Bridge Basics

[justsomedude]

Sorry if this sounds stupid. What I was trying to get at was to make one big loop that can be doubled up. So if I wanted a 24" bridge I would make a 48" loop on amsteel. I want to eliminate both carabiners. This way the contact points will be changing. Maybe this is overkill

I do this with a webbing loop tied in a water knot. The benefit is what you said about not having the same contact points all the time. The bad parts are that there is more to get tangled, and you have to use more care clipping in to make sure you get both sides of the bridge in the carabiner.

Having a tied on bridge just means that you have to learn how to step through the bridge when putting the sit drag on. Not a huge deal. I keep my Linesman's belt attached to it as well.

 

[Waymore]

I do this with a webbing loop tied in a water knot. The benefit is what you said about not having the same contact points all the time. The bad parts are that there is more to get tangled, and you have to use more care clipping in to make sure you get both sides of the bridge in the carabiner.

Having a tied on bridge just means that you have to learn how to step through the bridge when putting the sit drag on. Not a huge deal. I keep my Linesman's belt attached to it as well.

That's probably what I will do until I figure out why ideal bridge length.

 

[Garrymny]

Maybe I missed it, I am certainly not trying to be a smart a$$, but can someone with knowledge please give a recommendation on rope size and make to use for a bridge on a DIY or store bought saddles? Something that you can just tie on with a knot? Thanks. I've been looking for quite a while on the forum and I'm having trouble getting the answer. I just want a good rope I can attach to my DIY saddle for a bridge. I am going to use a Field and stream tether to attach to the tree. It has a prussic. I just need to know what and where to buy Rope. From what I've seen here I guess Sampson is the rope to use. It looks as though amsteel requires splicing which I am not going to do. Please don't take this the wrong way, I think you are great bunch and very helpful.

 

[DaveT1963]

A figure 8 is a good knot to tie in. Some are using pre-sewn climbing runners for this purpose also. You could tie directly in to the sling, but the "climbing recommendation" is to not have soft contact points. So sling to metal to bridge. This eliminates having one soft material rip through another. Now whether you or anyone follows that is up to the user's discretion.

For the tether, I almost always put it around eye level, but at least somewhere around head height. I just adjust the length with a ropman like you said.


I think Dave and Kenn are in the minority here, but the beauty of saddle hunting is you can make it do whatever works for you. I am the opposite, I never use a platform, sit in my saddle and walk around the tree to shoot.

I don't think we are in the minority as much as you want to believe. There is a reason we now have three (and a fourth soon to be) platforms being made commercially. Truth is, I have never had one person I have introduced to a platform go 180- back to ROS - not one. There will always be two separate camps, as there should be. for decades folks complained about ROS and were looking for a better alternative - that day was realized when Tether'd released a modern commercially available saddle platform. The problem with reading online and then trying a platform by yourself is a lot of folks give it a one and done attempt. It takes practice, but once you get it down platforms increase comfort and IMO definitely open up more shot opportunities. I hunt a ton of treeless areas where getting 6 to 8 foot off the ground is all you get - try walking around a ROS in those environments and pulling off a shot on a buck that does the unexpected. But to each their own there are enough very successful archers using both systems.

 

[redsquirrel]

I don't think we are in the minority as much as you want to believe. There is a reason we now have three (and a fourth soon to be) platforms being made commercially. Truth is, I have never had one person I have introduced to a platform go 180- back to ROS - not one. There will always be two separate camps, as there should be. for decades folks complained about ROS and were looking for a better alternative - that day was realized when Tether'd released a modern commercially available saddle platform. The problem with reading online and then trying a platform by yourself is a lot of folks give it a one and done attempt. It takes practice, but once you get it down platforms increase comfort and IMO definitely open up more shot opportunities. I hunt a ton of treeless areas where getting 6 to 8 foot off the ground is all you get - try walking around a ROS in those environments and pulling off a shot on a buck that does the unexpected. But to each their own there are enough very successful archers using both systems.

Honestly, the post you quoted was 3.5 years old. At that time, my statement was true and there were 0 commercial platforms on the market. Things have changed a lot. Do we really need to go through the platform vs steps argument again? I think you've beat it to death Dave. I like a ROS. I've tried a platform and I hate it. Platforms might be easier for someone coming over from the treestand world to adapt too, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are better. There are tons of guys on here who use and love a ROS. Ask @DanO, otherwise he wouldn't be making so many. Every time you start this argument, you bring up comfort. I don't have comfort issues on a ROS. I sit in my saddle with most of my weight, I don't stand on my ROS with most of it. A comfortable saddle goes a long way towards making this possible.

As I've said many times before. To each their own. If it works for you, go with it. There are many ways to saddle hunt.

 

[DaveT1963]

my bad - didnt realize it was an old post, just popped up on my screen as a new post. Guess I should read the dates. Yes back then there were no options outside DIY, now that there are it's a good thing for saddle hunters. Not going to respond to the rest of you comments.

 

[DaveT1963]

Maybe I missed it, I am certainly not trying to be a smart a$$, but can someone with knowledge please give a recommendation on rope size and make to use for a bridge on a DIY or store bought saddles? Something that you can just tie on with a knot? Thanks. I've been looking for quite a while on the forum and I'm having trouble getting the answer. I just want a good rope I can attach to my DIY saddle for a bridge. I am going to use a Field and stream tether to attach to the tree. It has a prussic. I just need to know what and where to buy Rope. From what I've seen here I guess Sampson is the rope to use. It looks as though amsteel requires splicing which I am not going to do. Please don't take this the wrong way, I think you are great bunch and very helpful.

Probably the easiest solution would be to tie on some webbing at the length you prefer. I would recommend climbing rated webbing.

 

[Garrymny]

Probably the easiest solution would be to tie on some webbing at the length you prefer. I would recommend climbing rated webbing.

I just ordered some black tubular webbing. 1 inch. I think it's rated 2200 lbs. Thanks.