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Flat Branch Outdoors

No offense. Y’all should relax. One man band during deer season is gonna be busy. I bet come March orders will be out the door same week.

None taken, but I never said I was stressed about it. I have just decided to use the saddles I have since I’m already well in to our season here.
I asked to cancel my order and haven’t heard back. Just like I didn’t hear back when I asked for an ETA.
If I get my refund, I will go about life with no hard feelings. It’s fine. I’m in sales and getting killed with backorders and upset customers. I do, however keep them updated with expected release dates and plausible substitutions. Sometimes it takes a couple of hours a day of emailing and phone calls to figure everything out, but I do it.
 
When your furniture doesn't come in 6 months, and all you've got is elevator music to go on and those crates to look at for the next 3 weeks...patience.

He/they could just reach out to everyone and say, hey, here's the deal. You know, be transparent and reset expectations.

Business is about more than the product. Delays aren't new in this industry, and companies that handle them well earn some respect and positive reputation.

Sounds like the product will speak for itself.

But this isn't a customer issue, and anyone who thinks that's the case doesn't have a stake in the game.

Glad you got your safety harness in two weeks though.
I expected a response from the plebster like this. Lol
Reach out to him see what he says. Lmao
Dont get salty bro im just trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.
he is great people
I kinda know what he has been through lately and what is going through. give the dide time to reply. He literally gets 100’s of emails a day.
If i remember him telling me its him and his wife and he also works full time.
I guess it is what it is. Hate it or not i guess Its all who ya know.
I gee it we want what we want but sometimes especially with the world today we all need a bit of patience and thats just lost with most today, again its so easy to become impatient with a phone or a laptop in our hands all the time with instant info.
 
@Nutterbuster you need to go over there and help work flat branch outdoors customer service too. From the sound of it there is plenty of stuff to reply too!
It's about all I can do to keep up with the EWO customer base right now. Not at all uncommon to have somebody on the line, calls beeping in while you talk to that guy, and 2-3 chats going at the same time. And I'm not the only one taking calls. Hunter is pretty much full-time on emails and calls with questions I can't answer. So 2 guys working overtime just with customer support and just keeping up.

I'm sure they're slammed.
 
Not to sound like a poop but How do you review a product you just got!? Is it an unboxing or how its built?

What's the timeline for reviewing a product? A sit? A season? 5 seasons? Life of product?

How many hunts did the NYsaddlehunter boys have in theirs before publishing their thoughts on Youtube?

Unlike other products where we hear from pro-staffers and field testers who have field time and who provided input to the product, I don't see how a community member posting thoughts on something that's just coming to market hurts in any way.

I assume the only potential bias would be any subconscious desire to like the thing that's been long anticipated, whereas relationships certainly influence that other "test group".

Anyone keeping up with this thread knows to employ an asterisk of "just received" to a review of this saddle.

I'm looking forward to hearing what community members think of it, which is where @grc0003 was trying to steer the conversation, away from the shipping stuff that typically belongs elsewhere.
 
What's the timeline for reviewing a product? A sit? A season? 5 seasons? Life of product?

How many hunts did the NYsaddlehunter boys have in theirs before publishing their thoughts on Youtube?

Unlike other products where we hear from pro-staffers and field testers who have field time and who provided input to the product, I don't see how a community member posting thoughts on something that's just coming to market hurts in any way.

I assume the only potential bias would be any subconscious desire to like the thing that's been long anticipated, whereas relationships certainly influence that other "test group".

Anyone keeping up with this thread knows to employ an asterisk of "just received" to a review of this saddle.

I'm looking forward to hearing what community members think of it, which is where @grc0003 was trying to steer the conversation, away from the shipping stuff that typically belongs elsewhere.
A season. Or at least few dozen sits.
There is no way someone can do a really good review on a product in a backyard situation compared to a season of beating the snot out of a product in a real hunting situation.
pro staff reviews are just a chuckle to me because they are trying to push a certain product.
i know what he was doing and i asked the question to get some real opinions on these channels doing reviews on products and not even using them yet.
 
I’m not sure what’s wrong with giving my first impression after a couple hunts. I’ve had enough time in various saddles that it won’t take me long to get comfortable. If I can’t find comfort after 8 hours then I’m probably not going to.


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We want your 2 cents! It’d be one thing if we were talking about the Phantom saddle here, but this is highly rare We will take whatever we can get.

I ordered early September so I likely have a long wait ahead yet…
 
Got my solitude today and did a short 30 minute sit. My first impressions are very positive. Well made and very easy to get comfortable in. The top and bottom straps don’t dig in at all and it just feels like even distribution on the webbing in a hammock like way. Going to hunt with it tomorrow so will give a more detailed review after.


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Got my solitude today and did a short 30 minute sit. My first impressions are very positive. Well made and very easy to get comfortable in. The top and bottom straps don’t dig in at all and it just feels like even distribution on the webbing in a hammock like way. Going to hunt with it tomorrow so will give a more detailed review after.


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Glad to hear they are shipping again. Would love to see some pictures of it as well. Did you order the standard or customize it?
 
Ordered July 26th. Got the standard large. Waist size seems to match his sizing. The saddle seemed a lot larger overall than others I have tried depth wise even before opening the pleats but it sure felt comfortable.


