My tree stand video sparked some good ideas and discussion. One of the most important times to be hooked onto a safety harness is while climbing on and off the platform of the stand. Also, when going around branches on the way up, you need to unattach the lineman’s belt for a couple seconds to go around the branch and reattach. These are areas of concern.
I decided to add a second lineman’s strap to my harness. This way, I am able to ensure that every second of the ascent and decent I am strapped onto the tree safely. I also took care of the one big issue with using two straps… noise. I replaced the carabiners on the harness with 1″ tubular webbing (using a water knot). That way, the carabiner on the harness won’t bang against the carabiner on the end of the opposite lineman’s strap. Plus, it’s much easier to hook onto a big webbing loop in the dark than the tiny carabiners that come stock on the harness.
How to tie the water knot: Water Knot Video