Hey I know that this is a week ago now, but I remembered it out of the blue and wanted to make sure you had seen the Project Farm video on testing different tape measures:

https://youtu.be/6517aSbzlyE

It’s worth a watch, but the conclusion of it is that the DeWalt Tape Measures seem to be the most durable. So if your father already has the tape measure belt hook I linked before, you could also just buy him a few of those, or whatever his favorite tapes are if you know that he has a preference.

I can’t help with picking out a tape measure, but you might look into getting him a belt clip that holds a tape measure, if he doesn’t have one already. They make them that can clip on and off of a belt, so that your father can put the tape measure on his belt as he climbs the ladder, even if he isn’t wearing a tool belt.