im not entirely sure of the specs on knot-strength but i do know that while yes the beer knot is better because you dont have loose tails flopping around, the water knot is better in some cases. with the water knot you can take a 12-ish" piece of webbing and tie it into the knot with the two...
If there is a tree I like rec climbing in, ill buy a cheap roll of masonry twine and tie that to my rope when I go to pull my rope at the end of the day, cut it at the right length, and tie it off at the bottom. that way I don't have to waste time throwing the next time I want to just run up a tree.
I've found that the lower D's are better if your lanyard is above your waist (thrown around a branch higher than your waist) because then it sits more like a normal harness. I only use the upper D's when my lanyard is waist level to essentially lean against as if you were spiking. If you use...