kit
Belt Hook
The belt hook is a climbing belt accessory that helps lineman easily carry additional tools and equipment. As I mentioned prior in the handline rope section, I will use it often for strand and fiber both. In both scenarios I use the belt hook with the handline rope.
All of the hooks I’ve used are made of hard plastic and some tend to fall off your belt, mostly when your tossing your belt back and forth on the truck, 4 wheeler, or in the grass somewhere. Get the high visibility hooks and a backup just in case that happens. These are the belt hooks I use and I think they work great- I’ve never had one break on me.
Ditty Bag (Nut and Bolt Bag)
Very important piece of gear here. This is where you will store the majority of your materials you need. Such as your square nuts, lock nuts, weavers, split bolts, and more. It’s a must have for any lineman climbing belt. I’d even consider trying 2 ditty bags and see how you like it.
You can hook your ditty bag on your left or right side of your climbing belt, whichever is most comfortable for you. I have always used and quite like the ditty bag with an inside pocket, it lets you get a bit more organized and not have to dig to the bottom of your bag.
Here is a Klein ditty bag with an interior pocket and metals snaps, great option and quite affordable. But if you are looking to get a snazzy and one of my favorite looking ditty bags check out this Heritage nut & bolt bag. It’s got tool pockets on the inside, and an awesome distressed look.
Climbing Gear Kit
If you want to get a headstart and skip the piecing it all together process, you can get one of these handy climbing gear kits. All of the big brands have multiple kits, but here are a few of my favorites:
- Bashlin Leather Floridian Package– this is a strong option, I really like the pads, and I’ve heard great things about the belt. One of the more affordable options.
- This Buckingham SuperSqueeze kit includes your fall restraint, which is a great option, and it includes a high quality belt that is one of the most comfortable I have tried. You wouldn’t need much more if you went with this kit.
- If you are a fan of Klein you’ll be happy to know that they too have a package that includes some great Hydra-Cool climbers and one of my favorite ditty bags. Check it out here: Klein Climber Package.
Final Words
Being a lineman that climbs poles takes the right gear and equipment to get the job done. After reading this article I hope you came away with a piece of gear that you can’t wait to try out!
Stay well and be safe out there.
Check out the article about the must have tools for the job- The Top 10 Tools Every Fiber Optic Lineman Should Have.
