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2023: Tethrd Ultralock Saddle (Formerly, the LockDown)

Plebe said:
Cruzr XC doesn't have a closing mechanism like the saddles these guys are talking about. They're talking about having to tidy up the pleats when the saddle is closed as a result of those mechanisms.

You are folding your Cruzr up by hand, unless it's a magic saddle. So it's not particularly special in this regard.

And in the case of the Orion there is a potential advantage in that you can precisely determine the exact measure of pleat deployed, so the mechanism adds functionality. The Cruzr is more suited to four modes: open, closed, top pleat only open, bottom pleat only open.
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Yeah, I get that. My comment was more of a generalized response to the statements in the lockdown marketing video shared above that claim other saddles with pleats have those pleats wear out after 3-4 hunts and then they'll just start falling down all the time. That was what I said was the problem I didn't know existed. Maybe happens on some other pleated saddles, but hasn't happened on mine.
 
Spartan said:
Yeah, I get that. My comment was more of a generalized response to the statements in the lockdown marketing video shared above that claim other saddles with pleats have those pleats wear out after 3-4 hunts and then they'll just start falling down all the time. That was what I said was the problem I didn't know existed. Maybe happens on some other pleated saddles, but hasn't happened on mine.
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Ah, I see. Your comment seemed very much to be directed at the post (about pleats) immediately before it.

Yeah, pleats falling down is largely fanciful anymore. Most pleated saddles these days seem to stay closed pretty well. The og AH Flex pleat didn't always stay put...so maybe that's the point of reference for Tethrd's campaign (nevertheless, the Flex remains a favorite of mine.)... Subsequently, some companies started using different pleat designs that enabled their saddles hold their form better than did the Flex.

Still, I suppose the Lockdown's elastic bands are extra insurance against pleat sag, and executed as @JCLINE84 recommends, I'd envision the Lockdown saddle would snap back to shape with ease as well. I don't know that the Lockdown system offers a great benefit over a well executed pleat that just folds and stays shut. But there it is.
 
The pleat staying closed should be easily addressed with the elastic and I bet it works well. The little sleeves that the elastic goes through above and below the pleat were a great addition to keep everything in place and working fluid. Making the elastic replaceable was the right thing to do also because it will wear out at some point. I don’t see any reason why this saddle won’t be the best one that Tethrd has put out and the little details like the sleeves for the elastic tell me that they put a lot of thought into the design.

What I was talking about earlier was how a pleat kind of scrunches up and doesn’t lay flat after you’ve had the pleat open then you close it by tightening straps or the automatic closing of elastic. That’s a problem I haven’t been able to figure out, and I’ve put a lot of time into it. If you’re closing by hand like you would with the XC or any other pleated saddles then you probably never experience the material bunch up problem. Closing by using straps or elastic ONLY can cause the pleat material to bunch up instead of fold. I normally just close my pleat by hand and then tighten the straps if the saddle has them. With this saddle I would just let the elastic close the pleat then stick my fingers in the top and bottom portion of the pleat to straighten out any bunching of material.
 
The tethrd mesh doesn’t seem to be the best for the application IMO. It does feel like it has some stretch to it after 30mins you start to really feel the chassis webbing. The mesh Cruzr and TX5 use is a better mesh. If there wasn’t the elastic in the lockdown it would absolutely be a floppy pleat.

Also, something that bugs me… most of the lockdown is China. The pockets are knockoff China cordura and the webbing on the bottom is really thin like ribbon almost. Just not the highest quality material. There is a made in China tag in both pouches, made in China tag on the suspenders and all those buckles are China buckles with a handmade in USA tag in the saddle. I wouldn’t doubt all the pieces are from China and it all sewn together in the USA. They claim it’s to keep costs down. The saddle is $430 and $450 where is the savings?
 
JCLINE84 said:
The pleat staying closed should be easily addressed with the elastic and I bet it works well. The little sleeves that the elastic goes through above and below the pleat were a great addition to keep everything in place and working fluid. Making the elastic replaceable was the right thing to do also because it will wear out at some point. I don’t see any reason why this saddle won’t be the best one that Tethrd has put out and the little details like the sleeves for the elastic tell me that they put a lot of thought into the design.

What I was talking about earlier was how a pleat kind of scrunches up and doesn’t lay flat after you’ve had the pleat open then you close it by tightening straps or the automatic closing of elastic. That’s a problem I haven’t been able to figure out, and I’ve put a lot of time into it. If you’re closing by hand like you would with the XC or any other pleated saddles then you probably never experience the material bunch up problem. Closing by using straps or elastic ONLY can cause the pleat material to bunch up instead of fold. I normally just close my pleat by hand and then tighten the straps if the saddle has them. With this saddle I would just let the elastic close the pleat then stick my fingers in the top and bottom portion of the pleat to straighten out any bunching of material.
Click to expand...

