The more you do it, the more it will become clear. Just takes doing it enough, Winch, and you have made a great start. I am almost as old as you and started with a 3:1 set up as well, as it appeared to give me the best leverage with the basic gear I started with. But over time, climbing more and more and hanging out here on the Buzz and youTube, I slowly acquired and tried newer gear and moved into more efficient rope walking systems whose benefits were not obvious at first. Tree climbing is like a lot of other pursuits, that can look deceptively simple to an onlooker or newcomer, until one actually tries it himself. Then the subtleties become apparent and one needs to slowly nail down the most effective system for the type of tree, the type of work/rec, and one's own body type, etc. It just doe snot happen overnight. (LOL, interesting typo: doe snot). I was easily a year or more of regular climbing before settling into a small number of optional systems for the majority of climbs. SRT with SAKA and foot ascender for most all initial ascent unless it was a tree with lots of close limbs all the way up so that I could simply free climb it with lanyard assist. Once up and moving around, then sometimes DdRT with either a system on the tail of my main rope or a long lanyard, sometimes just redirects with the initial SRT system, etc. I settled on either a BDB or ZZ/RW combo as a personal choice for most every outing but still try new hitch combo's etc. when I see them here on the forum. We must never stop learning. Took me a while to zero in on my present (third) saddle too. One's balance in the saddle, position of the bridge attachments at the hip, etc. has everything to do with comfort and ease of ascent, and enjoyment at height if a rec climb, especially for us older guys who get a bit top heavy. I found over time, for instance, that with my new NT Onyx I no longer needed a chest roller to stay upright. After adjustment, the saddle is perfect for me. Lots of variables, every tree and every climber is different, and the choices in gear and saddle bling beggars belief now. But there are some general principals that usually apply, one of which is that almost all of us have a lot more strength in our legs than in our arms so that any ascent system that maximizes leg use, and saves arm strength for later in the climb, is going to be preferable. The analogy to climbing a ladder is quite apt. The other basic overriding principal that I would suggest is to be sure you are as comfortable as possible just sitting in the saddle to start with, regardless of system or particular tree. If one starts out uncomfortable to any appreciable extent, it is just going to get worse. The saddle really needs to be dialed in rather more carefully than is at first apparent. I am into my third year now, of semi-regular rec climbing many dozens of times, and yet I still feel like a total novice compared to a lot of the guys on here giving advice. When these chaps suggest something, they are often coming from backgrounds of many years of hard, daily professional climbing and the cutting edge of the arborist trade. A number of them are significant innovators. Their advice is pure gold!
