• 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

Falling backwards?

K

KitShickers

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2022
Messages
61
Ok. Im sure Ill get made fun of for this, but here it goes anyway. Whats to keep you from falling backwards and sliding out of your saddle? It doesn't seem to be a concern for anyone ive seen, but just looking at the way they work it seems possible. It seems some people don't even use legstraps. I'll admit, Im a wuss and am a bit skittish at heights. Can anyone put my mind at ease before I buy all this stuff? :tearsofjoy:
 
It’s not a feeling I’ve ever had in a saddle. When you lean against a table do you feel like you’re going to go over backwards? Same kind of idea I guess.
 
You might be able to. Get in one and try to at ground level. I lean over quite a bit to grab my stick, but it too takes effort. There are enough other things to consider for safety’s sake, but I’ve never felt like I could fall over backwards.
 
If you’re facing the tree then the tree itself will stop you. If you happen to kick off to the side, I don’t see there being enough slack in your tether for you to swing out enough to get upside down. I’ve actually stepped off my platform by accident while trying to get in position for a shot, all I did was fall into the tree and hang from my tether.
 
KitShickers said:
Ok. Im sure Ill get made fun of for this, but here it goes anyway. Whats to keep you from falling backwards and sliding out of your saddle? It doesn't seem to be a concern for anyone ive seen, but just looking at the way they work it seems possible. It seems some people don't even use legstraps. I'll admit, Im a wuss and am a bit skittish at heights. Can anyone put my mind at ease before I buy all this stuff? :tearsofjoy:
Click to expand...

Watching Jared Shaffer try to fall out of his saddle and enact some non-typical scenarios may set your mind at ease (or at least make you laugh). Regardless, what made me more comfortable, was trying to fall out of mine (hanging upside down/sideways/etc) and ground level.

 
Anything Can Happen!
I had a short fall of approximately 3’ at 20’ during a recent KY hunt. There were many contributing factors that lead up to the event. First, I am splitting up my gear to hunt both KY and Al. I do not want to haul all my equipment back and forth. For the past three years I one stick and rappel with a Madrock Safeguard. I hunt hanging from the Safeguard and rappel rope. This summer I practiced with a figure 8 and felt confident with the device. For adjustability I decided to use the Ropeman during the hunt then descend using the figure 8. At the end of my hunt, I stood up on my platform to install rappel rope and 8. This act introduced slack in my tether. The tiny release wire on the Ropeman 1 snagged the G-Hook on my gear strap releasing the Ropeman 1. I was in a fall. Fortunately, the aluminum G-Hook broke resetting the Ropeman 1. I had no idea what happened until I regained composure. That is when I notice the gear strap was hanging from a limb balanced with my bow on one side and my backpack on the other. My stopper knot was my next level of protection, but it would have put me at the end of my rope.
 
Crawdaddy4 said:
Watching Jared Shaffer try to fall out of his saddle and enact some non-typical scenarios may set your mind at ease (or at least make you laugh). Regardless, what made me more comfortable, was trying to fall out of mine (hanging upside down/sideways/etc) and ground level.

Click to expand...
hahahaha. Perfect. That's exactly what I needed. Thanks! And thanks for the other responses also, everyone.
 
Kenbama said:
Anything Can Happen!
I had a short fall of approximately 3’ at 20’ during a recent KY hunt. There were many contributing factors that lead up to the event. First, I am splitting up my gear to hunt both KY and Al. I do not want to haul all my equipment back and forth. For the past three years I one stick and rappel with a Madrock Safeguard. I hunt hanging from the Safeguard and rappel rope. This summer I practiced with a figure 8 and felt confident with the device. For adjustability I decided to use the Ropeman during the hunt then descend using the figure 8. At the end of my hunt, I stood up on my platform to install rappel rope and 8. This act introduced slack in my tether. The tiny release wire on the Ropeman 1 snagged the G-Hook on my gear strap releasing the Ropeman 1. I was in a fall. Fortunately, the aluminum G-Hook broke resetting the Ropeman 1. I had no idea what happened until I regained composure. That is when I notice the gear strap was hanging from a limb balanced with my bow on one side and my backpack on the other. My stopper knot was my next level of protection, but it would have put me at the end of my rope.
Click to expand...
Wow. Glad you made it out ok. I bet your underwear didnt. :D
 
Your center of gravity is just below your belly button, a properly adjusted saddle's going to suspend you a bit higher than that point. If you're chunky the center of gravity generally moves forward and can make you slightly top heavy, and this is probably why saddles don't come in huge sizes, but at the same time the slightly forward would mean you're not falling backwards, but forwards.
 
Crawdaddy4 said:
Watching Jared Shaffer try to fall out of his saddle and enact some non-typical scenarios may set your mind at ease (or at least make you laugh). Regardless, what made me more comfortable, was trying to fall out of mine (hanging upside down/sideways/etc) and ground level.

Click to expand...
That was great :sweatsmile::sweatsmile:

Made my wife feel better about me starting to saddle hunt too...after she got done laughing.
 
If you stand on the platform and don't have leg straps or waist strap, the saddle can absolutely slide down your thighs and when you try to sit back down or lean back, you can lose your balance and absolutely fall backwards or to the side or fall off your platform and slam into the tree. I know because I've done it. Think about it, if you stand up on your platform and forget to adjust your tether (buck chasing a doe and you gotta move quick with bow in hand) and you're at full draw and make the shot, you move to hang your bow or to grab another arrow and take a wrong step and forgot you never adjusted your tether and down the tree you go. Trust me, it can absolutely happen to anyone. Didn't think it'll ever happen to me, and I'm super careful all the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top