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shoulder straps

Saddle Assassin

Saddle Assassin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2014
Messages
221
Location
Somewhere out there
Has anyone cut there shoulder straps off and put on nice padded ones, I can see cutting them off but on the other hand they need an improvement, to you that have where and which ones did you put on.
 
I haven't cut mine off yet but I plan to this year. I saw something online somewhere but I can't find it right now
 
Are the suspenders just for keeping the Tree Saddle positioned on your body in case you tipped over? One of the great things about the Aero is that as long as you wear it correctly, you can not fall out of it. As a tree climber I like to invert my body on rope to do what we call a "bat hang". Check out this video from Bobby Boswell showing how safe you are from a fall if you somehow did find yourself upside down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YGXHRWIHLQ
 
1saddleguy said:
Are the suspenders just for keeping the Tree Saddle positioned on your body in case you tipped over? One of the great things about the Aero is that as long as you wear it correctly, you can not fall out of it. As a tree climber I like to invert my body on rope to do what we call a "bat hang". Check out this video from Bobby Boswell showing how safe you are from a fall if you somehow did find yourself upside down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YGXHRWIHLQ
Click to expand...

Like Jeremy said I just use my shoulder straps for walking in an climbing as well. I take them off in the tree. The way the tree saddle is designed, if you do not have support from the shoulders it will start to ride down around your hips as you walk. From what I can see with the aero hunter, this may not be a problem because it is strapped onto you in 3 spots, the legs and the hips. Correct me if I am wrong..
 
You don't need them with the Aero because of the belt. I was hanging 2 field line bags off my aero and it added wieght and put pressure on my hips. I found I could have used some suspenders but I consolidated and got rid of that mess. It functions better without the clutter.
 
Yup cut them off and replaced with a pair from Lowes. The ones that came with it that stretch was a horrible idea.
 
The original saddles from Trophyline did not have shoulder straps and they were added because TMA (Treestand Manufacturers Association) won't approve any treestand without a 5 point safety strap and they wouldn't approve Trophyline's saddle without a 5 point safety system either. There are no major retailers that will carry any hunting systems that are not TMA approved due to liability issues so to get market penetration they had to get TMA approved and New Tribe will also have to have shoulder straps if they want TMA approval and a larger market share.

While I am in no way suggesting anyone do it, I always cut off my shoulder straps. If you have the proper sized saddle, the adjustable waist cinch strap should adjust tight enough to hold the saddle in place while walking and ascending the tree. If the cinch strap won't tighten down, your saddle is a size to big.

The main issue I have with shoulder straps is when hunting, every time you fidget, the back of the seat cinches farther up your back. The ideal scenario is to not let the top of the seat rise much above the top of the crack of your ass. If the seat rises up above waist level, it locks your lower body (waist and down) to your upper body (waist and up), making upper body mobility very difficult. This makes it extremely difficult to twist at the waist to shoot behind you.

What I have also done, and I don't suggest this to anyone, is roll the bottom of the seat under twice and had it stitched at a canvas shop and then had the leg strap sewn back on. This made the entire seat shallower so that it just cradles my butt.
 
I cut off my shoulder straps and leg straps a long time ago. Good riddance!

It's stupid that TMA made them have them on there. I don't know how they expected those things to hold someone into the saddle.
They were so stretchy if I tipped over, I could have crossed "bungee jumping" off my bucket list.

Then again, they may have worked like a controlled descent system. lol
 
I will likely wear suspenders this season with the Aero.

I have to tighten the belt when walking and then loosen it when hanging.
I only have my Tree Strap and Linesman's belt hanging on it now.
I MIGHT put my pruners and folding saw on it.
 
My original tree saddle did not have shoulder straps nor did my Tree suit (Too bad tree suit went away). I cut mine shoulder straps off my second Tree Saddle, they are worthless.
 
Until they got too strechy, I actually liked the shoulder straps on my tree saddle. I felt that they kept it from sliding down while I was walking in and out. I would just take them off and let them hang while I was in the tree. And yes the leg straps were completely worthless.

justsomedude said:
I have to tighten the belt when walking and then loosen it when hanging.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing. I love walking in with the evo because it is very comfortable but once in the tree I loosed up the waist strap because it puts too much pressure on my stomach.
 
I never thought about cutting of the leg straps, I may just do that to day. When I can justify the money I will get the aero, it looks like all the adjustments would be more comfortable.
 
Buckmeister,

If you haven't done it already, before you cut the leg straps off, may I suggest trying it on the tree with the leg straps tied up out of the way on the sides?

If you don't like the saddle without the leg straps, it's difficult to go back. Cutting them off is a very permanent solution. lol Plus if you ever wanted to resell, I'm not sure how it would effect the value. (probably a drastic negative)


I just got so tired of those dangling straps that I tried it once with them off to the side and after that I just cut them off and burned the edges of what remained. FREEDOM! lol

My friend on the other hand sewed his up out of the way in case he ever decided to sell the trophyline saddle. (He also has a guidos web)...He doesn't get the small weight savings of cutting them off, but he doesn't have two big straps that catch on everything hanging down either. With the removal of some stitching, his saddle can be back to original stock specs.

Either way, I think you'll like getting those unnecessary straps out of the way.
 
I replaced the suspenders on my tree saddle with suspenders from a tool belt. Does a great job if holding up a loaded saddle while walking in. Has a couple of small pouches on the chest straps as well that can be used.


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I cut the straps (both legs and shoulder) off and then modified my backpack to attach to my saddle, that I can detach once I'm set up
 
I need to find a set of suspenders for my saddle. Anyone know of a brand that works well with the tree saddles?


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