This winter I spent some time and money expanding my saddle hunting options for 2024.....well at least hopefully. I bought a 5th 20'" Beast Gear stick and BAT mini-platform as the core of a ring of steps setup I was building, taking Red's suggestion to use a OCB for the locking mechanism. I put that on my Christmas gift list and completed the DIY build with some strap on steps I had from the 'good old days'. I also added a used Tethrd Predator platform to use with preset sticks for morning hunting spots, so there will be nothing to set up in the dark. Just ascend, tether in, haul up my bow and be hunting. Finally, I added a virtually new Wood Classic saddle for early season as a lightweight option.
This morning it was cloudy, cool and windy, so I decided to head over to a nearby friend's house who has 25 acres of mostly woods. After packing everything in a camo duffle bag, I took it to some nice straight trunked trees to check things out at a single stick height. The BG stick went on rock solid and the BAT mini-platform proved to be stable and provide more footing than I anticipated. The ROS with OCB went on easily and clamped down snugly. I have four steps that I arranged in pairs.....one pair on each side of the BAT. I only gave it about 10 minutes, but with a good pair of hard soled boots it was functional and quite comfortable. Then off came the ROS and on went the Predator platform. It is a bit smaller than my TL EDP, but pretty solid and workable as well.
The single panel Wood Classic saddle isn't quite as comfy as my Overwatch adjustable two-panel, but will be fine for short duration hunts and ones that entail longer hikes. I swapped out the Amsteel bridge with 8mm Oplux a week ago and am glad that I did. Overall, I left feeling good about each of the items in my initial testing and can see me using it all this fall. Other than a few mosquitos, it was cool and comfortable weather that reminded me of a mid-October morning.
This morning it was cloudy, cool and windy, so I decided to head over to a nearby friend's house who has 25 acres of mostly woods. After packing everything in a camo duffle bag, I took it to some nice straight trunked trees to check things out at a single stick height. The BG stick went on rock solid and the BAT mini-platform proved to be stable and provide more footing than I anticipated. The ROS with OCB went on easily and clamped down snugly. I have four steps that I arranged in pairs.....one pair on each side of the BAT. I only gave it about 10 minutes, but with a good pair of hard soled boots it was functional and quite comfortable. Then off came the ROS and on went the Predator platform. It is a bit smaller than my TL EDP, but pretty solid and workable as well.
The single panel Wood Classic saddle isn't quite as comfy as my Overwatch adjustable two-panel, but will be fine for short duration hunts and ones that entail longer hikes. I swapped out the Amsteel bridge with 8mm Oplux a week ago and am glad that I did. Overall, I left feeling good about each of the items in my initial testing and can see me using it all this fall. Other than a few mosquitos, it was cool and comfortable weather that reminded me of a mid-October morning.
