Well for me, a total amateur, and because of my age and usually working alone, my next saddle will be one that incorporates a chest harness. Just so if the worse happens I do not end up hanging upside down or worse fall out of the belt/harness. I had a Weaver saddle before and it felt okay.
For doing roofing and construction work, I have a body harness and a Petzl Stop attached to the chest D ring. That way you end upright and can easily let yourself down with one hand if need be. Using it as a safety line tied into another tree works too.
Having a saddle that has steel mesh in between the leather halves helps prevent cutting your harness off and falling out of the tree. Having a steel core flip line is all well and good, but, if you cut your saddle instead, not only is that a sever injury, you have nothing holding you in if you do not have a chest harness on.
I had a tree climb borrow my gear without me knowing, for a weekend side job. He did not follow procedure, and he almost got himself killed and is permanently injured from his saw kicking back and almost cutting his arm off. The fused it into a 90 degree angle. He was unconscious in the tree and so far up, no one could get to him from fire and rescue. He had to let himself down, once he work up, with one arm. A Petzl Stop woudl have been handy.
