TREE SADDLES

[shawn cox]

I already use a climbing belt on my safety harness to set up my lock on stands. It really makes it easy so I am already used to that aspect of it but I am ready to try out a saddle to see how it is.

 

[Tap]

I already use a climbing belt on my safety harness to set up my lock on stands. It really makes it easy so I am already used to that aspect of it but I am ready to try out a saddle to see how it is.

The thing thats great about a saddle vs a harness for hanging stands is the fact that you use the tether to suspend from. It gets your attachment up above the space where the stand (and chains, straps, etc) need to go. With a linemans belt and a harness, the belt is right in the way. With a tether and a Ropeman 1, I am so much more mobile and comfortable during the hanging process. And my weight is comfortably distributed between my saddle and my feet. With a harness, all my weight is on my feet standing on steps.
We all have experienced a difficult tree to hang stands, right? Some issue we didn't realize when we planned our climb...maybe a bump, knot, little branch or something that make for a PIA hang. We end up struggling, sweating, and cursing because the stand just won't seat securely on the tree and a 3 minute job takes 20 minutes. Try it with a saddle and tether and remember to thank me later.
Some things are opinion and some things are fact... Hanging stands is WAY EASIER with a saddle and that's a fact.

 

[Tap]

Do you remove your platform each hunt or just leave that as well (like you would a lockon)?

I do both. I do have several diy platforms that I pre set and leave thru out the season. I also own 3 Predator platforms which are only 3 pounds and very easy to carry and set so I normally take those down each time. But if its a tree I plant to return to within a couple days or less, I may leave it...as long as I still have an idle Predator ready to go for my next run and gun hunt.

 

[Tap]

.....but bolts (Treehopper drill) and SRT are not excellent options for mobile hunting.
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Did you mean to type that bolts are "not" an excellent option? I'm very mobile with bolts.

 

[weekender21]

Did you mean to type that bolts are "not" an excellent option? I'm very mobile with bolts.

Good catch. Yes, bolts and SRT ARE great options. Probably the BEST options from a safety and weight savings perspective.


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[dogghr]

I respect you guys a lot but I’m on the road and had some good time to read and watch videos of this saddle hunting. To quote one of the posters beneath one of the YouTube videos, saddles belong on horses. To each his own, and I hunt a lot of public land in steep places, but I’ll have to take a pass on this. Now, if you are climbing El Capitan, then I can see some need. Thanks for educating me tho, did find it interesting.

 

[shawn cox]

The thing thats great about a saddle vs a harness for hanging stands is the fact that you use the tether to suspend from. It gets your attachment up above the space where the stand (and chains, straps, etc) need to go. With a linemans belt and a harness, the belt is right in the way. With a tether and a Ropeman 1, I am so much more mobile and comfortable during the hanging process. And my weight is comfortably distributed between my saddle and my feet. With a harness, all my weight is on my feet standing on steps.
We all have experienced a difficult tree to hang stands, right? Some issue we didn't realize when we planned our climb...maybe a bump, knot, little branch or something that make for a PIA hang. We end up struggling, sweating, and cursing because the stand just won't seat securely on the tree and a 3 minute job takes 20 minutes. Try it with a saddle and tether and remember to thank me later.
Some things are opinion and some things are fact... Hanging stands is WAY EASIER with a saddle and that's a fact.

that is great. I have no experience with the saddle and yes you are correct once you start hanging the stand there will always be a imperfec

The thing thats great about a saddle vs a harness for hanging stands is the fact that you use the tether to suspend from. It gets your attachment up above the space where the stand (and chains, straps, etc) need to go. With a linemans belt and a harness, the belt is right in the way. With a tether and a Ropeman 1, I am so much more mobile and comfortable during the hanging process. And my weight is comfortably distributed between my saddle and my feet. With a harness, all my weight is on my feet standing on steps.
We all have experienced a difficult tree to hang stands, right? Some issue we didn't realize when we planned our climb...maybe a bump, knot, little branch or something that make for a PIA hang. We end up struggling, sweating, and cursing because the stand just won't seat securely on the tree and a 3 minute job takes 20 minutes. Try it with a saddle and tether and remember to thank me later.
Some things are opinion and some things are fact... Hanging stands is WAY EASIER with a saddle and that's a fact.

