What goes in a climber's bag

This is a checklist, not a method. Your employer's list, the maker's instructions and the rules where you work come first.

A common checklist

Head and body protection

Helmet.
Eye protection.
Ear protection.
Gloves.
Chainsaw protection, if you run a saw. See chainsaw protection by country.

Climbing and rope kit

Saddle.
Climbing line.
Lanyard.
Friction devices.
Carabiners.
Throw line and throw weight.

Cutting

Handsaw.
The chainsaw itself, if your employer expects you to bring one.

Rescue and first aid

A personal first aid and bleed control kit.
Aerial rescue kit, where your employer or your country's rules ask for one.

Personal

Water.
Phone.
Paperwork: certification cards, licences and any training records your employer asks to see.

Who supplies what differs by employer. Some crews issue the protective kit and ask you to bring your own climbing gear. The guide on buying used gear and what to ask the seller covers second-hand purchases.

What the official pages say about gear

SafeWork NSW, the New South Wales regulator, put out a safety alert on tree work incidents on July 22, 2024. It advises that all workers wear adequate personal protective equipment, for example safety glasses, gloves and hearing protection. It advises that climbing equipment is only used as per the original manufacturer's recommendations, and that equipment is inspected and maintained by a competent person. It also advises keeping two points of attachment to the tree, particularly when climbing or cutting.

In the United Kingdom, HSE's page on lifting equipment in arboriculture says that arborists should be trained for daily pre-use checks, with written weekly records for high-wear items such as ropes. It also says that in an emergency a reliable means of rescue must be available, and people trained in tree rescue should be available at each work site.

Gear checks are written into several official pages. They are addressed to employers and to the person responsible for the gear.

Country	What the source says
United States	OSHA's tree care inspection memo of June 24, 2021 says the criteria in 29 CFR 1910.140 apply to climbing and work in trees. That rule asks that personal fall protection is inspected before initial use during each workshift for mildew, wear, damage and other deterioration, and that defective components are removed from service. It also asks the employer to provide for prompt rescue after a fall. OSHA's page on tree care standards calls the ANSI standards voluntary and says compliance with them does not ensure compliance with OSHA policy.
Canada	In Alberta, the tree care rules in Part 39 have the employer set safe work practices that cover the selection, limitation, operation and maintenance of equipment and PPE, work positioning and emergency rescue. They list the standards a harness made on or after March 31, 2023 must be approved to.
United Kingdom	HSE says rope access and work positioning systems, anchor points, ropes, karabiners, harnesses, strops and rigging for lowering branches are lifting equipment. It says lifting equipment must be clearly marked with a safe working load. LOLER regulation 9 asks for a thorough examination at least every 6 months for equipment that lifts people and for lifting accessories.
Australia	In the NSW Tree works code of practice, in force from March 27, 2026, the climber should inspect climbing equipment before and after each use, and harness inspections must be carried out at least annually. It says lanyard webbing should be retired if there are any visible cuts. It says equipment details may be recorded in a lifting equipment register.
New Zealand	The WorkSafe arboriculture code of practice says arborists shall check climbing lines, work lines, lanyards and other climbing equipment for damage, cuts, abrasion or deterioration before each use. It says no climbing equipment shall be marked for identification, for example by engraving. WorkSafe notes the code has not been updated for current health and safety law.

The code that applies depends on where a climber works and who employs them.

Rescue kit: what the sources say

Two of the pages above go further on rescue.

HSE's page on aerial work says that one of the ground team must be available, competent and equipped to do an aerial rescue without delay.
The NSW code says dedicated harness-based rescue equipment should be available on the work site and ready for immediate use, kept in a serviceable condition and reserved only for rescue situations.
The New Zealand arboriculture code says tree work that needs an arborist to ascend above three metres shall have a second person on site trained in aerial rescue, with appropriate rescue equipment and procedures in place.

None of this says what to carry or how to use it.

First aid: what the rules say must be on site

First aid is usually the employer's duty, not the climber's, and a personal kit is extra. The rules are written for employers.

Country	What the source says
United States	OSHA's first aid rule, 1910.151, says that where there is no infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid, and adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available. OSHA's tree care memo reads near proximity as emergency care available within no more than 3 to 4 minutes. OSHA's appendix to the rule names ANSI Z308.1 as an example of a minimal kit, and says employers with unique needs may need to enhance their kits.
Canada	In British Columbia, the OHS Regulation, Part 3 has employers provide first aid equipment, supplies, facilities and attendants, based on a written assessment. It asks for written first aid procedures. Remote workplaces have tiered requirements. In Alberta, Part 11 of the OHS Code says required first aid kits are equipped to CSA Z1220-17, and that the employer makes a plan to transport injured workers to the nearest health care facility.
United Kingdom	HSE's page on what employers need to do says employers must provide a suitably stocked first-aid kit, an appointed person to take charge, and information on first-aid arrangements. It says provision must be adequate and appropriate, and workplaces using machinery are likely to need trained first-aiders.
Australia	The SafeWork NSW first aid code of practice, based on the national model code, says the business must provide first aid equipment, access to facilities, and an adequate number of trained workers or access to trained people. It has a section on remote situations. The NSW first aid code, in its 2020 edition, says a portable kit should be provided in the vehicles of mobile workers.
New Zealand	WorkSafe's first aid guide, read online here, says all workers must be provided with first aid facilities, equipment and access to first aiders. It says a business must not charge a worker for first aid kits and facilities, and that mobile workers get a portable kit in their vehicle if that is their workplace. The arboriculture code says all workers shall hold a current first-aid certificate and a kit shall be kept in each vehicle and at each work area.

Most of these pages talk about a workplace in general. A tree job is a workplace that moves. The SafeWork NSW alert above advises that a first aid and emergency rescue plan is developed and implemented.

The pages linked here do not set out what a personal bleed control kit must contain.

What goes in the kit, and how often it is checked

The sources mostly leave the contents to a needs assessment, and none sets a list for a climber's personal kit.

HSE says that whether a kit follows BS 8599-1 or not, the contents should reflect the first-aid needs assessment. It sets no review timetable, but says many items, sterile ones especially, carry expiry dates. It says people who travel long distances or are continuously mobile should carry a personal first-aid box if the assessment says so, and that the law does not require a defibrillator.
The NSW first aid code says a kit should cover injuries including amputations and major bleeding wounds, and should be checked at least once every 12 months, or after each use. It names no tourniquet.
WorkSafe New Zealand says to keep an inventory in the kit, signed and dated after each check.
The WorkSafe forestry first aid code, page dated March 5, 2026, mentions haemostatic bandages or tourniquets used to stop life-threatening bleeding, and says to consider a triage trauma kit for higher risk work. That code covers forestry and harvesting, not tree care, so it is a reference point only.

In the United States, the OSHA first aid page and the OSHA tree care pages linked here do not list a tourniquet either.

Paperwork to carry

Whether to show a certification card is usually something an employer decides. Where a country's law does require a card, the law says so, and we link it in the certifications by country guide.

Gear checks before leaving

The checks the sources describe are done by the person responsible for the gear, and by a competent person where the rule says so. If a rule where you work says a kit must be on site, the employer answers for it.