So, the elastic doesn’t really successful close the pleat. It bunches the material a little but isn’t strong enough elastic to overcome that and the pleat is 50-75% open.
 
enkriss said:
The tethrd mesh doesn’t seem to be the best for the application IMO. It does feel like it has some stretch to it after 30mins you start to really feel the chassis webbing. The mesh Cruzr and TX5 use is a better mesh. If there wasn’t the elastic in the lockdown it would absolutely be a floppy pleat.

Also, something that bugs me… most of the lockdown is China. The pockets are knockoff China cordura and the webbing on the bottom is really thin like ribbon almost. Just not the highest quality material. There is a made in China tag in both pouches, made in China tag on the suspenders and all those buckles are China buckles with a handmade in USA tag in the saddle. I wouldn’t doubt all the pieces are from China and it all sewn together in the USA. They claim it’s to keep costs down. The saddle is $430 and $450 where is the savings?
Click to expand...

I can see your point, and that’s always been an issue for me too. Regarding the price though, if you consider the typical price of a new saddle, then add in pouches and a yoke, the price actually seems reasonable. I’m surprised to hear myself say that, actually. Especially considering how critical I’ve been of Tethrd


Semper Fi,
Mike
 
enkriss said:
So, the elastic doesn’t really successful close the pleat. It bunches the material a little but isn’t strong enough elastic to overcome that and the pleat is 50-75% open.
Click to expand...
Stronger or shorter elastic should fix that. It looks like heavy duty elastic in pictures. Maybe it was cut too long?
Had to make a quick edit, when I attempted to build a pleat with elastic, making the elastic strong/short enough to fully close the pleat would fold the pleat too much and cause the bunching issue no matter what. Maybe that’s the problem they hit too and had to go with that length/strength to get it 75 percent closed but not bunching up or collapsing the pleat too much.
 
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ShooterMike said:
I can see your point, and that’s always been an issue for me too. Regarding the price though, if you consider the typical price of a new saddle, then add in pouches and a yoke, the price actually seems reasonable. I’m surprised to hear myself say that, actually. Especially considering how critical I’ve been of Tethrd


Semper Fi,
Mike
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It would be a reasonable price for all USA made products. Not cheap knockoff Chinese stuff.
 
enkriss said:
The tethrd mesh doesn’t seem to be the best for the application IMO. It does feel like it has some stretch to it after 30mins you start to really feel the chassis webbing. The mesh Cruzr and TX5 use is a better mesh. If there wasn’t the elastic in the lockdown it would absolutely be a floppy pleat.

Also, something that bugs me… most of the lockdown is China. The pockets are knockoff China cordura and the webbing on the bottom is really thin like ribbon almost. Just not the highest quality material. There is a made in China tag in both pouches, made in China tag on the suspenders and all those buckles are China buckles with a handmade in USA tag in the saddle. I wouldn’t doubt all the pieces are from China and it all sewn together in the USA. They claim it’s to keep costs down. The saddle is $430 and $450 where is the savings?
Click to expand...
Keeping costs down is code for; Maximizing our profits!
 
Rutman said:
The elastic can be tightened up from the bottom link. Mine didn’t want to stay closed but after tightening the elastic up from the bottom, there’s no issues.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Didn’t know there was a way to adjust it.
 
That is correct I added tension (shortened) mine, which appears to close it all the way, but there is still tidying up to do or you can feel the folds.
I can't say it bothers me and could probably learn to just leave it.
 
What buckles is this saddle using? Internet images looks like generic no name. Waist buckle just has logo. Any rating or mfr info?
 
enkriss said:
It would be a reasonable price for all USA made products. Not cheap knockoff Chinese stuff.
Click to expand...

This is an interesting discussion point. The US textile industry isn’t what it once was. Are there any USA made saddle accessories, besides EWO? Hopefully someday I’m the not so distant future, this won’t even need to be asked. Will take a big shift, politically. Sickens me that our nation as a whole isn’t more “Pro-America”, and that label is off-putting and frightening to some.


Semper Fi,
Mike
 
ShooterMike said:
This is an interesting discussion point. The US textile industry isn’t what it once was. Are there any USA made saddle accessories, besides EWO? Hopefully someday I’m the not so distant future, this won’t even need to be asked. Will take a big shift, politically. Sickens me that our nation as a whole isn’t more “Pro-America”, and that label is off-putting and frightening to some.


Semper Fi,
Mike
Click to expand...

Yes, there are other USA made accessories.
 
I'm a bit frustrated with the waist belt buckle. It sometimes doesn't want to clip/close completely and just comes off as cheap to me. I like the leg buckles though compared to the t-hooks.
It's an easy thing to swap out and I'll be doing that if it doesn't break in a bit.
 
Plebe said:
Do you guys who have the saddle and are not @Reagan H. or Tethrd vendors think this will work? Or will it pull the pleat open? It's too hard to see what's behind there without one in hand because the pouches obscure so much of the saddle.
Click to expand...

It appears the plan is to use 2 Molle Talons to attach the sticks horizontal to the bottom of the pouch. The alternative would be to use one longer Molle Talon to clear the pouch & hang all sticks vertical.
 

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