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Platform decisions - bigfoots chime in please

Plebe said:
It’s not about you. When someone is making a decision, having the correct information probably helps. I’m just clarifying with some resources for OP’s awareness.

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I appreciate the clarification. I just posted what I found on each manufacturer's website. It seems there's some wiggle room in the stated weights by the makers, and not just TL from what I've been reading.

BT
 
Black Titan said:
I appreciate the clarification. I just posted what I found on each manufacturer's website. It seems there's some wiggle room in the stated weights by the makers, and not just TL from what I've been reading.

BT
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I also started on an XOP edge, I believe mine was over 6 pounds making the much larger mission lighter. Just FYI on the stats, I don't have big feet nor do I stand up and turn around. Wonder why I'm considering a hybrid lol.

Xop retrograde is around the 6 pound mark also, if that's your flavor
 
I have/like my mission. The only thing that's not awesome is the lack of an angled edge for leaning (I've gotten used to leaning on the angle on my one stick, slightly more comfortable than leaning on the edge of the platform).

That said, big platform I still say mission.
 
Horn said:
I also started on an XOP edge, I believe mine was over 6 pounds making the much larger mission lighter. Just FYI on the stats, I don't have big feet nor do I stand up and turn around. Wonder why I'm considering a hybrid lol.

Xop retrograde is around the 6 pound mark also, if that's your flavor
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This is why I don’t use my OOAL Ridge Runner XL as much as I otherwise would. LWCG .5 is just a little more than a half pound heavier, gives me a seat and knee rest, and carries compatible sticks great.

But the Ridge Runner XL is still quite roomy and I can drop it in a backpack. There’s situations where that is helpful.
 
GeoFish said:
Do you know a accurate Ambush weight?
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Trophyline mission

It’s the same offset bracket lone wolf has been using for many years. It’s a non issue. It’s the same thing they used on the assassin. 99% of the batwings use was on treestands. This is a non-issue on treestands as they do not encounter sideways pressure. The only platform they used that...
saddlehunter.com
 
I’ve been through most platforms & settled on the edp & onyx as my favorites ( need more time on the onyx to tell. Got a mission hanging out in a tree now, I love it for presets but too big to tote around for a hang & hunt. I have sz 15s & don’t think the room on a mission is necessary ( really prefer the shape of an edp). I’ll send you any one of them if you wanna try, or all lol……
I had both Lwcg platforms & they were nice just not my favorite, never liked the wings on a predator or x wing…. My two cents
 
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Bigterp said:
I’ve been through most platforms & settled on the edp & onyx as my favorites ( need more time on the onyx to tell. Got a mission hanging out in a tree now, I love it for presets but too big to tote around for a hang & hunt. I have sz 15s & don’t think the room on a mission is necessary ( really prefer the shape of an edp). I’ll send you any one of them if you wanna try, or all lol……
I had both Lwcg platforms & they were nice just not my favorite, never liked the wings on a predator or x wing…. My two cents
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Thats mighty kind of you but the way my luck works either a) I would break it and have to buy you a new one or b) it would get lost in the mail on the way back to you lol. I appreciate it though. I'll probably try to make it up to my archery shop sometime soon. I need to shoot the new Ethos anyways to see if this is the year I want to buy a new bow lol.

BT
 
Black Titan said:
Thats mighty kind of you but the way my luck works either a) I would break it and have to buy you a new one or b) it would get lost in the mail on the way back to you lol. I appreciate it though. I'll probably try to make it up to my archery shop sometime soon. I need to shoot the new Ethos anyways to see if this is the year I want to buy a new bow lol.

BT
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You got plenty of time before season….. just wait & hit a meetup even if you had to drive a few hours it would be worth it if you could coordinate which platforms will be there……
 
The Ambush give the most room for the weight. People dont like how the post is too far into the center compared to other platform but I never had an issue with it.

But with your size, you will notice a little flex at the edge on the Ambush.

I would say go with a LWCG .5 over the Mission, you wouldnt notice the extra 2ish lbs with a good straps.

I guess you have to consider how you are carrying it into the wood.

I use a Eberlestock Dagger most of the season, and carrying an extra 2-5 extra pounds in platform weight is VERY noticeable. But with a good frame pack like a MR or Kifaru, you barely notice an extra 10-20 pounds.
 
Your list is missing OOAL RRXL from existing platforms and RRXL 2.0 is apparently on the way.

I was in fairly similar situation, I'm 5'11" and 250lb with size 12 boot for reference. I bought the Ambush last fall to fix it and now DS 1.0. Two big reasons for the stand over saddle were dealing with cold and knee/hip pain. Saddle compresses all the layers and limits the circulation in the legs so I'd get cold toes almost every sit so I'd need to add an underquilt to the saddle and the amount of extra straps and little addons related to saddle is starting to bother me already. But big one has been my knees hurt no matter what cushion I try to make for them and I end up shifting around a lot.

Anyways, big platform solved my need for more room only halfway. I can stand up on it but not really do anything standing up. Smaller guy would probably be able to get away shooting standing up. If you like the saddle for sitting comfort and don't really need a seat to sit on, DS .5 or XOP Retrograde would be my suggestion. There you have actually useable space to stand up and turn around. I would much rather climb a tree with .5 on backpack straps than the Ambush swinging around on saddle molle loop.
 
Black Titan said:
I was reading your posts about your "mission" one stick in the thread that exhumis linked. Interesting. So do you only climb up the aider and bottom step, then move it, or are you climbing all the way up to the post and then moving it?

Have you experimented yet with the cam cleat under the platform?

You mentioned that when you cam the platform, it pulls the bottom standoff away from the tree, so does that mean only the platform is stuck to the tree? Is it stable this way?

