ricky racer
Well-Known Member
Okay, many of you have followed my struggles trying to use my TL Saddle and get comfortable with it. Last time I used it I was dancing all around the tree trying to get and stay comfortable. The biggest issue I had was the constant knee pressure while kneeling against the tree and to a lesser extent discomfort in my feet. I've made an accessory for the saddle that I tried out in my yard and seemed to remove most of the issues I was dealing with. Now don't laugh, but I've added a kickstand to it. It's kind of like a GW fishtail but it is adjustable and can be clipped on the saddle or taken off as needed.
The kickstand is made from an old cane that I had around the house. I cut off the handle and drove a wooden dowel into the handle end and drilled a pilot hole through the center of the dowel. I had a short section of 1" nylon webbing with a loop on each end from an earlier project. I ran a 1/4" lag screw through the strap and into the pilot hole previously drilled in the wooden dowel. On the other end where the rubber foot is, I ran a self tapping screw through the bottom from the inside so it would protrude about a 1/4" beyond the bottom to grip into the tree bark. This was just a quick fix to try the thing out. The rubber foot will be discarded and replaced with a more fitting contact point.
Two biners were attached to the loops on the nylon strap ends. Once I'm set up in the tree and hanging by my tether I clip the two biners to the leg straps on the TL saddle and swing the kickstand up into position against the tree. I can adjust the length in one inch increments to suit my comfort needs. I can adjust it so there is little pressure to no pressure on my knees. I found that I liked it the best adjusted so there was light pressure on my knees. I was quite pleased to find out how comfortable it was with the kickstand in place. I can swing from side to side quite easily (within reason) without the tree contact slipping. I can stand up and the kickstand stays in place which surprised me. I thought it was swing down if I stood up. If I want to get it out of the way, I can easily position it to hang down under me. It won't bump into anything because it is hanging directly under my butt and won't reach my platform nor the tree.
The only issue that I encountered was the biners on the leg straps pulled the leg straps in towards the boys making it a little snug but not bad. Possibly a small spreader bar to separate the biners by about 4" might just to the trick, but as it is, it's ready to hunt even though improvements might come along. At least for me a huge improvement over the TL without the kickstand, enough so that I removed a hang on tree stand (that I couldn't get to be quiet) and set up my Cheap and Dirty Platform in a primary hunting area. I just may kill a buck from this thing yet....
The kickstand is made from an old cane that I had around the house. I cut off the handle and drove a wooden dowel into the handle end and drilled a pilot hole through the center of the dowel. I had a short section of 1" nylon webbing with a loop on each end from an earlier project. I ran a 1/4" lag screw through the strap and into the pilot hole previously drilled in the wooden dowel. On the other end where the rubber foot is, I ran a self tapping screw through the bottom from the inside so it would protrude about a 1/4" beyond the bottom to grip into the tree bark. This was just a quick fix to try the thing out. The rubber foot will be discarded and replaced with a more fitting contact point.
Two biners were attached to the loops on the nylon strap ends. Once I'm set up in the tree and hanging by my tether I clip the two biners to the leg straps on the TL saddle and swing the kickstand up into position against the tree. I can adjust the length in one inch increments to suit my comfort needs. I can adjust it so there is little pressure to no pressure on my knees. I found that I liked it the best adjusted so there was light pressure on my knees. I was quite pleased to find out how comfortable it was with the kickstand in place. I can swing from side to side quite easily (within reason) without the tree contact slipping. I can stand up and the kickstand stays in place which surprised me. I thought it was swing down if I stood up. If I want to get it out of the way, I can easily position it to hang down under me. It won't bump into anything because it is hanging directly under my butt and won't reach my platform nor the tree.
The only issue that I encountered was the biners on the leg straps pulled the leg straps in towards the boys making it a little snug but not bad. Possibly a small spreader bar to separate the biners by about 4" might just to the trick, but as it is, it's ready to hunt even though improvements might come along. At least for me a huge improvement over the TL without the kickstand, enough so that I removed a hang on tree stand (that I couldn't get to be quiet) and set up my Cheap and Dirty Platform in a primary hunting area. I just may kill a buck from this thing yet....
