Aerial,
My suggestion of attatching your "fall protection attatchment point" in the front as opposed to the rear wasn't mentioned offhand.
Although I'm relatively new to the tree industry (less than 5 years), I've 10 years experience as a rescue trained high ropes course and rock climbing instructor. I've belayed thousands of people using that method.
Take a moment to listen, please, and assess what I'm saying before deciding that you'll just do it how you've already decided to do it.
Personally I'm not fond of the saddle ya got.... but it's personal preference. I like the floating D in the middle because it lends me more versatility. However, you could still attatch in the front either clipping into those D's with a seperate biner, or put a "floating" loop between them and biner into that.
What happens when you fall off a branch, get hung up and your line is tangled, but its attatched at your BACK where you can't easily reach it? What happens when something unforseeable to you *now* happens, and then you're unable to effectively overcome it?
Always give yourself the opportunity for more control. I think those rear-attatchment points were meant for fall arrest in other types of workplaces, not in situations where you can get potentially hung up with noone around to help you.
I worked for a short period of time, years ago in the RiteAid warehouse out here. The forklift crews all wore full body harnesses, with the attatchment in the back, based on the theory that if they fell, they'd be held secure UNTILL SOMEONE ELSE COULD GET TO THEM with another forklift or similar.
You don't have that luxury while working with trees, and based on the areas you might end up climbing, firetrucks and such may not have easy access. There might not be people for long ways around who can perform rescues.
Give yourself the small chance to control your climbing situation by being able to access your attatchments when being belayed in a tree.
Mmmm, that having been said... I'd rather hang for hours in a seat-type harness than one attatched in such a way as to put pressure on my chest while I'm hanging. Think about it.
