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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
samu said:
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.
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Okay so I did a little digging to support my claims.
Nabbed this link and screenshot from EWO’s AH Shrike listing. @DanO usually takes the specs right from manufacturer’s website. Here you can see nearly everything the saddle is made of is rated and listed:
70C9F092-1B1C-4D64-B392-0E233B630AAC.jpeg
Then, just for S’s & G’s, I clicked the link for the user guide, which I’ve linked for y’all to read on your own: https://doublesteps.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AERO-HUNTER-SHRIKE-USER-GUIDE-4-13-22.pdf The very first page of the guide explains how, and why, and when, the leg straps are necessary. Page one. Credit to AH (rest in peace) and EWO for supplying us with the information we need. Use at your own risk of course. I’m no expert myself but education matters in these affairs.
 
Last edited:
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
Okay so I did a little digging to support my claims.
Nabbed this link and screenshot from EWO’s AH Shrike listing. @DanO usually takes the specs right from manufacturer’s website. Here you can see nearly everything the saddle is made of is rated and listed:
View attachment 93423
Then, just for S’s & G’s, I clicked the link for the user guide, which I’ve linked for y’all to read on your own: https://doublesteps.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AERO-HUNTER-SHRIKE-USER-GUIDE-4-13-22.pdf The very first page of the guide explains how, and why, and when, the leg straps are necessary. Page one. Credit to AH (rest in peace) and EWO for supplying us with the information we need. Use at your own risk of course. I’m no expert myself but education matters in these affairs.
Click to expand...
so, some manufactures build them to take a load and others don't.
 
I wear my leg straps. I keep them loose until I get situated in the tree and then tighten them down a bit to help hold my saddle in place. I fell while wearing my Mantis saddle during my first year of saddle hunting. Had one of my Hawk Heliums kick out and dropped about 10" (felt like 10'). Had those G Hook leg straps attached and it hurt like a MFer when it squeezed my twig and berries, but it did hold me up.

I utilize a Cruzr XC now that has buckles for the leg strap attachments. I find them much more comfortable than the G Hooks on the Mantis. Not sure that either saddle's leg straps are load bearing?? Maybe someone can confirm?

As aggravating as they are, at times, I personally can't imagine not utilizing them. Even having them super loose provides me with some confidence that, if I do fall, I'm not relying completely on my arm pits to stop me. I am, admittedly, more conservative on the risk-aversion spectrum.

@kyler1945 (or other JX3 users)- do JX3 users have to have a separate harness to utilize while climbing? Do you wear the JX3 like a saddle while climbing that offers some type of "fall support" (I'm using quotations to denote that fall support is in the same application/context as a saddle would have and not imply some type of certified fall support system)?
 
Crawdaddy4 said:
I wear my leg straps. I keep them loose until I get situated in the tree and then tighten them down a bit to help hold my saddle in place. I fell while wearing my Mantis saddle during my first year of saddle hunting. Had one of my Hawk Heliums kick out and dropped about 10" (felt like 10'). Had those G Hook leg straps attached and it hurt like a MFer when it squeezed my twig and berries, but it did hold me up.

I utilize a Cruzr XC now that has buckles for the leg strap attachments. I find them much more comfortable than the G Hooks on the Mantis. Not sure that either saddle's leg straps are load bearing?? Maybe someone can confirm?

As aggravating as they are, at times, I personally can't imagine not utilizing them. Even having them super loose provides me with some confidence that, if I do fall, I'm not relying completely on my arm pits to stop me. I am, admittedly, more conservative on the risk-aversion spectrum.

@kyler1945 (or other JX3 users)- do JX3 users have to have a separate harness to utilize while climbing? Do you wear the JX3 like a saddle while climbing that offers some type of "fall support" (I'm using quotations to denote that fall support is in the same application/context as a saddle would have and not imply some type of certified fall support system)?
Click to expand...
I have a jx3 and i did buy it used so it might be different but mine does not have leg straps.
 
Plebe said:
Mine has leg straps.

I probably would have slid out if it didn’t, the first time I one-sticked down.
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How do you slide out with backpack straps on? Also I might have an older or newer model i dont know much about it but i cant find the leg straps in the picture on their website. Im genuinely curious if they do.
1698085528376.png
 
To add to the stories, my first time one sticking my Hawk stick slipped out and I fell a bit until the tether caught. Without leg straps I would’ve been in a bad spot of that skinny little Mantis belt being all that held the saddle on me. They weren’t much but even that little bit was something until I got my wits together.

