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Latitude Carbon Sticks - Saddle Attachment Method?
- Thread starter Everydayhunter
- Start date
I am going to try to answer this subjectively without saying anything positive or negative about any brand here as I don’t want to get in Trouble with the moderators….
To my knowledge XOP has the only saddle that is certified to meet all requirements for a fall arrest harness (and even then it only counts if you are using it with the dorsal attachment not the front the bridge attachment.)
I believe Tethrd is stating that their saddles come with independent lineman’s loops therefore are safe to use with their sticks, (as long as you use the saddle and lanyard properly) especially if also used in conjunction with your tether as a fall back up. I don’t think they are saying they are fall arrest certified. Even a full body harness isn’t a fall arrest harness while you’re on your lineman loops. They are for work positioning not true fall arrest.
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Then in my opinion, they should provide a full body fall arrest harness with each sale. That’s what stand companies do. When you buy XOP sticks or platforms they provide a FAH with it
The language of the One Stick warning pretty clearly promotes Tethrd saddles as a Fall Arrest System, which is kinda sketchy imo.
You know about these standards, which is why I tagged you. Sorry to put you on the spot.
It seems to me like Tethrd just had to work their saddle in there somehow. Perhaps not so much as an advertisement as much as an acknowledgement that in practice the majority of consumers of the product will be using saddles, not Full Body Harnesses.
Gen 1 One Sticks are on the TMA products list and I suspect those requirements pushed them to verbiage they might rather avoid. idk. I don't see Gen 3 on the TMA products list, maybe it's why.
Where saddles fit within TMA standards is perhaps a bit up in the air. I think that's what's behind Latitude's rather unrealistic warning.
Please no. That just adds a few more dollars to each item that we all throw in the trash.
That may have been their intent but that is not how it reads. I'm guessing that verbiage is good until the first splat.
I agree. The Mfg should have a level of accountability but so should the consumer.
XOP has some of the least expensive options I've seen, so it must not be that expensive.
It's also deceptive to claim how safe saddle hunting is and then not point out that a saddle is in fact NOT fall arrest.
For example if I call up any saddle company and ask if it's safe, I'll get an enthusiastic YES!
awesome, I'll take a complete set up!
Deal, we'll hook you right up !
Except they left out they don't even offer the equipment they recommend.
So XOP would be a few dollars cheaper if they quit giving us the horrible FBH on every purchase!
I agree that they aren't expensive but everything has a cost and that gets passed on to the consumer plus a little extra. Where does it stop? Should every climbing rated carabiner come with a harness?
This is definitely a stretch. Saddle manufacturers do point out that saddles are not fall arrest systems.
Additionally, if used properly they are incredibly safe, how else should they answer?
If they sketch you out that much, perhaps don't use that climbing method, or stay on Terra firma?
I don’t disagree but if that’s what they put in the instructions…..
Just making a point is all. I'm not concerned in the least
It’s safe if used correctly. Work positioning harnesses are used safely all across the country every day. The problem is two fold. a) people skim on quality to save money and b) there is a real lack of training and availability of training for recreational hunters which leads to an increase in unsafe practices as well as “you tube ‘professionals’” teaching people the wrong way to do things because they are just regurgitating the wrong ideas they heard others say. I hear people say all the time, I’ve hunted for (insert number) years and have done it this way and never got hurt or never fell…. And that’s great. Hopefully you never do fall, however:
A) 1 in 3 statistically will fall and
B) it only takes 1 fall to change your life completely (or end it).
I don’t buy into that if “it’s unsafe stay home bla bla bla crap”. If that was the case none of us would drive because car accidents are a leading cause of death in this country. However I do buy into risk mitigation. Learning to properly use your ropes, harness and gear. Limiting potential fall distances with proper slack management and tension. Using true fall arrest buckles on the waist and legs. Making linesman loops that are strong enough to not only pass ASTM fall test, but also oriented in a way that keeps you from going inverted. I won’t sacrifice safety to simply save an ounce or two. That’s just me. That’s my way of mitigating my risks at elevation. Some have never truly fell or seen what happens when someone falls 15 or 20 to the ground. Some haven’t had a stand-off bend or slipped off of a wet muddy platform edge. I can’t control what others do when they hunt. All I can do is try to encourage others to take their safety more seriously because if you don’t make it home, who is gonna teach your kids and grandkids how to hunt, fish or work on cars? This younger generation is already addicted to computers with hardly any life survival skill, if you guys can’t be there to teach them, then hunting is truly going to go extinct in the future.
I think you all are right. These sticks must be unsafe. Since I don’t want anyone else hurt I’ll give you $50 for your set of 3
I was at a Scheels store today and they had the latitude sticks in the store. I pulled a set out of the box and fiddled with them for awhile. They were nice and lightweight. I didn’t care for the lack of hand room on the top step, kind of forces you to grab the center post. I also didn’t see an easy way to use a more rigid style aider, such as a Cable aider or versa aider. I am going to pass.
I think you could make a wire aider with the exact concept of the amsteel ones they sell. Loop on each end to slide over the step and then some kind of slide to make said loop small enough to stay on the step (this being the more difficult part to create or make work correctly). Or if you wanted the aider permanent, just make the loop the correct size to stay on the step when you create the aider.
Alright, I’ve now had a chance to get the sticks out and go up a tree. 1. they are very packable. The strap they come with does an amazing job of keeping them together.The strap also holds my 2 step aider in place.
2. very solid on the tree. There was plenty of room for my hand on the top step
3. The tabs are strong enough to hold me. Quick to tie and solid.
4. I couldn’t get them to kick out. I tried putting side pressure on them, pulled myself up by the post. Nothing. Solid as a rock.
How creaky are they? Saw several complaints about the noise they make on the tree.
As you can see from my pics I put camo hockey tape on mine, so I don’t know if that reduced creaking or not, but mine made no noise while I was climbing, or standing.