Ordered a Recon, how has everyone improved upon it?

[JFin15]

I must be the only one but my plates have never once made a sound and I've been with the recon all season. Matter fact, I've sold all my other saddles. Well, except for the jx3.
I do alot of srt/rap and I currently have the bungee belt (sometimes I put the original belt on for the walk/climb) and paracord leg loops. I'm about to sew some leg loops up bc the sling tries to slide up and out from under me mid-climb. Now I know it's not going anywhere but I dont like the idea of some paracord halfars tied being what's holding me in the thing.
So if I'm breaking out the thread injector, I'll probably put a waistebelt in it too.

Edit: I also have the plates reversed. Had to do that immediately

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[Olegrad]

I flipped the panels like some have suggested here, and spliced in an amsteel utili-bridge. I don’t mind the stock belt and the occasional squeaks don’t bother me or the deer (I’ve learned to move to minimize noise so it hasn’t really been an issue). Already becoming my favorite saddle/sling.

Revisiting my post. Sat in recon yesterday in temps in the teens and literally no sound in the woods besides me. Every shift was accompanied by a squeak from the panels and rubber plates. It was cold so maybe I was shifting a little too much. But my question is...is it possible to strip just half of the rubber off the plates (the part that the panels run through) and leave the bridge part intact? Goal is to take off only what’s needed and leave some “dampening” material to prevent metal to metal contact?

 

[loujo61]

Revisiting my post. Sat in recon yesterday in temps in the teens and literally no sound in the woods besides me. Every shift was accompanied by a squeak from the panels and rubber plates. It was cold so maybe I was shifting a little too much. But my question is...is it possible to strip just half of the rubber off the plates (the part that the panels run through) and leave the bridge part intact? Goal is to take off only what’s needed and leave some “dampening” material to prevent metal to metal contact?

Yup I stripped off half and it seems fine.

 

[Olegrad]

I added stealth strip to bottom half of plate (extra pieces leftover). Tried it in the yard and no noise. Hopefully this is a solution to squeak.

 

[Noonan61]

I sold it


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[UNSUCCESSFUL1]

I just got my recon sling today that I ordered on thanksgiving. Im not sure when this update happened, but the belt buckle seems to have been updated. The last pics i saw showed it with the speed buckle, but mine came with this-

 

[Noonespecial]

I just got my recon sling today that I ordered on thanksgiving. Im not sure when this update happened, but the belt buckle seems to have been updated. The last pics i saw showed it with the speed buckle, but mine came with this-

He updated the buckle to that style just recently. Great upgrade!!!

 

[SouthMsBowhunter]

I’ve had mine come unbuckled on me while one sticking. Just be aware if one side of the release levers is depressed the buckle can come undone.

 

[Coog]

I got my Recon a few days ago and I can already tell I’m going to love this thing.

One question for the experts. I got a Regular size and it seems Im JUST on the small end of regular. With the waist belt tightened all the way, it’s still a bit loose. I know I have the option of exchanging for a small but I am worried that the shorter sling material will make the plates sit closer to my body when hanging and make for a less comfortable sit overall.

so my question is: should I go for the small or try one of the waist belt mods? Does anyone have a small and can comment on how close the plates sit to your body?

 

[Noonespecial]

I got my Recon a few days ago and I can already tell I’m going to love this thing.

One question for the experts. I got a Regular size and it seems Im JUST on the small end of regular. With the waist belt tightened all the way, it’s still a bit loose. I know I have the option of exchanging for a small but I am worried that the shorter sling material will make the plates sit closer to my body when hanging and make for a less comfortable sit overall.

so my question is: should I go for the small or try one of the waist belt mods? Does anyone have a small and can comment on how close the plates sit to your body?

I have a small and I’m a 34” waist. The plates do not interfere with my hips while sitting.

 

[SouthMsBowhunter]

I also have a Small and a 34-35” waist, plates ride about 1” - 2” on the plus side of hips.

I’ll have to measure to be sure but don’t seem to interfere.

I’ve wondered if the regular (had one but swapped) would’ve been more comfortable. Problem as you stated was it was loose with belt fully tightened.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

I am borderline size between the medium or small. I've owned both. I feel the medium is more comfortable and gives me a little more adjustment when I want to spread apart the 2 sections. The bottom stays in place better for me with the medium.
However, the medium (for me) won't allow me to fully tighten the belt, BUT I'm still fully convinced that a bungee belt is THE best belt for the Recon, so that's what I've used for a few hundred hours of use so far. I have no need, or desire for the stock belt.
If you are willing to do a belt mod, then I recommend the medium.

