I fully realize no one who owns any sling that they are absolutely satisfied with can gaurntee anyone else that it will work as well for them before they even try it on at ground level let alone actually use it for a 1/2 day to an all day sun up to sun down sit.
I have but two questions I feel are of most importance:
#1>My most important concern about anyone's reviews and evaluations of a sling is if that person is significantly smaller and lighter than myself. I feel it is a completely reasonable belief that a saddle design that a man of average hight of 5'9"-5'10" and under 180lbs finds comfortable enough for all day sits might not be capable of giving that same level of comfort to men such as myself of a considerab increase in weight by 40-50% as well as a moderate to significantly larger overall frame hips and legs.
My absolute number one must have attribute in a saddle is comfort as when I hunt when ever it is humanly possible I'm on stand long before sun up till sundown number two is it must be considerably lighter than any of my hang on stands (sorry JX3) otherwise whats the point third is it must allow as much freedom of movement as possible at least as much as a hang on stand does.
This saddle in my judgment seems to fit my 2nd and 3rd requirements very well but I am unsure if it meets my comfort requirements.
So my question to you NB is have you enough in the field testing and feed back back from hunters that are over 6' and 250lbs that have done a sufficient number of all day sits in this saddle to be able to determine with a high degree of certainty that it will be as comfortable for a considerably larger hunter as it would be for hunters of average size and weight?
>#2-How does this saddle fit and function on a larger hunter as I like myself as I described in question #1 while wearing very heavy clothing in very cold temps as cold has yet to keep me from hunting at least a few morning and evening hours. I have lost track of the numbers of all day hunts I have done when the temps never got above freezing and the low was high teens to mid 20's.
The term
"comfort" is highly subjective. I realize that 2 individual guys that are nearly identical in stature and weight may have vastly different levels in their tolerance of "discomfort", and the specific way each one uses a product will have a big influence on comfort. This comparison can be made in dozens of products, not just saddles.
The only way a saddle hunter can know for sure is to try it.
Don't forget that the Recon is available in 3 sizes, and the large
is quite large.
Mark has been very oriented to customer satisfaction. Thus far, returns and exchanges have not been an issue if the product is original and in excellent condition. Buying from Mark has been about as much of a low risk purchase as there is.
I can only try to equate my size (and comfort) in a medium Recon. I'm mid 170s and 5'8" and I really like the medium. I know a few guys that are much larger than me and they prefer the small Recon. But if I was in the upper 200 to 300s pound range, I would be trying the large. I think that the Recon is less critical of a guy's height than one-piece saddles are, so I really don't think body height will be much of an issue...heck,
tether height has more influence on comfort than
body height.
My advice for you big guys...try a large. Keep it clean, try in at ground level, don't alter it, and then make your own decision. If you like it overall but it seems a little too large, return it for an exchange to a medium. Mark is great to work with.