“He who likes cherries soon learns to climb” (German proverb)
“I did cut it with my hatchet” (George Washington)
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Imagine you are washed up on a tropical island: thirsty and hungry, you look up longingly at the 
coconuts hanging high above you and try to work out 1) how to get them and 2) how to open one if you do.
The quickest way of getting to the coconuts is to climb up the tree and twist them off, but is this the best way to do it in a survival situation? As in most situations like these the answer is a lawyer’s favourite (“It depends…”). If the tree isn’t too high, has an accommodating lean to it and if you are good at climbing then it probably is the best thing to do…however, the last thing you want is to fall or cut yourself, so you’d need to weigh up the risk-reward equation and consider whether there are other ways of getting that coconut down which reduce the risk of injury.
[In case you are wondering, to open the coconut, assuming you don’t have a knife, you simply split the outer green husk by smashing it against a rock, pull away the outer husk with your hands and look for the three eyes that are in a triangle at the top and are the weak points of the inner core. Use a stick to push through and then enjoy a refreshing drink]
The ability to judge the pros and cons of the many different options you have in a survival situation is something that is sometimes lacking in TV survival shows; Bear Grylls, in particular, is often shown taking unnecessary risks that would be foolish indeed in a real survival situation. Why does he run through the jungle when he could walk? Why climb down the side of a waterfall when you could go round the side? It is risk taking for the sake of TV melodrama and presents a somewhat misleading picture of the reality (there are safety measures in place to ensure he doesn’t get hurt and to rescue him if he does), whereas if you are alone in a survival situation and fall and break your leg you’re pretty much stuffed.
So why learn to climb a tree? Going back to the scenario of the tropical island, if you are suffering from dehydration and have no other option, then you have to take the risk and climb the tree – in which case it’s good to know how to do it. Similarly, if you want to harvest fruit in the jungle and don’t have a parang, then you’re probably going to have to climb that tree….
…but if you do have a parang, the George Washington option is open to you and you can simply cut the tree down.
How would you come down from the tree again. Stand up and slide down?
Hi Hkon,
Thanks for the comment and ‘yes’ you simply slide down although that can be a bit brutal on your skin. There’s a nice quote from some mountaineer that seems apt here: “Going up is optional, coming down is mandatory!”
My Orang Asli friend slid down the tree as if going down a fireman’s pole but then the skin on his hands and feet is as tough as old leather.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I agree it is a dangerous action, and it should be thought twice before an attempt.
A fruity reward after the climb is always a treat… I do climb on a regular basis (especially when I live in a big city, I guess my chimp brain has tree-needs 😀 )
Your Orang Asal friend is impressive.
I will test and try what kind of belt buckle holds up to that kind of stress, I have doubts regarding plastic double D-rings bucles.
Anyway, I’ll post the results here in a few days.
Thanks Paul 🙂
Hi Wawa,
Thanks as always for the comment and ‘yes’ I think it is dangerous to do even for skilled climbers. A friend of mine over here was laughing at my use of a belt with a plastic buckle but the thing is this, even if the belt breaks you shouldn’t fall as you are alway holding on with you’re hands at least and can slide down the trunk again (which is how you come down anyway). The belt is really just holding your feet together and not taking your full weight.
I’ve seen people use a twisted palm frond stem in place of a belt to do this!
Anyway, interested to hear how you get along.
Cheers!
Paul
That’s how the local folks climb coconut trees to collect the young and old coconuts. I used to watch them climb when I was much younger and living in the kampung. They used a loop of cheap plastic rope ( the slippery kind in hardware shops ) instead of the belt and would climb up in mere minutes.
Hi Nadir,
Great to hear from you and sorry for my slow reply (been away) – I watched some of the kids here climb up trees using the ‘walking up the trunk’ method: they make it look so easy (but I can’t do it) and it takes a lot more strength than you think.
My wife found my tree climbing abilities laughable when compared to the locals she used to watch climb coconut trees as a child!
Cheers!
Paul
Hello, I have enjoyed Your videos very much. I would like to comment on this one. An option you may want to try is to use only one foot strap and tie yourself a “Swiss seat” for your second, This will allow you to sit down while you raise your foot strap. Also a secure means to rest. I’d carry a extra foot strap to allow hooking a point above a branch as you switched your waist Strap or foot strap, If you really needed to climb, your kit for hammock suspension may be sufficient. Love your videos . Very informative.
Hi Arick,
Many thanks for the comment and suggestion (a good one!) and, as you say, a hammock suspension system can lend itself to that sort of application. I have seen that sort of rig in use before and it looks a lot more stable than the one I was using (which was pretty basic). I guess, at the end of the day, climbing a tree in a survival situation is a last resort and the worry would be that (in such a situation) you might not have all the ropes and straps necessary – however, if you do, it certainly is going to make it safer than free climbing.
Cheers!
Paul