Hi ! I was "new" a while ago....

I've put off introducing myself long enough...didn't mean to hesitate or hide, just hate trying to put things in words.

I've intentionally stuck to being self taught, ( ok, with help from mass amounts of youtube and other assorted online reading of course ! ) in small part because of the cost, but I figured, whatever I could learn while in the brief company of those more knowledgable than myself comes with no insurance of my remembering it.

My current gear setup is a rock climbing harness, with camping mattress foam zip tied on, legs and waist. Doesn't sound very comfy, ( especially at my 270 lbs ) but I recently climbed up several feet and sat back ( clipped my chest harness in to keep me at the reclined / erect position I wanted ) and took a snack break, for a test. Shifting was necessary, but no hint of numbness or pain.
The chest harness is just a piece of 2" wide strap with camping mattress foam zip tied, a pass through metal buckle in front. It's not being used for any life support, only to maintain my desired seating position. I do this by using a cam buckle sliding tie down strap and a small biner at the end, which I clip to my waist ascenders biner. The opposite end of that strap is hand sewn into a loop that the chest harness strap goes through. I wear a pair of military Y suspenders attached to my harness, just to help support the weight of a bunch of excess I enjoy carrying.
My ascenders are a Petzl shunt for the waist. I feel it's a great choice because there's a super small chance of it being able to damage rope, and can be relied on as a fall arrester. I would use a Petzl tibloc for the foot ascender...cheap is why ! On my current rope, it causes too much picking. I done short ascents with 2 tiblocs on 8 mil with no picking...looking closely, my current main rope has a lense dense weave pattern. So I use a homemade sewn prusik loop, ( I tried the bachman hitch, but somehow the prusik works more smoothly for me ) under which I use another cam buckle sliding strap for the loop....opens and closes easily to get the feet in and adjust how big of a step ya want. Once I tie my prusik, I clip the foot loop to the botton with a small Camp biner. I don't mind trusting a hand sewn prusik loop in this case because it won't be catching any falls, just supporting me while I stand up. It's 7 mil cord, sewn with some synthetic boot repair line.
My rope is the Petzl Vector, 11 mil, semi static, 150 ft. It may be a heavier choice than I would desire to buy next time, ( I don't have any idea how much lighter an 11 mil could get ) and is stiff enough to resist some knots.
I've rigged up an adjustable lanyard; 9' dynamic line, through a length of tubular webbing, barrel knotted to 3 stage auto locker one end, 8 mil prusik on the other. To compensate for no side D's, I'm experimenting with a Petzl paw small rigging plate, ( 1 lower hole, 3 accessory holes in top ). I'll attach it to my tie in points with a delta screw link. In the top middle hole, I have a black diamond sewn sling girth hitched...the other end'll be girth hitched to the biner for my shunt waist ascender. The other 2 holes would of course be used for the adjustable lanyard.
My favored rapp device is a Omega Pacific SBG. It's a cube style device, but with a solid stem. The rope can be wrapped around behind the stem if desired. One can clip into the higher or lower hole, for more friction.

While learning, I enjoy questioning that which I find odd, or which seems a bit of b.s. Example; "screw down, so ya don't screw up". I think that's crap. When asking a friend, who's worked at kids camps climbing walls, what he knew of it, he said he is familiar withit, and it kinda works, ( an old worn and loose screw gate could shift and fall into position, and quasi locking the gate....but could, by the same token, shift back up and be of no help. ) He said that it's still taught because a biner in the inverted position provides a deeper hook. "More crap....whatever the bottom is hooked into coming unhooked is less feared or dangerous ?", I joked / criticized.

Many climbers seem to be superstitious or dogmatic. While I try not to be judgemental, that's revolting to me. I do not know everything, but I do KNOW my knots. I know which ones need backups or whether longer tails will be of help. I have my quirks too, which others may find dangerous, stupid, etc.. The belay loop on my harness had only 2 bar tacks on it. VERY shortly after buying, I wrapped tubular webbing around it and tied it, just so my neurotic mind would be comforted there was a KNOT there ! Still gotta have my blancky ! Yah, the belay loop webbing was wrapped twice before stitching, giving it more strength, but I could too easily envision those 2 anorexic little lines of thread being scuffed through by bark or a bit of the rock face....I finally snipped it off the other day...wrapped some tubular 3 times, water knotted it, then loosely stitched down the ends and sides to keep it clean.

Well, if I think of more interesting things to argue about, or stories to share, I'll be back....hope I haven't worn any ears out !
P.S. I think I play reasonably well with others most of the time, and would like to meet other climbers, but if you're one of the dogmatic / superstitious, don't look me up....we wouldn't get along !

Aha, I didn't read your intro before responding to your question about ways to get on top of a limb. Looks like you've completely invented a new tradition of tree climbing gear and technique!

Some day I hope you pick up a harness designed for tree climbing Until then, more power to you!

To your comment about rope weight, yeah an 11mm static is going to be on the heavier side. Some of the 11mm arb double braid ropes will be lighter and also knot much more nicely than a static kermantle construction line. Samson Velocity and Yale Bandit for example are light and super friendly ropes to climb on. They also have the advantage that you can tie a Blakes Hitch and easily switch over to doubled rope climbing with the tail when you want to to pass that limb you're anchored to and trying to advance past.

What part of the world are you in?
-AJ

Oops, forgot that bit ! I live in Lansing, Michigan. I'm not a big fan of snow, ( which we get plenty of )...but I do intend to start trying on my gear with my winter wear, in case modifications are necessary.

Thanks for the mention of some lighter ropes ! I'm a little new to thinking about using a double braided rope. I was talking to a guy at an arborist shop, and he commented a little about them. Seems to me I feel more comfortable with a kernmantle, in which all strength bearing material is inside, protected. With the double braid, don't all fibers sit on the outside, as well as being braided throughout ? I know a climber should be doing all they can to protect the rope from rough spots and anything that could cause excess wear, but it's pretty tough to keep up with.

The Shunt won't hurt a double-braid. Arborist double-braids are built to withstand abrasion so you won't have problems there. As I mentioned a double-braid will give you more flexibility to use different kinds of climbing techniques. Not a must have but worth considering. Have you researched a Yo-Yo or RADS system? You might find it a little easier to climb than what you have going. It's nice because you have your descender on the rope all the time so can switch from ascent to descent mode really quickly/safely, even when you're hanging in midair away from the tree. The Shunt could still be used as the "redirect" in the system and to hold a footloop.
-AJ

Also, side D's are overrated. They're designed for a lanyard around a trunk when you're on a trunk with spikes cutting down a tree. If you center anchor your lanyard on your harness you may find it more versatile and comfortable to hang from when you're doing switchovers. Food for thought.
-AJ

Lastly I like the gate down on a biner, facing in, just my preference for tree climbing. Reason is it is very easy to clip and unclip. When your weight is on the rope, even with the gate open it's very difficult to get off the carabiner, believe me I've tried. Many rock climbers follow the "down and out" rule for carabiner gates. I suspect that is so it's easier for instructors or other climbers to inspect. In tree climbing I like the gate facing in so less chance it will contact branches and rope. I've had branches and rope open the gate on autolockers so I try to keep the gate in the most protected position possible.
-AJ