Lot of good stuff in this thread. IMO, from what I've heard over the years more accidents with lock-ons occur when you're stepping into and out of the stand from climbing sticks. My usual practice is to climb the sticks and when I'm close to the top, I clip on my lineman's rope before I ever step off the sticks onto the stand. Getting out, I do the same thing - I never disconnect until I'm on the sticks. I also would suggest not climbing sticks and getting into stands you haven't personally hung - I'm not putting my life in someone else's hands.