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I'm lost

Y

Youngblood

New Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2020
Messages
23
Just started looking into the whole saddle idea this past week. Found this forum, joined up and have been reading, alot. I think I am getting dumber. Thought I was ready to pick a saddle, I'm not even close. Also found I need to figure my ascent gear, climbing style, I need a new pack, blah, blah, blah. Still very excited about this, but have 2 or a million questions. Have come across several posts stating that bridge length can affect hip pinch, which I do not want. I am curious why no one uses a ropeman or something similar on a bridge. I assume it must be safety?
I am looking for the best comfort in a saddle, but I am concerned about temperature as well. It's nasty hot in NC during bow season. Would I be better off with mesh? Thanks in advance. Seems like a ton of helpful people here.
 
Are you new to hunting from an elevated position or have you hunted from hang on stands and looking to switch?
 
I have been hunting from climbers, predominantly. Always wanted to be more mobile.
 
Welcome to the forum! It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. For me, I’m a simple SaddleHunter. DIY SitDrag, Primal Steps with a plywood insert as a platform. I’ve hunted out of this exclusively for 2 full seasons. It’s comfortable and safe and didn’t break the bank.
Dig in and enjoy!!!
 
Alright young blood, here's a starting point:
Hit up the saddlehunter map, find someone close to you in NC and see if they'll be willing to meet up. Better yet, contact a few and see if you can arrange a meet up.
Call the various saddle manufacturers and tell them your concerns. I happen to know Debbie with Aerohunter is amazing. A mesh saddle will be cooler but probably not by much.
I don't think you'll find many who'll run a mechanical ascender on their bridge due to safety and failure. Not saying knots can't fail, but I'd wager far less. I don't run one.
 
Buy a saddle from a well known company, buy climbing sticks (I think they are the easiest to learn at first) purchase a platform or ring of steps. Try everything at ground level first and then elevate yourself to your comfort zone. If you don’t like something, buy something different and keep the one you like more. I’m experimenting all the time. Quality stuff holds value well and you shouldn’t lose much on any of it.
 
Mesh won't make a noticeable difference in felt temperature. Its biggest difference is packability. Bridge length does make a difference in hip pinch. They do have adjustable bridges out there. Adjustable webbing bridges or prussic knot rope bridges. You don't need a new pack to start saddle hunting. That will come as you figure out what you like and dislike for a climbing system and platform option. Even then, your current pack will still work fine. Don't stress about all the gear you see us buying here. We are just gear junkies and don't need 99% of the stuff we use.
 
Coming from a climber, I would start with that. Get a lone wolf hand climber seat and use it as your climbing method/platform. If you have any questions how that works pm me. I used that system as my run and gun all season.
 
I made the transition from a climber a few years ago. Started with the Aero EVO, moved to the Kestel and have been in a Mantis for the last two years. One thing I've found in all the saddlers (and prospective guys trying out my saddles) is that everyone finds the saddles to fit differently. @Exhumis's advice is great. I echo his sentiments to try to find someone willing to meet you and let you try their gear even if for only a short sit. A lot of guys who've put their info on the Saddlehunter map are more than willing to demo their gear for you.

FYI, I do run a mechanical ascender on my bridge but not on my tether.

Edit: The new 2020 official gear releases will mostly be happening next week at ATA so don't rush into anything. New saddles/gear will be coming out.

Edit 2: Also, as a guy who came out of a climber, the transition to finding a climbing method that works for you will probably be more of a challenge than the actual hunting from a saddle.
 
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Used several saddles. The mesh might work, hybrid probably wouldn’t. Probably need to get to a meet up and try some saddles. Some do use the rope man, but not on a bridge as it can be to small diameter of rope, won’t work some type of bridges etc. yes use a prussic to adjust my bridge to the size I want. I like the saying we use about safety. it’s a mechanical device and all devices fail. When you can do is figure out how you want to hunt- get into the tree. Preset, mobile? Some have issue tying the wild edge knot.. again meet up with the saddle hunters an easy answer is lone wolf sticks with double steps, hawks helium’s.
 
I agree it can be intimidating at first! I agree w/most of the above..... you may have to buy a couple saddles to see what is most comfortable. You can resell the one that you don’t prefer. Even if you lost 25-50 bucks in the transaction it would be worth it to have gear that suits you & not second guess yourself ( you might anyway once far enough down the rabbit hole!) Take the time to find someone relatively close by & checkout their setup, it’ll be time well spent! I agree start w/sticks if you have very little mobile experience, you can easily sell them later if you find another climbing method. Welcome to the site, by the way!!!
 
Just keep reading for now. There is tons of info here and plenty of help. This time of year is hard to practice with anything due to the weather, unless it's warm where youre at.
 
I do have the LWHC and intend to start with that, seems only logical. Got Lots to learn about the climbing gear and ropes etc. You can bet I won't be climbimg until I am familiar with it. How do you choose a bridge length if not adjustable? Seems like an important decision, no?
 
Youngblood said:
I do have the LWHC and intend to start with that, seems only logical. Got Lots to learn about the climbing gear and ropes etc. You can bet I won't be climbimg until I am familiar with it. How do you choose a bridge length if not adjustable? Seems like an important decision, no?
Click to expand...

You could start by messing with a bridge length a minimal height. Get a piece of tubular webbing and start at 24 inches. From there mess around and find your sweet spot. It could take some time in, but it's the off season and its a good time to mess with things.
 
Youngblood said:
I do have the LWHC and intend to start with that, seems only logical. Got Lots to learn about the climbing gear and ropes etc. You can bet I won't be climbimg until I am familiar with it. How do you choose a bridge length if not adjustable? Seems like an important decision, no?
Click to expand...
I caught that you had a climber but did realize it was a lone wolf....... absolutely start with that just tether as you go ! (Guess you need a saddle) I didn’t start experimenting w/bridge length until I had a kestrel & just kept playing around with the knot on the rope bridge & then got it really dialed in.
 
Youngblood said:
I do have the LWHC and intend to start with that, seems only logical. Got Lots to learn about the climbing gear and ropes etc. You can bet I won't be climbimg until I am familiar with it. How do you choose a bridge length if not adjustable? Seems like an important decision, no?
Click to expand...

I use tubular webbing for my bridge, my criteria for length is no intolerable hip pinch and no restriction on my rotation. So I used a heavy duty slider to experiment with different lengths on the fly. I settled on the shortest length that allowed me to rotate 90 degrees. That is from hips facing the tree to hips fully facing the right or left. Once I settled the length I removed the slider and tied a knot. The slider was safe enough for me, but I didn’t want it clinking on anything at the wrong moment.

A shorter bridge doesn’t get in the way as much when walking or climbing.

If you are going to use the hand climber method I strongly recommend you read posts about climbing methods that introduce slack into your tether and there is one about the dangers of short dynamic falls.
 
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