I've never used a climbing rig, Scott. I (talking out my ass) thought you'd be a lot worse off climbing that way. Get where you're going and spend time just recovering your strength for the job. And it takes me a while to recover. Getting old aint for sissies.
But I have borrowed my slip mate's ATN. He has the 40? footer which makes climbing to the top a two person job. I have to stop at the spreaders to let the first mate hoist to the top or drop it down so I can get all the way either direction. So the 50 footer is on our list of things to buy.
Now I think I'll start a flame war. LOL I tried several bosun's chairs while climbing the mast and what I like best is a rock climbers harness from REI. Better mobility and better support. I thought I was on the innovative side of this until the riggers showed up to replace my port stay. His rig was the same but had several modifications to the gear loops to better hold his tools. I'm in the process of duplicating that. This is what mine looks like:
http://www.rei.com/product/765510/black ... ng-harnessNot endorsing REI, just that's where I can get stuff like that around the coastal plains of Texas. LOL