• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Do you wear your leg straps

Leg straps or no leg straps

  • Yes

    Votes: 88 75.9%

  • No

    Votes: 28 24.1%
  • Total voters
    116
I removed mine. I use a Method and climb with my platform similar to someone who 1 sticks. I've never had an issue. My rope belt stays tight and the bottom panel cups my rear nicely while hanging and moving my platform up.
 
samu said:
Proper buckles don't help much if the other end of the strap isn't attached to hold any significant load though.

In nomal hang the waist belt doesn't move. If you are standing eg on a stick and the stick fails, you're falling upright and the waist belt will absolutely be yanked upwards, even biggest beer gut is quite soft in that regard. Ribcage is where it can possibly cinch up, next stop will be ground unless your jacket bunches up in a lucky streak.

It might be just Method 2 where leg straps are stitched to bottom panel. On single panel I think there might actually be more load on the straps when hanging to retrieve a stick.

One thing I find disturbing is the companies don't provide the tested MBS of the saddle parts, just some user weight limit without explanation
Click to expand...
When I bought my kestrel, AeroHunter did have the MBS of each component on the site. That’s one of the main reasons I bought from them, aside from amazing construction and impeccable customer service. The straps themselves I can’t remember, but the actual brand/material was listed for everything including straps, and a MBS was given for the saddle as a whole, all ropes, all mechanical components ie buckles and clips of all kinds. May have listed the MBS for straps but I don’t think so. They were very adamant though that leg straps were an essential part of their equipment.

Edit: see my post later on with screenshot of EWO Shrike listing. Strap webbing IS rated and listed. Basically everything is.
 
Last edited:
AttackMode said:
I removed mine. I use a Method and climb with my platform similar to someone who 1 sticks. I've never had an issue. My rope belt stays tight and the bottom panel cups my rear nicely while hanging and moving my platform up.
Click to expand...
I'm using Method 2 and sometimes when I climb a 20" or so tree and straddle it to reach for the stick, I get very uncomfortable feeling of my sit bones creeping towards the edge of the panel. I mean I can stop it in that situation, but one day when that Harken cleat fails and I tumble randomly into my tether, there's no guarantee there's any cupping action to save me.
Plebe said:
Are there any saddles with proper buckles that are attached so as to hold a significant load? Get one of those.
Click to expand...
Without proper testing standards and companies witholding information I don't know if there is. If anyone has access to ASTM testing procedure eg. Latitude refers to in their marketing jargon, I'd like to see it.
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
When I bought my kestrel, AeroHunter did have the MBS of each component on the site. That’s the be of the main reasons I bought from them, aside from amazing construction and impeccable customer service. The straps themselves I can’t remember, but the actual brand/material was listed for everything including straps, and a MBS was given for the saddle as a whole, all ropes, all mechanical components ie buckles and clips of all kinds. May have listed the MBS for straps but I don’t think so. They were very adamant though that leg straps were an essential part of their equipment.
Click to expand...
Excellent, that's how it should be. The buckles Latitude uses slip with just few lbs and the stitching that attaches the leg straps to bottom panel is simple square of single row stitching. Can't get a photo right now but comparing to usual bar tacks it doesn't look anything like. That said, Latitude ignored my e-mail asking how strong the leg straps are supposed to be.
 
samu said:
I'm using Method 2 and sometimes when I climb a 20" or so tree and straddle it to reach for the stick, I get very uncomfortable feeling of my sit bones creeping towards the edge of the panel. I mean I can stop it in that situation, but one day when that Harken cleat fails and I tumble randomly into my tether, there's no guarantee there's any cupping action to save me.

Without proper testing standards and companies witholding information I don't know if there is. If anyone has access to ASTM testing procedure eg. Latitude refers to in their marketing jargon, I'd like to see it.

Excellent, that's how it should be. The buckles Latitude uses slip with just few lbs and the stitching that attaches the leg straps to bottom panel is simple square of single row stitching. Can't get a photo right now but comparing to usual bar tacks it doesn't look anything like. That said, Latitude ignored my e-mail asking how strong the leg straps are supposed to be.
Click to expand...
The power of marketing trumps any need to truly support your customers from what I’ve seen from some of these companies. I don’t have any experience with Latitude but you’re making me not want to. I can’t open any social media without seeing their ads plastered everywhere but I guess that’s what their email correspondents were doing when your email reached them…
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
The power of marketing trumps any need to truly support your customers from what I’ve seen from some of these companies. I don’t have any experience with Latitude but you’re making me not want to. I can’t open any social media without seeing their ads plastered everywhere but I guess that’s what their email correspondents were doing when your email reached them…
Click to expand...
Initially I sent them an e-mail with questions related to some safety concerns and that has not received a reply in two weeks or so.