That is great and yes you are correct I always run into some imperfection on a tree that makes me cuss it lol. I have already learned a lot from the Saddlehunting forum. a lot of great info and helpful people. Heck I even learned how to braid rope. I always wanted to learn but never did get the initiative until I saw a couple videos on there. So I bought some stuff top do it yesterday and learned how. That will be very useful to know. Now if I can get my step daughters wedding out of the way so I can afford to buy some gear. I will be doing a lot more researching educating myself about saddle equipment before then.

 

[Tap]

To quote one of the posters beneath one of the YouTube videos, saddles belong on horses.

The guy who said that has probably never been in a tree saddle or a on horse.

 

[dogghr]

The guy who said that has probably never been in a tree saddle or a on horse.

I guess I can say I’ve done both, ridden horses both with and without saddles and used a saddle such as being talked about including using ropes, carabiners, etc and the SRT method but it was for for climbing rock faces. But I’ll still pass on hunting from one, at least at this time.

 

[Tap]

Just keeping guys in the loop...Aerohunter has released a new saddle calle the Flex. Its basically a Kestrel with some improvements. I figured I could use a spare saddle so I ordered one. Mine hasn't shipped yet, but the early reviews are pretty good.

 

[chuck]

My cousin used one about 20 years ago .
They’re nothing new just caught on I guess .
I tried it but it’s not for me . Shooting at weird angles causes Johnny to shoot left or right . Just me though - guys use them successfully!

 

[Tap]

My cousin used one about 20 years ago .
They’re nothing new just caught on I guess .
I tried it but it’s not for me . Shooting at weird angles causes Johnny to shoot left or right . Just me though - guys use them successfully!

That's like saying "tree stands are nothing new" (they've been around a lot longer than saddles.) But you can't compare a new generation, high-end stand to an old Baker.
Saddles have come a long way in just the last 2 years. User friendliness and comfort are far superior to the saddles of 20 years ago.
I still have a couple dozen hang-on stands and I will still use them to some extent, but even when I'm in a hang-on, I will be wearing my Kestrel.
BTW, proper shooting form is easier in a saddle than on a stand.

 

[chuck]

Excellent!

 

[HB_Hunter]

I spent some of my lunch break looking at the new offerings. They make my 10 year old trophyline TreeSaddle look like a tank. I’m now seriously considering an upgrade.

For those that have done their research, Tethrd or Aero Hunter?

Did you buy the ‘kit’ or get your own rope/carabiner setup?

 

[Tap]

I spent some of my lunch break looking at the new offerings. They make my 10 year old trophyline TreeSaddle look like a tank. I’m now seriously considering an upgrade.

For those that have done their research, Tethrd or Aero Hunter?

Did you buy the ‘kit’ or get your own rope/carabiner setup?

I owned a Trophy Line. I hated it and sold it when the Aero Kestrel became available. I love it. My buddy bought a Tethrd Mantis. Both are high quality but there are a few things about the Kestrel I like better. The leg straps on the Mantis need redesigned IMO. My buddy modified his with a slightly different hook-up and it's much better.
Aero Hunter seems to have a better customer contact system. Questions are handled much faster with them than Tethrd although Tethrd's main man may be having a career change in the near future so customer response may improve.
I do have a new Flex on order. I wanted a back-up saddle that would actually be my main hunting saddle. I'd keep it more odor free. The other saddle would be for practice and making pre sets so I wouldn't worry if it was stinky or not.

And something I've preached for a while now...saddles are the absolute bomb for hanging stands as compared to using a traditional safety harness. Once you hang a block-on with a saddle, you will wonder how you ever did it with a regular harness.

 

[Tap]

I spent some of my lunch break looking at the new offerings. They make my 10 year old trophyline TreeSaddle look like a tank. I’m now seriously considering an upgrade.

For those that have done their research, Tethrd or Aero Hunter?

Did you buy the ‘kit’ or get your own rope/carabiner setup?

