ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS stay connected to the tree somehow. You are most likely to fall while climbing up or down. If you stay connected to the tree somehow during the entire time, you nearly eliminate your chances of serious injury. In the past I have used that Fall Guy system but this past year, the belt jammed on me and would not pull out any further. So I switched to one of the more popular safety lines. Basically, it consists of a rope that runs from the base of the tree up to your stand. It comes with a prussic knot you attach your safety harness to and you slide it up or down as you go, but it will cinch on the rope should any great amount of pressure be put on it in the event of a fall. It works great.

Some guys will say they use several stands and that investing in one of these safety lines for each is too expensive. To them I would say, how much is your life worth? I got safety line system for $30 on sale at the farm supply store this year and they often go on sale for about this amount. Say you have four primary stands, that's $120 and well worth the price of not becoming paralyzed or dead.