Quote Originally Posted by headchange4u View Post

I will probably drop the biners in the future just to save weight and use the through-the-loop method lVleph is talking about.
I was doing that before I got the biners. I'm using the straps from Ed Speers and I was noticing that they were beginning to get a little fuzzy around the loop in the strap. I think the biners eliminate the extra wear on the straps as well as being much quicker since you don't have to remove the strap from the rings or CC buckle to wrap it around the tree.

A stick or very small piece of pad between the biner and the tree, as mentioned earlier, is a good idea, especially on thin, tightly barked trees. It shouldn't affect a pine since the bark should be thick enough.