BT
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First few climbs my steps were aider, bottom step then stand on the top step for final tether adjustment. Then I tried a couple of climbs just going aider and bottom step. That turned out to be the more efficient climb for me. I have not moved the cam cleat and wont on my current stick setup. When the platform is cammed down, yes the bottom standoff moves out and off the tree. The platform and top standoff are tight on the tree because you have in essence already toe hooked it when you step on the aider and bottom step. The tree I climbed Sunday was a bad leaner and for where I needed to set the platform only the far right point on the top standoff was on the tree. I pushed off 90 degrees left and right and it didnt so much as sorta wiggle. I havent been on a tree yet that it wasnt locked down like it was welded to the tree on the first cam of the platform.
 
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Since we're all 'weighing in' with our choices, I thought I'd give my two ounces....

I was going to this:
Bkolowski111 said:
6 foot, 240 lbs. Size 12-13 boot. I've never thought my Predator XL was too small.
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I was going to say that I'm a 12 and I've never found my predator XL to be too small to turn around in (did it last night) so long as you keep your back snug to the tree. I figured I'd weigh it and it was 3.5# with the strap! WTH? Turns out I have the basic predator and not the XL. So to the OP, I wouldn't rule out the predator XL just yet. I've had no problems with mine sticking to the tree or anything like that. Getting it snug on the cam strap takes a tiny bit of technique (snug it down with the platform up and ensure the strap is straight, cam it down, cam it up, snug strap, cam down again) but that's a 15s task as you're hanging from your tether (I'm usually 2TC on my rappel rope). I love the leveling adjuster and it makes a big difference for leaners and stability.

I've also considered looking at other platforms to drop some weight, but looking at this list and seeing mine is at 3.5# I'm not sure I can drop too much without giving up a lot of real estate.
 
casts_by_fly said:
Since we're all 'weighing in' with our choices, I thought I'd give my two ounces....

I was going to this:


I was going to say that I'm a 12 and I've never found my predator XL to be too small to turn around in (did it last night) so long as you keep your back snug to the tree. I figured I'd weigh it and it was 3.5# with the strap! WTH? Turns out I have the basic predator and not the XL. So to the OP, I wouldn't rule out the predator XL just yet. I've had no problems with mine sticking to the tree or anything like that. Getting it snug on the cam strap takes a tiny bit of technique (snug it down with the platform up and ensure the strap is straight, cam it down, cam it up, snug strap, cam down again) but that's a 15s task as you're hanging from your tether (I'm usually 2TC on my rappel rope). I love the leveling adjuster and it makes a big difference for leaners and stability.

I've also considered looking at other platforms to drop some weight, but looking at this list and seeing mine is at 3.5# I'm not sure I can drop too much without giving up a lot of real estate.
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The new Trophyline Hyperlite platform is 2lbs and it is wider and deeper than your standard sized Predator. So you can drop over a pound of weight and gain a small amount of foot space actually.
 
Samu beat me to it. OOAL's Ridge Runner XL is pretty big. I use the the LWCG Ambush but it cams like crap on big trees. Smaller trees no problems. I think I'm going to buy a RR XL and play around w/ it. I like the way it cams over.
 
1simplemann said:
Samu beat me to it. OOAL's Ridge Runner XL is pretty big. I use the the LWCG Ambush but it cams like crap on big trees. Smaller trees no problems. I think I'm going to buy a RR XL and play around w/ it. I like the way it cams over.
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The Mission cams over more simply than either the Ridge Runner XL or the LWCG Ambush. If ease of setup is the priority, I’d go with the Mission. However, with a proper cam the RR XL is quite secure. And I’d say the Ambush should be secure in most situations as well, with a good cam. (A second strap or small ratchet strap can be added to secure the platform further.)

The Ambush has some advantages over the RRXL. It is wider overall than the RR XL, and about 10oz lighter. But if you add another cam strap to the Ambush, that brings the delta down to about 4oz. The extra width of the Ambush near the tree is nice for sitters. On the other hand, you can lean with toes up on the raised part of RRXL which can offer some foot relief for leaners.

The RR XL packs better in many of my systems.

I think the cast TL platforms have less noise resonance than either the the Ambush or RR XL. Like if you drag a foot across, they are naturally quieter.

Pros and cons to them all.
 
Plebe said:
The Mission cams over more simply than either the Ridge Runner XL or the LWCG Ambush. If ease of setup is the priority, I’d go with the Mission. However, with a proper cam the RR XL is quite secure. And I’d say the Ambush should be secure in most situations as well, with a good cam. (A second strap or small ratchet strap can be added to secure the platform further.)

The Ambush has some advantages over the RRXL. It is wider overall than the RR XL, and about 10oz lighter. But if you add another cam strap to the Ambush, that brings the delta down to about 4oz. The extra width of the Ambush near the tree is nice for sitters. On the other hand, you can lean with toes up on the raised part of RRXL which can offer some foot relief for leaners.

The RR XL packs better in many of my systems.

I think the cast TL platforms have less noise resonance than either the the Ambush or RR XL. Like if you drag a foot across, they are naturally quieter.

Pros and cons to them all.
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There are Pros and cons w/ all of them. For the reasons you stated is why I went w/ the Ambush. It's big, light, folds really nice. However on REALLY big trees it does not like side pressure. It's just fine on 10-15" trees. I added a 2nd strap to it in the backyard. I got that thing really tight so it wouldn't kick out. Bounced on it and snapped the strap. Buckle cut it right at the teeth. I changed to Resc Tech rope and swabisch hitch. A lot stronger than a buckle strap. I'm gonna play around w/ a RR XL. I think I can modify it and make it work on big trees.
 
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