 

[dbd1313]

I am borderline size between the medium or small. I've owned both. I feel the medium is more comfortable and gives me a little more adjustment when I want to spread apart the 2 sections. The bottom stays in place better for me with the medium.
However, the medium (for me) won't allow me to fully tighten the belt, BUT I'm still fully convinced that a bungee belt is THE best belt for the Recon, so that's what I've used for a few hundred hours of use so far. I have no need, or desire for the stock belt.
If you are willing to do a belt mod, then I recommend the medium.

Think if I took this marsupial gear stretch belt, cut it and and ran each end through the plate with tri glides it would make a good bungee belt?

Stretch Web Belt

The perfect belt now exists! Our specially formulated stretch webbing makes this belt the perfect mix between comfort and durability. The stiff 1.5" webbing has a slight stretch embedded in it, allowing the belt to maintain a tight fit through the most rigorous activities. Our custom hook buckle...

www.marsupialgear.com

 

[Coog]

I am borderline size between the medium or small. I've owned both. I feel the medium is more comfortable and gives me a little more adjustment when I want to spread apart the 2 sections. The bottom stays in place better for me with the medium.
However, the medium (for me) won't allow me to fully tighten the belt, BUT I'm still fully convinced that a bungee belt is THE best belt for the Recon, so that's what I've used for a few hundred hours of use so far. I have no need, or desire for the stock belt.
If you are willing to do a belt mod, then I recommend the medium.

Tom, do you have a link to your bungee belt mod? I saw there was a video floating around but it seems to be removed.

does the bungee hold tight enough to prevent sagging with a pouch?

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Think if I took this marsupial gear stretch belt, cut it and and ran each end through the plate with tri glides it would make a good bungee belt?

Stretch Web Belt

The perfect belt now exists! Our specially formulated stretch webbing makes this belt the perfect mix between comfort and durability. The stiff 1.5" webbing has a slight stretch embedded in it, allowing the belt to maintain a tight fit through the most rigorous activities. Our custom hook buckle...

www.marsupialgear.com

I'm guessing it won't, especially the way that I use a bungee belt.
The description in your link says it has "slight stretch".
I use a really high grade of shock cord that has a really good, and strong rate of stretch. It allows me to vary just how tight I need the belt depending on whether I am walking or under tether.

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[Coog]

I’m thinking about this “mod” for the waist belt.

Thinking about removing one side completely. Then take the webbing from the other side and pass it through the opposite plate and install some kind of adjustable webbing stopper. I can’t think of what I could use for the stopper though...

 

[dbd1313]

I'm guessing it won't, especially the way that I use a bungee belt.
The description in your link says it has "slight stretch".
I use a really high grade of shock cord that has a really good, and strong rate of stretch. It allows me to vary just how tight I need the belt depending on whether I am walking or under tether.

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Yeah probably right. I did find some "high stretch" 1.5" webbing on Amazon. I may order that and play around with it. It that doesn't work I'll go the shock cord route you are suggesting.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Tom, do you have a link to your bungee belt mod? I saw there was a video floating around but it seems to be removed.

does the bungee hold tight enough to prevent sagging with a pouch?

I removed that video because it didn't really represent exactly how I am doing it now. The early version used metal for the yokes. It worked well but I thought that there had to be a better way.
So we sewed up these yokes from the same webbing material as the sling. I use a short piece of dowl rod thru the back of the yoke. This pic shows a piece of carbon arrow shaft in the yoke. I did not like that as much as just using a piece of 3/16" dowl.

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[TNSTAAFL]

I removed that video because it didn't really represent exactly how I am doing it now. The early version used metal for the yokes. It worked well but I thought that there had to be a better way.
So we sewed up these yokes from the same webbing material as the sling. I use a short piece of dowl rod thru the back of the yoke. This pic shows a piece of carbon arrow shaft in the yoke. I did not like that as much as just using a piece of 3/16" dowl.

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When will these be for sale?
$30?

 

[Allegheny Tom]

I’m thinking about this “mod” for the waist belt.

Thinking about removing one side completely. Then take the webbing from the other side and pass it through the opposite plate and install some kind of adjustable webbing stopper. I can’t think of what I could use for the stopper though...

That ignores the whole point of why the bungee belt works so well. The idea of the bungee is to allow the sling to self-adjust and "open-up" when weighting the bridge, but it also snugs back up if/when you unweight to reposition in the tree. And the reason for the hook on the bungee is so the bungee can be fully static when walking or climbing. I bring the bungee back across me (with it 100% stretched out) and I hook it on the lineman loop. When I get tethered, I unhook the hook and the bungee remains just snug enough so the sling won't sag.
The bungee belt is "active" where as the webbing belt is static.