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Official " Tethrd Mantis " Review Thread!

So straight up no bs, my XL Mantis is NOT comfortable. It pinches me on both sides and is very painful after a short sit. My RC and Sit Drag is night and day difference in comfort. It really irritated my skin as it was very red around my hips and waist when I got home. I might put in a longer amsteel blue bridge today but as the temps start dropping, my willingness to “experiment” dwindles.


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Aeds151 said:
So straight up no bs, my XL Mantis is NOT comfortable. It pinches me on both sides and is very painful after a short sit. My RC and Sit Drag is night and day difference in comfort. It really irritated my skin as it was very red around my hips and waist when I got home. I might put in a longer amsteel blue bridge today but as the temps start dropping, my willingness to “experiment” dwindles.


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Click to expand...

Shoot me a message will try to help you out. Got a few things you can try.


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flinginairos said:
Shoot me a message will try to help you out. Got a few things you can try.


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My large is the same way. I use a forehead tether height with my kestrel and its fantastic. Tried the same with the Mantis and it's a no go. Lowered it to my chin and it was better but start losing ability to move around the tree. I've been using the Mantis on evening sits as I don't sit as long because of the discomfort. I'll continue to see if I can find a happy place with it but so far I just cant.
 
I've never used a saddle, but has anyone tried making a spreader bar for the bridge? For hammocking, they keep the hammock end open to reduce the overlap on shoulders / "pinching" type of situation.

Would this be feasible on a saddle? I'm thinking a pvc pipe with "C" shaped ends that is slightly wider than a user's hips so that the saddle stays just slightly open and the bridge ropes?
 
CaptainKielbasa said:
I've never used a saddle, but has anyone tried making a spreader bar for the bridge? For hammocking, they keep the hammock end open to reduce the overlap on shoulders / "pinching" type of situation.

Would this be feasible on a saddle? I'm thinking a pvc pipe with "C" shaped ends that is slightly wider than a user's hips so that the saddle stays just slightly open and the bridge ropes?
Click to expand...

Yeppers been tried


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Well I finally got a chance to try out my Mantis for the first time. I hung in a tree in my yard for about 30-45 minutes trying to get a feel for how saddles work. Being new to saddle hunting and having only tried the Mantis, I can’t really compare it’s performance to any other type of saddle. I will say that it was a little uncomfortable but not overly so. I think that I will be more of a leaner than sitter. I’m sure I still have a lot of tweaking to do on tether height and length as I’m trying to figure out what works for me. It was not as comfy as the seat on my climber, but at 1/20th the weight I think I can sacrifice some of the comfort to not have carry so much for the mile or two that I walk in. I’m still waiting on my platform but once I have that I can play with it some more to figure out my system to maximize comfort and versatility.


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Aeds151 said:
So straight up no bs, my XL Mantis is NOT comfortable. It pinches me on both sides and is very painful after a short sit. My RC and Sit Drag is night and day difference in comfort. It really irritated my skin as it was very red around my hips and waist when I got home. I might put in a longer amsteel blue bridge today but as the temps start dropping, my willingness to “experiment” dwindles.


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Click to expand...
Cory T said:
My large is the same way. I use a forehead tether height with my kestrel and its fantastic. Tried the same with the Mantis and it's a no go. Lowered it to my chin and it was better but start losing ability to move around the tree. I've been using the Mantis on evening sits as I don't sit as long because of the discomfort. I'll continue to see if I can find a happy place with it but so far I just cant.
Click to expand...
I expect that the micro adjusters will fix this. I could not hunt without them.
 
Aeds151 said:
So straight up no bs, my XL Mantis is NOT comfortable. It pinches me on both sides and is very painful after a short sit. My RC and Sit Drag is night and day difference in comfort. It really irritated my skin as it was very red around my hips and waist when I got home. I might put in a longer amsteel blue bridge today but as the temps start dropping, my willingness to “experiment” dwindles.


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Click to expand...

I experienced the same. You need a longer bridge. Made a huge difference for me. Before you cut the factory one off, just let it hang and use a piece of rope as a bridge at ground level until you find the right length.
 
Remember guys, bridge length and tether height are the 2 most important comfort adjustments. If you can’t find comfort at any tether height, start playing around with a longer bridge.

Also, if you are trying to exclusively sit... try leaning instead.


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I am seriously thinking about adding an adjustable bridge to my Mantis when it arrives because subtle adjustments make a world of difference for long sits in a saddle. While my Web is quite bulky the adjustments are very nice.
 
IkemanTX said:
Remember guys, bridge length and tether height are the 2 most important comfort adjustments. If you can’t find comfort at any tether height, start playing around with a longer bridge.

Also, if you are trying to exclusively sit... try leaning instead.


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Click to expand...

Absolutely! I have yet to stick to a "stock" saddle. Everyone is different and may need to tweak some things. That's the awesome thing about saddle hunting IMO. It's easy to tweak the setup to fit your needs.
 
cedar paul said:
I am seriously thinking about adding an adjustable bridge to my Mantis when it arrives because subtle adjustments make a world of difference for long sits in a saddle. While my Web is quite bulky the adjustments are very nice.
Click to expand...

I like my adjustable bridge on my Kestrel. Super comfortable. I switched to a size 2 from 1 and that is great too


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The longer bridge that I can flip over my neck was much better. I also hunted from a tree that can fit between my legs so sitting was much better. I have since now shortened the bridge. It was long to where I had the bridge to tether connection all the way up at base of tree. I am contemplating just doing an adjustable bridge with rope like diysportsman does with a prussik. Is there anything that will act as a prussik for 1/4” amsteel and still be safe? It would be nice to try an adjustable amsteel bridge to save on rope weight.


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Aeds151 said:
The longer bridge that I can flip over my neck was much better. I also hunted from a tree that can fit between my legs so sitting was much better. I have since now shortened the bridge. It was long to where I had the bridge to tether connection all the way up at base of tree. I am contemplating just doing an adjustable bridge with rope like diysportsman does with a prussik. Is there anything that will act as a prussik for 1/4” amsteel and still be safe? It would be nice to try an adjustable amsteel bridge to save on rope weight.


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Click to expand...

Make a whoopie sling.
 
Does anybody's rear end itch when sitting in the saddle for a couple hours? Hunted out of mine for 4hrs on Sunday and at hour 3 I could not get comfortable due to the itching. Also how low or high is the saddle supposed to sit?
 
I will look into whoopie sling. I do know diysportsman mentions in his saddle mod vid that it becomes too long and gets annoying.


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Aeds151 said:
I will look into whoopie sling. I do know diysportsman mentions in his saddle mod vid that it becomes too long and gets annoying.


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I read that too and that is somewhat true. But I like the adjustment and deal with the extra rope


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Bad2TheBone said:
Does anybody's rear end itch when sitting in the saddle for a couple hours? Hunted out of mine for 4hrs on Sunday and at hour 3 I could not get comfortable due to the itching. Also how low or high is the saddle supposed to sit?
Click to expand...

I'd try showering here and there, should relieve the itch. A potential switch in brand/style of toilet paper could be in order too...

In all seriousness, I've gotten a couple itches I couldn't scratch. Just like any other piece of clothing. If it's itching that much you may have a snag or something.
 
kyler1945 said:
I'd try showering here and there, should relieve the itch. A potential switch in brand/style of toilet paper could be in order too...

In all seriousness, I've gotten a couple itches I couldn't scratch. Just like any other piece of clothing. If it's itching that much you may have a snag or something.
Click to expand...
hahaha I knew somebody was gunna say that.
 
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