Anyone else hunt out of a saddle?

[IkemanTX]

About to pull the trigger on a saddle just can’t decide which one to get. Any suggestions?

Both Tethrd and Aerohunter make solid saddles. I lean a little more towards Terhrd’s design because it is closer to my DIY Sit&Drag saddle. The Kestrel and Kite fit a little more for guys who want to sit down into them rather than lean into them.


Tether is starting to get delivery of saddles, so I’m not sure of the lead time on the mantis.

I think Aerohunter is shipping the kite when you order it (but I wish they hadn’t changed the leg strap buckles)
I think the Kestrel has some hit or miss on when it ships due to an issue with buckle supply.

I think the recent explosion with people giving saddle hunting a try kind of overwhelmed the supply temporarily. So, whichever you order just know it may be a few weeks before you get it.


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[Bad2TheBone]

Thanks for the info. Do you think I should try and do a diy with the sit and drag to make sure I like saddle hunting before throwing all the money at a name brand setup.

[IkemanTX]

Thanks for the info. Do you think I should try and do a diy with the sit and drag to make sure I like saddle hunting before throwing all the money at a name brand setup.

Saddles have and will hold most of their value in the used market. Now that commercial, refined options are available.. I would try them first.
Your loss in a re-sell situation will probably be comparable to the cost of a rock harness and converting a sit-drag. And, you are getting a Ferrari instead of a pinto.


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[Bad2TheBone]

Awesome man I really appreciate it. Seems like the best technique for hunting public land, that requires long walks to get away from the crowds

[Bad2TheBone]

Well bit the bullet and order the mantis. Now I just have to wait.
Saw your hawk helium sticks on saddle hunter ikeman. They look awesome. I have set and have been debating on doing the rope mod.

[RCDuck]

My son is 14 and left handed. Up until now he has only hunted from ground blinds but is wanting to start hunting in the trees.... with him being LH and me being RH, most of my set ups are kind of backwards for him regarding shooting angles... so we ordered him a full Mantis set up... seemed like an interesting idea for a youngster to learn and get used to..... we’ll see.

[IkemanTX]

My son is 14 and left handed. Up until now he has only hunted from ground blinds but is wanting to start hunting in the trees.... with him being LH and me being RH, most of my set ups are kind of backwards for him regarding shooting angles... so we ordered him a full Mantis set up... seemed like an interesting idea for a youngster to learn and get used to..... we’ll see.

With a little practice, he will love it.



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[Matt_C]

[QUOTE=IkemanTX;11578583]The overhand on a bight is listed as a rescue approved knot. I am pretty obsessive about checking my gear before use, and that is one of the first items on the list. I haven't had any measurable slippage so far. It is just such a quick and easy knot to tie. I can switch from a 24" bridge to a 30" in a matter of a minute or less...




I use my HSS w/Prussic for my lineman's belt at the moment. I hope to get a couple ropeman 1 ascenders next year to replace both the Prussic knot, and the webbing tree strap I use.


Finally someone who uses a saddle. I just went to this setup this year. Those ropeman 1 ascenders are great. You are going to ask yourself "why didn't I do this quicker" I use a rock climber belt and a sit-n-drag with a 18 inch bridge and my linemans belt is 8 ft Petzl Vector Rescue Rope with the Wild Country Ropeman 1 Ascender. My rig is up at the lease. I"ll bring it home this weekend if I remember and send you pictures.

[Matt_C]

Well bit the bullet and order the mantis. Now I just have to wait.
Saw your hawk helium sticks on saddle hunter ikeman. They look awesome. I have set and have been debating on doing the rope mod.

Is the wait time still 5-6 weeks on the Mantis?

[IkemanTX]

Is the wait time still 5-6 weeks on the Mantis?

Depending on size. I haven’t seen the recent threads about the delivery schedules. I would personally assume 4 weeks. I would expect they are going to be caught up on delivery within the next month or so.


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[IkemanTX]

Well bit the bullet and order the mantis. Now I just have to wait.
Saw your hawk helium sticks on saddle hunter ikeman. They look awesome. I have set and have been debating on doing the rope mod.

I love the rope mod. I just switched my ropes to 1/4” Amsteel Blue. I had been using 8 mm accessory cord, but the Amsteel is MUCH lighter, MUCH stronger, and is easy to splice.


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[Matt_C]

Well bit the bullet and order the mantis. Now I just have to wait.
Saw your hawk helium sticks on saddle hunter ikeman. They look awesome. I have set and have been debating on doing the rope mod.

Dang double post.

[IkemanTX]

I went ahead and replied here to keep the LBJ thread on track.

Safety is one of the main reasons I switched to Saddles (after comfort). The equipment has been borrowed and modified from the rock climbing and arborist worlds. Both disciplines rely on their gear to work every time, or the user gets injured or dies. Because of this, those industries HIGHLY over engineer their working loads. My tether rope is rated to 5,600 pounds, and my bridge material is rated to 7,700 pounds. With only a few inches of slack in my system at any given time, the most I will ever ask of my gear is to hold a 3-400lb shock load.... EASILY within their industry tested working limits.

I'd assume tether failure odds would be about the same for saddle vs. traditional harness. So unless he's wearing 2 harnesses now I wouldn't recommend wearing another device. But I'm no expert so I may be wrong. Everyone should do whatever makes them feel safe.

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I'm mostly interested in them due to the weight savings. How much do they typically cost? Yall use some sort of safety harness? It looks like if you come unhooked with that rig, you're hitting the ground.

I think he was asking more about tether failure than falling out. I have wondered about that as well. Not likely but a backup wouldn't be bad if it's not in the way.

You can't really fall out. The saddle is your harness. I feel safer in it than my HSS harness. Mine was $200. Not cheap but if I can figure out how to get more comfortable I'd say it's worth it. You can go a DIY route for much cheaper if you want.

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[stxhunter]

I've been looking at saddles for a while, really liking some of the commercial options lately.

Do you still use a safety harness like you would with a hang on stand?

[IkemanTX]

I've been looking at saddles for a while, really liking some of the commercial options lately.

Do you still use a safety harness like you would with a hang on stand?

No, the commercial saddles are made in the 3,000-6,000 lb failure range.
They are your safety harness.


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