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It's about all I can do to keep up with the EWO customer base right now. Not at all uncommon to have somebody on the line, calls beeping in while you talk to that guy, and 2-3 chats going at the same time. And I'm not the only one taking calls. Hunter is pretty much full-time on emails and calls with questions I can't answer. So 2 guys working overtime just with customer support and just keeping up.

I'm sure they're slammed.

I think we all need to jump on the Eastern Woods Outdoors chat at the same time when Nutterbuster is in there and ask some dumb questions just to really challenge him. Lol.


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A season. Or at least few dozen sits.
There is no way someone can do a really good review on a product in a backyard situation compared to a season of beating the snot out of a product in a real hunting situation.
pro staff reviews are just a chuckle to me because they are trying to push a certain product.
i know what he was doing and i asked the question to get some real opinions on these channels doing reviews on products and not even using them yet.

I tend to agree. To put out a review based on the first 10 mins is not fair to the company. Especially when you have spent a good amount of time in another saddle and have it dialed in. Different saddles wear differently. Comfort is found in different ways.

I’m not a fan of the let me open this box, go to a tree and give you my first impression videos. But they get a lot of views and influence customers.


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I agree you need to have some seat time in these saddles before someone does this latest and greatest video. I personally don’t buy a saddle on a video recommendation made that mistake on a mantis. I do my homework and if it checks so many boxes then I invest in it but if it’s missing some key points I’m looking for them I move on
 
I’m not sure what’s wrong with giving my first impression after a couple hunts. I’ve had enough time in various saddles that it won’t take me long to get comfortable. If I can’t find comfort after 8 hours then I’m probably not going to.

Everyone with one of these saddles on order wants to hear your initial thoughts, dont listen to the detractors. Ive been thru 3 or 4 saddles now and could atleast tell you if it was more comfortable than them in the first 10-15mins in it.
 
Just got in from a sit this morning behind the house. The deer didn’t cooperate but the saddle was great. I know some guys are adverse to initial reviews but I will run through my thoughts.

I agree that it’s unfair to judge some saddles by an initial impression but I think that mainly applies to ones that aren’t comfortable from the get go. I have had some that have taken a lot of fiddling to get moderately comfortable. The Solitude isn’t one of those saddles. I have gotten to the point where it’s pretty easy to tell if a saddle is going to work for me within a few minutes. For me this saddle was comfortable from the get go when leaning and sitting. So far I have tried multiple tether heights and multiple bridge lengths. It was comfortable at all the settings although I’m sure I will find the sweet spot in time. The bridge loops lay in front of my hips and I don’t get any hip pinch.

I also have messed with the expanding pleats while both sitting and leaning. For me, expanding the pleats isn’t that desirable while leaning as the saddle in already pretty deep from top to bottom. I think it is more comfortable to lean with the top and bottom webbing more under my butt. I am a sitter and I think that’s where the expansion capability shines. If you expand the bottom pleat it really puts most of your weight on the mesh and it feels hammock like. I don’t see myself expanding the top very much as I feel like it restricts my upper body mobility and I never use a back band.

The part I like best is that once expanded it is so easy to reach down and reposition the bottom webbing strap. I never got uncomfortable this morning but it was nice to be to fine tune the pressure points. I really liked the comfort and adjustability of the Recon sling, but I didn’t like having to loosen the waist belt when at height and remembering to tighten it before standing. I think the solitude’s adjustability works just as well for me as the recon did but I don’t have to worry loosening the waist belt.

Some other positives are the lineman’s loops and their position and rigidness. The stitching is also as good as I have seen. Overall I’m very pleased but will hold my final judgement until I have had more sits in it.



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Just got in from a sit this morning behind the house. The deer didn’t cooperate but the saddle was great. I know some guys are adverse to initial reviews but I will run through my thoughts.

I agree that it’s unfair to judge some saddles by an initial impression but I think that mainly applies to ones that aren’t comfortable from the get go. I have had some that have taken a lot of fiddling to get moderately comfortable. The Solitude isn’t one of those saddles. I have gotten to the point where it’s pretty easy to tell if a saddle is going to work for me within a few minutes. For me this saddle was comfortable from the get go when leaning and sitting. So far I have tried multiple tether heights and multiple bridge lengths. It was comfortable at all the settings although I’m sure I will find the sweet spot in time. The bridge loops lay in front of my hips and I don’t get any hip pinch.

I also have messed with the expanding pleats while both sitting and leaning. For me, expanding the pleats isn’t that desirable while leaning as the saddle in already pretty deep from top to bottom. I think it is more comfortable to lean with the top and bottom webbing more under my butt. I am a sitter and I think that’s where the expansion capability shines. If you expand the bottom pleat it really puts most of your weight on the mesh and it feels hammock like. I don’t see myself expanding the top very much as I feel like it restricts my upper body mobility and I never use a back band.

The part I like best is that once expanded it is so easy to reach down and reposition the bottom webbing strap. I never got uncomfortable this morning but it was nice to be to fine tune the pressure points. I really liked the comfort and adjustability of the Recon sling, but I didn’t like having to loosen the waist belt when at height and remembering to tighten it before standing. I think the solitude’s adjustability works just as well for me as the recon did but I don’t have to worry loosening the waist belt.

Some other positives are the lineman’s loops and their position and rigidness. The stitching is also as good as I have seen. Overall I’m very pleased but will hold my final judgement until I have had more sits in it.



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Could you tell us what other saddles you have sat in?
 
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