Do you prefer the 2-ring or the sleeve _style_ cambium saver? Which would you recommend for a new recreational climber?

I was leaning towards a 2-ring _style_ due to the lower friction, but they are awfully expensive and seem more complicated to install.

-_link_

_link_, I prefer the 2 ring _style_, but I may be the only person on this site that does.

You can make your own to try it out and see if you like it. If it turns out you DO like it, you can buy a nicer one.

I can splice you one out of rope. My favorite design is made of 16 strand rope and only has the little ring spliced in. For a big ring you can use your own locking carabiner. This makes the install from the ground easier/faster.

love
nick

Oh! Welcome to the site. Where you from?

Two-ring false crotch is more typically used by arborist climbers (and Nick, a unique rec/arborist/climber/splicer/teacher and good all round guy). The pipe/conduit or leather savers are easier to install/remove and effectively reduce friction (leather a little less so) and protect the branch thus their popularity with non-arborist climbers. The lowest friction is to use a false crotch with pulley. a pulley is a dream but can be too low fricton if you're not used to it. I started out using a two-ring but it mostly gathers dust. It comes in handy once in a while, knowing how to use it is a good skill to have.
-moss

I find the two-ring cambium savers are especially nice for times when I'm on a slim stem and I need to wrap around the trunk to get a secure tie in point. As Moss points out, unless you're a wizard like Nick they're slower to install than sleeves. I go up slim stems sometimes for research, so mine don't just gather dust.

Used to use the heavy leather sleeves from Sherrill all of the time, but last fall got a pair of Su sleeves (flexible conduit) and they're my preferred tool now; they are far and away the easiest to get into place. The only problem is that the plastic coating on the sleeve breaks in extreme cold (<10 deg F), but that's not a problem for normal people.

I'm a working arborist and I prefer the ring/ring type. The ring/ring is definitely smoother and is not that much more difficult to install from the ground. However, I think the sleeve starts to shine when you are changing your tie in point repeatedly while in the tree. With the ring/ring you have to actually climb to your new tie in point to install it (unless you carry throwline around in the tree, and it would still be a serious pain). With the sleeve you can just toss your rope over any crotch you like and pull the sleeve easily into place. In theory, at least.

Well said Leon. During a rec climb it is more likely that there will be multiple re-pitches, double crotching, traverses etc., this is where a sleeve or pipe saver is going to be convenient. The two ring savers are nice when you want to wrap and create a tie-in without a crotch. This can also be done with a sling, screw_link_ and pulley. In both cases you need to climb to the attachment point and install/deinstall manually.
-moss