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Newbie bigger guy looking to saddle hunt

Jasbra71

Jasbra71

New Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2018
Messages
2
Anyone here over 265 lbs saddle hunt and if so how safe do you feel in one of these saddles
 
270 and have used sit drags, Evo, Mantis and kestrel. Have all and all have served me well.


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I AM 265 BUTT NAKED. FEEL PERFECTLEY SAFE IN MY KESTREL. ALWAYS MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS GETTING UP THE TREE
 
6'3" and pushing 300lbs here, I have the Kestrel and I feel MUCH safer than any other method whether it be a Tree Lounge, lock on, etc.
 
I'm 6'2 and right at 300. I feel safer in a saddle than I ever did in a treestand. I get a little hip pinch occasionally in early season with very few layers of clothing but nothing unbearable. I have a size 2 aerohunter kestrel and use a ring of ameristeps on a ratchet.
 
matt6506 said:
I'm 6'2 and right at 300. I feel safer in a saddle than I ever did in a treestand. I get a little hip pinch occasionally in early season with very few layers of clothing but nothing unbearable. I have a size 2 aerohunter kestrel and use a ring of ameristeps on a ratchet.
Click to expand...

Matt

I'm looking into this myself I'm a size 46 waist will the size 2 fit me? Looks like 46 is the max on these lite saddles.

Thanks!
 
Spotdog said:
What are you using to ascend the tree sticks, etc. and what make also are you using any type of platform aloft?
Click to expand...
I'm using 4 hawk helium sticks I cut down to 24" with amsteel rope mod . For a platform I use the top of my last stick and 4 ameristeps on a rachet strap. With this setup and my pack I'm able to get around 16ft with my total gear weighing 20#.
 
Here is my setup, ready to take to the woods. I put my knee pads, ring of steps and kestrel inside the pack
dab1651da95466ccb6a9ac93ba47bbcc.jpg


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Thebigtim said:
300+ here. Feels very safe.

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Click to expand...


as a bigger man at 330 here, what does your system look like and any safety concerns, and advice for someone who is getting into saddle hunting?
 
redhawk said:
as a bigger man at 330 here, what does your system look like and any safety concerns, and advice for someone who is getting into saddle hunting?
Click to expand...
I use the Kestrel size 2. I am a 44" waist and have no issue. Even with more cloths in the colder season. I use 3 lone wolf sticks and 1 hawk as my top. Most of the season I utilized the hawk as my platform with a ring of steps. I did get a preaditor platform at the end of the season. Love it. It feels more comfortable to me. I did set it at the same height as my hawk step so I can still move around the tree a bit.

This is my first year using a saddle. I didn't have hip pinch as much as gut pinch. The length of the bridge made a big difference in comfort. DIY sportsman showed a mod where you use a prusik knot on 1 side of the bridge. He did it to allow the bridge to get longer and fit over his head walking in. I tried it and it seemed to help. I also added knee pads for the last few hunts. That helped a lot too.

As far as safety goes, no issue with saddle hunting. All the webbing and ropes are rated for way more than me. Compared to years past using a lock on for mobile hunting I feel much safer. Tied to the tree the entire time and no awkward step onto the stand.

I am still trying to figure out comfort. The back rest, knee pads, changeable bridge length, and preaditor helped but I am not there yet. I read a post somewhere here where all the talk was about cutting ounces from the set up. One dude said he lost 40 lbs and that helped a lot... kind of the obvious thing that cool gear mods won't get ya. I've never been able to pull of any significant and lasting weight loss (short of giving up my lock on for a saddle) but that is the plan for this off season.

Hope this helps.

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Thebigtim said:
I use the Kestrel size 2. I am a 44" waist and have no issue. Even with more cloths in the colder season. I use 3 lone wolf sticks and 1 hawk as my top. Most of the season I utilized the hawk as my platform with a ring of steps. I did get a preaditor platform at the end of the season. Love it. It feels more comfortable to me. I did set it at the same height as my hawk step so I can still move around the tree a bit.

This is my first year using a saddle. I didn't have hip pinch as much as gut pinch. The length of the bridge made a big difference in comfort. DIY sportsman showed a mod where you use a prusik knot on 1 side of the bridge. He did it to allow the bridge to get longer and fit over his head walking in. I tried it and it seemed to help. I also added knee pads for the last few hunts. That helped a lot too.

As far as safety goes, no issue with saddle hunting. All the webbing and ropes are rated for way more than me. Compared to years past using a lock on for mobile hunting I feel much safer. Tied to the tree the entire time and no awkward step onto the stand.

I am still trying to figure out comfort. The back rest, knee pads, changeable bridge length, and preaditor helped but I am not there yet. I read a post somewhere here where all the talk was about cutting ounces from the set up. One dude said he lost 40 lbs and that helped a lot... kind of the obvious thing that cool gear mods won't get ya. I've never been able to pull of any significant and lasting weight loss (short of giving up my lock on for a saddle) but that is the plan for this off season.

Hope this helps.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the info. Good stuff!
 
6’1 290 here and have zero issues. I feel safer in a saddle than any treestand. There is a learning curve in saddle hunting but nothing too hard. Just practice and figure out the best system for you. I’ve been told the XL mantis is a little bigger than the size 2 kestrel. I guess I’ll find that out when my mantis shows up.
 
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