Yesterday I contacted them about the broken g-hook gate that happened over weekend I got prompt reply that they would replace my leg straps with new pair. None of my concerns about the design were addressed this time either.

On the non-broken buckle you could pluck the gates off the g-hooks with bare fingers almost. Considering if it's worth trying to get them respond anymore. I don't really care about replacement unless they redesign the attachment. I'm not trusting those hooks anymore.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
When I bought my kestrel, AeroHunter did have the MBS of each component on the site. That’s the be of the main reasons I bought from them, aside from amazing construction and impeccable customer service. The straps themselves I can’t remember, but the actual brand/material was listed for everything including straps, and a MBS was given for the saddle as a whole, all ropes, all mechanical components ie buckles and clips of all kinds. May have listed the MBS for straps but I don’t think so. They were very adamant though that leg straps were an essential part of their equipment.
Click to expand...
Yep, and it’s a darn shame they closed their doors. I’ll need a new saddle in the near future and now I’ve gotta find someone new to do business with.
 
“I’ve never had an issue”, yeah almost anybody injured never had an issue with given method prior. “I’ve climbed 45 old rusty ladder stands with no tie off, but hey I’ve never had any problems.”

Once set up and my legs have some bend in em and the panel is set down a bit I have more faith in the saddle cupping and catching me, but during the climb up and down I have zero confidence that the panel is consistently in a position to catch me without sliding to ribs or armpits.
 
samu said:
Without proper testing standards and companies witholding information I don't know if there is. If anyone has access to ASTM testing procedure eg. Latitude refers to in their marketing jargon, I'd like to see it.
Click to expand...

Maybe a RCH and Sit Drag or Drey is a proper option then.
 
Plebe said:
My saddle does this:

Click to expand...
That’s one of @Fl Canopy Stalker saddles, right?
Shame he’s not producing them anymore. Closest thing to a Kestrel, which they’re also not producing anymore. I’d probably get a SH membership just to buy a Kestrel or Wood in the Classifieds. But nobody posts them because they’re incredible. And talk about transparency.
 
krub6b said:
My used Recon didn't come with leg straps, being able to separate the two panels offers a pretty secure feeling for everything I've done in it including 2TC. Legs straps would probably help with the bottom panel riding up but I haven't decided how I would want to route them yet

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I have a recon and it didn’t have leg straps. I can’t find that it ever had them from the manufacturer. I’m probably wrong.
 
Ckwilli said:
I have a recon and it didn’t have leg straps. I can’t find that it ever had them from the manufacturer. I’m probably wrong.
Click to expand...
They come with them but I've never heard of anyone liking the factory straps. Someone had a great leg strap mod that was pretty sewing intensive that I would like to copy, I'll have to find it back

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
krub6b said:
They come with them but I've never heard of anyone liking the factory straps. Someone had a great leg strap mod that was pretty sewing intensive that I would like to copy, I'll have to find it back

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I just saw that. It was posted last Thursday. Ironically I found it when I googled recon leg straps
 
krub6b said:
They come with them but I've never heard of anyone liking the factory straps. Someone had a great leg strap mod that was pretty sewing intensive that I would like to copy, I'll have to find it back

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Improved leg loops for treehopper recon

Hi everyone, I bought a Treehopper Recon at the beginning of last season and have been really happy with it so far. Within about 10 mins of unboxing, I removed (and promptly lost) the original leg loops. I was happy without leg loops all last season since I pretty much exclusively climbed with...
saddlehunter.com
 

Recon Sling Revamp

Couldn't resist. I added the recon sling to my arsenal a while back. Like the comfort of the Anderson style sling but wanted to add what I liked about other saddles I've had. I also wanted to make it walk in friendly. I always wear my saddle on entry. In stock form, it just wasn't happening...
r.tapatalk.com
This is the leg strap system I had eyed previously, lots of sewing to do on it

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
That’s one of @Fl Canopy Stalker saddles, right?
Shame he’s not producing them anymore. Closest thing to a Kestrel, which they’re also not producing anymore. I’d probably get a SH membership just to buy a Kestrel or Wood in the Classifieds. But nobody posts them because they’re incredible. And talk about transparency.
Click to expand...
Anyone can buy, you only have to be a member to sell and be part of the contest. Just shoot them a PM instead of replying in the classified thread.

I wear my leg straps
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top