safer is better. no matter what it takes.

I'm never in a hurry to get to the top. May take 10 min. I don't care. I often climb just as I would stalk.

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All of these tips are good ones. I have always waited to tie off unless things felt a bit scary. I have a summit razor and have always felt pretty safe on the way up with the bar around or under my bum at tall times. I would say you would most likely be better of just taking that long way around and tie off from the get go.

1. Tie off
2. Pull up rope
3. Attach you climber together at all time while climbing

I use to wait untill I got to my desired hunting height to strap in,but as I have gotten older I have been straping in at ground level and just slide the loop that goes around the tree up or down as I climb or decend the tree,and as someone else mentioned always make sure your top and bottom pieces are connected somehow with a rope.