First post from a new member.
I'm a new saddle hunter and decided I'd make my own rather than buying a commercial saddle. I've been sewing for almost 30 years and figured it couldn't be that hard. I was right. After 3 hours (for the first one) I had a complete saddle from initial drawing to "final" stitching.
Hunted out of it for the first time yesterday and I'm 100% a convert. I got up the tree (only about 15-18 feet) and settled in less than 10 minutes with a set of three hawk sticks. I want to make a couple of mods already, though. I used phifertex mesh for the seat and it's too slippery against my hunting bibs. It rides up higher than it did when I was testing it in regular pants. I may replace it with another mesh material but I'm going to modify the leg loops first and attach lower on the harness to see if that fixes the problem. I also need to shorten my tether prussik. I made a 1/8" dyneema utilibridge that is 24" at its shortest length but with the prussik it's still too long. I may make a new bridge and reduce the prussik length as well.
I'm also working on a custom carbon fiber single stick option and my rig (saddle, bridge, and stick) will be under 4 pounds total, if my weight calculations are right. My saddle is about 1 1/2 pounds now. Stick weight I'm going for is <2 pounds.
Overall, I love the visibility, the ability to move, and the comfort of the saddle. I've been a rock climber for 25+ years so hanging is not new to me and I felt like a duck to water with the saddle. What a great shift in my tree choices, overall weight, and ability to adjust my plan on the fly.
I'm a new saddle hunter and decided I'd make my own rather than buying a commercial saddle. I've been sewing for almost 30 years and figured it couldn't be that hard. I was right. After 3 hours (for the first one) I had a complete saddle from initial drawing to "final" stitching.
Hunted out of it for the first time yesterday and I'm 100% a convert. I got up the tree (only about 15-18 feet) and settled in less than 10 minutes with a set of three hawk sticks. I want to make a couple of mods already, though. I used phifertex mesh for the seat and it's too slippery against my hunting bibs. It rides up higher than it did when I was testing it in regular pants. I may replace it with another mesh material but I'm going to modify the leg loops first and attach lower on the harness to see if that fixes the problem. I also need to shorten my tether prussik. I made a 1/8" dyneema utilibridge that is 24" at its shortest length but with the prussik it's still too long. I may make a new bridge and reduce the prussik length as well.
I'm also working on a custom carbon fiber single stick option and my rig (saddle, bridge, and stick) will be under 4 pounds total, if my weight calculations are right. My saddle is about 1 1/2 pounds now. Stick weight I'm going for is <2 pounds.
Overall, I love the visibility, the ability to move, and the comfort of the saddle. I've been a rock climber for 25+ years so hanging is not new to me and I felt like a duck to water with the saddle. What a great shift in my tree choices, overall weight, and ability to adjust my plan on the fly.