I also rappelled enough times to find the G hooks came undone by the time I reached the ground. That almost could’ve been a worse scenario if I ever straightened out enough to have the seat slip off my butt. I soon got rid of that Mantis in favor of something built more substantially.
 
Marmuzz said:
To add to the stories, my first time one sticking my Hawk stick slipped out and I fell a bit until the tether caught. Without leg straps I would’ve been in a bad spot of that skinny little Mantis belt being all that held the saddle on me. They weren’t much but even that little bit was something until I got my wits together.

I also rappelled enough times to find the G hooks came undone by the time I reached the ground. That almost could’ve been a worse scenario if I ever straightened out enough to have the seat slip off my butt. I soon got rid of that Mantis in favor of something built more substantially.
Click to expand...
I also found my G Hooks would come undone just from walking in the woods to my stand!!!! I really did not care for them from a comfort or functionality standpoint. :(
 
Crawdaddy4 said:
I wear my leg straps. I keep them loose until I get situated in the tree and then tighten them down a bit to help hold my saddle in place. I fell while wearing my Mantis saddle during my first year of saddle hunting. Had one of my Hawk Heliums kick out and dropped about 10" (felt like 10'). Had those G Hook leg straps attached and it hurt like a MFer when it squeezed my twig and berries, but it did hold me up.

I utilize a Cruzr XC now that has buckles for the leg strap attachments. I find them much more comfortable than the G Hooks on the Mantis. Not sure that either saddle's leg straps are load bearing?? Maybe someone can confirm?

As aggravating as they are, at times, I personally can't imagine not utilizing them. Even having them super loose provides me with some confidence that, if I do fall, I'm not relying completely on my arm pits to stop me. I am, admittedly, more conservative on the risk-aversion spectrum.

@kyler1945 (or other JX3 users)- do JX3 users have to have a separate harness to utilize while climbing? Do you wear the JX3 like a saddle while climbing that offers some type of "fall support" (I'm using quotations to denote that fall support is in the same application/context as a saddle would have and not imply some type of certified fall support system)?
Click to expand...


I won’t speak as an expert or qualified person on safety related to climbing.

But from my layman’s perspective, your question above is why I’m so interested in things like:

- whether safety/work/risk/quality/climbing institutions require 100% tie off, and if that means tether or lineman’s belt.

- complete lack of adherence to any standards of the above by saddle gear vendors and users.


If a person climbs with the hybrid seat folded up, the waist belt/leg straps are only utilized with a lineman’s belt. It would be the same as climbing with a lineman’s/riggers belt.

If a person climbs wjth the seat down, and a tether/bridge, it’s my understanding that the hybrid adheres to the same testing requirements as other saddles/harnesses based on TMA. I can’t tell you if that’s good or bad. Just that it’s the same as other saddles that have submitted to those testing requirements.


All of the above put the hybrid in the same conceptual category for climbing as any other soft saddle.


My problem is the current concept of saddles, and risk.
 
kyler1945 said:
I won’t speak as an expert or qualified person on safety related to climbing.

But from my layman’s perspective, your question above is why I’m so interested in things like:

- whether safety/work/risk/quality/climbing institutions require 100% tie off, and if that means tether or lineman’s belt.

- complete lack of adherence to any standards of the above by saddle gear vendors and users.


If a person climbs with the hybrid seat folded up, the waist belt/leg straps are only utilized with a lineman’s belt. It would be the same as climbing with a lineman’s/riggers belt.

If a person climbs wjth the seat down, and a tether/bridge, it’s my understanding that the hybrid adheres to the same testing requirements as other saddles/harnesses based on TMA. I can’t tell you if that’s good or bad. Just that it’s the same as other saddles that have submitted to those testing requirements.


All of the above put the hybrid in the same conceptual category for climbing as any other soft saddle.


My problem is the current concept of saddles, and risk.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the detailed response and clarification.

I think that a common misnomer (I myself was was also subject to) is that tree saddles = climbing harnesses. I started out with a cheap RCH from Amazon and a climbing stand. I was sold on the idea that I could replace both of these with a saddle. I was fairly amazed to learn that very few saddles actually incorporate load bearing components outside of the bridge materials. I only learned of this after I was a couple years into saddle hunting.
 
Chandler96 said:
you dont wear the backpack straps or waist belt when going down?
Click to expand...

I do. I had loosened the belt for a bit more sitting comfort and forgot to tighten it. The seat got nose down and I slid towards the front, putting me into a more upright position. Leg straps retarded my downward progress. I can’t say I wanted to be dangling with the belt in my armpits or looking like this…


8046CA7C-79FD-408A-BA86-41B1925E83CC.jpeg
 
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