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For you soft saddle folks who won’t admit a hybrid is better…

I have a gen 2 one that I'm willing to loan to whomever as long as you pay for shipping!
 
I'm making my own carbon one thats smaller and fits my body better, but even the regular JX3 is comfortable.
 
Well you yourself seem to be a timberninja fanboy. So you are no stranger to liking pure crap.

Pure fantasy. I'm not all over forums pushing their stuff. At least I don't recall. lol.

Still, zing, good one, lol.
 
I ordered the TN Blackbelt when it was first offered. I was a bit curious to check out a two panel saddle and had maybe a few soda pops that evening. No other saddle being sold at that time had padding, so I figured in a matter of discovery I'd kill two birds with one stone by ordering a Blackbelt.

I don't know the exact foam construction (if I had @4090Sharps skills I'd take it apart and see...it could use a cleaner stitch up anyway). It's not a particularly thick foam between the air mesh and cordura panels. But, in addition to what cushion it offers, the saddle is also more rigid across it's length than the typical saddle. (for an exaggerated analogy, think rubber vs nylon swing seat.) I think that matters to it's overall comfort as well. (Interestingly, Crossfire laminates a shaped plastic sheet in their shoulder harnesses...hmmm).

What I can say is it the saddle was stupid easy to get comfortable in. And adjustable in all sorts of ways.

I only had all day sits in it. They were no problem. Over time I still had that -you've been sitting in one position for too long- feel and changing position was in order. I don't think that's avoidable with any seat or saddle. But for me the padded TN saddle delayed that inevitable urge to change position noticeably.

There are some things about the saddle that aren't my favorite. The sliders are hard to adjust. The floating belt can slide out of it's sleeve (a larger buckle would solve that). It's black. Some other stuff.

Nevertheless, I am surprised the padded saddle has flown under the radar. I think TN will sell more saddles this year and there could be accolades if the new iteration has improved on the Blackbelt, imo.
If I had to guess, I’d guess the “padding” is neoprene. Aerohunter used it when they made the Evo. It can help alleviate a hot spot that is caused by uneven weight distribution. For us down south, it would be super hot. I have played with the idea some as well.
 
Whoe
The best analogy/explanation I've heard and also started saying is this..... Regardless of year make or model, if I sit in a vehicle on a long road trip for hours and hours I gotta stop and stretch/get the blood flowing again....new vehicles with all the adjustments available and seats that are designed with max comfort...and with that in mind if u can sit for 4-5hrs in a saddle with no breaks that's a win in my book....

I also have to agree that a more robust/ridged saddle makes for a better sit. I thought CGM was making small retrofit padded cushioning to add at pressure points?or maybe Im just imaging that......
Whoever made that car seat analogy must be a low key genius because that is facts! Even in air ride seats they put in tractor trailer rigs, you find a spot to pull over get out and walk it off and it’s usually well before that 8 hour DOT required break
 
If I had to guess, I’d guess the “padding” is neoprene. Aerohunter used it when they made the Evo. It can help alleviate a hot spot that is caused by uneven weight distribution. For us down south, it would be super hot. I have played with the idea some as well.

20-40 deg when I used it, I was trying out a mesh saddle earlier. :)

What do they put in the Petzl work harnesses?
 
20-40 deg when I used it, I was trying out a mesh saddle earlier. :)

What do they put in the Petzl work harnesses?
I’m not sure with the Petzl harnesses if it’s polyester memory ply or a thick neoprene. I use 3mm neoprene in my back bands so that they can still roll up relatively small but the 4mm is more comfortable.
 
All I can state is this-for me, if I'm planning an "all day" sit, where I may or may not change trees during the day, it's a "no-brainer." I use my JX3. That's usually late Oct & into Nov here in PA, & when I go to OH.

I've used it with & without my Scout Gel cushion - tie it to the chair w/ a couple loops of paracord, & definitely more comfortable with, but also doable without using it on top of the normal JX3 seat:


For half day sits, maybe the JX3, or if I'm going in far, I go to my Dryad Drey LL, or my Transformer. This seems to work out pretty well, for me.

When I hunt on the ground, the Scout cushion ALWAYS goes with me & my PacSeat! ;)
 
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Well shoot, I didn’t realize the lack of huntability with the hybrid!


Since I’ve bought it, five seasons ago, I’ve hunted with it the majority of the time, and almost exclusively the last few seasons. Add on two years of a guidos web on quite of few hunts prior.

I’ve had hundreds of deer in bow range, and killed probably 25 or so. Some out of stand, some out of hybrid, some out of soft saddle, some off of the ground.

Maybe I’m just super lucky, but I can’t recall a single time getting picked off by a deer in the hybrid by sight.

Maybe it’s because I shoot the first legal deer I see on 75% of my hunts.

I’m witness to dozens others being killed out of the hybrid by several different styles and experience levels of hunters. Two were very large very mature bucks. In wide open woods. As were many others.

Have you had deer pick you off at a higher rate in the hybrid than other ways of sitting in a tree?

The main hybrid advantage. You sit very still because you are very comfortable and do not fidget. Deer see movement and I move more in a soft saddle


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
FWIW - some of the long-distance (as in, 1000+ miles in a day Ironbutt riders) use Airhawk seats, sheepskin pads, and "taxi bead" seat covers. The Airhawks work best when partially-inflated to prevent "hot spots". Sheepskin pads and beaded covers increase airflow, and you can kind of wriggle around to give hot spots a break. I used a Drey this season and was entirely comfortable and didn't need anything like any of these solutions, but some of the rigid saddle enthusiasts might experiment.

 
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