You just missed this... They held it on June 15th.
Kentucky-Ohio- West Virginia Tri-State Saddle Demo

 

[Gator]

I owned a Trophy Line. I hated it and sold it when the Aero Kestrel became available. I love it. My buddy bought a Tethrd Mantis. Both are high quality but there are a few things about the Kestrel I like better. The leg straps on the Mantis need redesigned IMO. My buddy modified his with a slightly different hook-up and it's much better.
Aero Hunter seems to have a better customer contact system. Questions are handled much faster with them than Tethrd although Tethrd's main man may be having a career change in the near future so customer response may improve.
I do have a new Flex on order. I wanted a back-up saddle that would actually be my main hunting saddle. I'd keep it more odor free. The other saddle would be for practice and making pre sets so I wouldn't worry if it was stinky or not.

And something I've preached for a while now...saddles are the absolute bomb for hanging stands as compared to using a traditional safety harness. Once you hang a block-on with a saddle, you will wonder how you ever did it with a regular harness.

Tap, You are costing me a small fortune. I've bought quite a bit of stuff lately to try this stuff out and since I'm starting from scratch, I don't know which way I'll end up liking, if any of it. My hope is to sell off everything I don't need once I figure it out. I have a JX3 and Flex both on order, hawk helium sticks but still love the idea of SRT better (so I have an ascender, grigri, etc as well) and just ordered a new predator platform. I'm ready to start playing with SRT but need a saddle to use but both are on backorder so I'm trying to be patient...I'm not patient!

 

[Tap]

Tap, You are costing me a small fortune. I've bought quite a bit of stuff lately to try this stuff out and since I'm starting from scratch, I don't know which way I'll end up liking, if any of it. My hope is to sell off everything I don't need once I figure it out. I have a JX3 and Flex both on order, hawk helium sticks but still love the idea of SRT better (so I have an ascender, grigri, etc as well) and just ordered a new predator platform. I'm ready to start playing with SRT but need a saddle to use but both are on backorder so I'm trying to be patient...I'm not patient!

There are 2 major downsides to saddles...
1) They ain't plug 'n play. They take effort to figure out which tweaks you need to make it work for you. I think that was half of the fun.
and 2) It ain't cheap! But then again, I can have $500 in saddles and related gear and hunt more effectively than if I spent $5,000 on dozens of lock-on stands. Just 1 Saddle equals countless stands...as many spots to hunt as there are trees to climb. Can't really say that about lock ons, climbers, or ladders. In the long run, saddles are actually cheaper than conventional stands.

And the resale market on this stuff is fantastic. It definitely out paces the supply. Too many guys wait until mid summer to order saddle gear, and then they don't get it until the season has already started. Then they are under the gun to practice, tweak and get comfortable.
Used saddle gear is easy to sell at nearly what you paid for it.

 

[Gator]

Yeah I was going to buy those WE stepps if they were still for sale when I got home from work but luckily they sold 7 mins before I got here


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[HB_Hunter]

There are 2 major downsides to saddles...
1) They ain't plug 'n play. They take effort to figure out which tweaks you need to make it work for you. I think that was half of the fun.
and 2) It ain't cheap! But then again, I can have $500 in saddles and related gear and hunt more effectively than if I spent $5,000 on dozens of lock-on stands. Just 1 Saddle equals countless stands...as many spots to hunt as there are trees to climb. Can't really say that about lock ons, climbers, or ladders. In the long run, saddles are actually cheaper than conventional stands.

And the resale market on this stuff is fantastic. It definitely out paces the supply. Too many guys wait until mid summer to order saddle gear, and then they don't get it until the season has already started. Then they are under the gun to practice, tweak and get comfortable.
Used saddle gear is easy to sell at nearly what you paid for it.

This was the main reason I got the trophyline saddle 10 years ago. I hunt some ladder stands during gun season, but mainly bow hunt out of the saddle. I’m just as comfortable in it.

The new options out there look even better. I’m also very interested in the rope setups for the tether line and the lineman’s belt. The straps I use now are heavy and can be slightly cumbersome.