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Full body harness with Saddle

W

wingnut

Active Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2021
Messages
166
I'm thinking of using my HSS full body harness with my saddle. Put the harness on first then the saddle. The lanyard strap on the back is just a little short to connect at the bridge. A 12" sewn runner strap girth hitched to the lanyard strap would probably give it just enough length to make it comfortable. Has anyone tried this?
 
I run my HSS harness with a fleece saddle and connect a short bridge between the lineman's loops of the harness to tie connect to my tether just below the bridge on my fleece saddle. Not sure I follow how you're wanting to attach the tether strap on your harness though.
If you're running a manufactured saddle I wouldn't run the HSS harness with it personally. If you are looking to add some fall protection/ shock absorbtion to your setup a screamer may be what you are looking for.

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XOP Renegade saddle

I saw this on Facebook and was SHOCKED that there hadn't been a post about it. Looks like XOP's saddle/harness is available. I'm not interested at all but you guys should at least be talking about it. Looks a little weird to me, but the price is certainly right for someone just getting into...
saddlehunter.com
 
If I had to hunt from the ground, I'd stay home. What I'm trying to get away from is having my attachment point in case of a fall at my waist. That's a backbreaker. The lanyard on the HSS is connected between your shoulder blades keeping your body upright in a fall. Connecting the HSS harness at the linesman loops would be the same as relying on the saddle alone.
The HSS has a sewn break away area on the lanyard so it should work like the screamer does.
That XOP saddle looks like the most uncomfortable set up you could find. With my Merlin, HSS harness combination I'd be supported by the saddle. The only time the HSS harness would come into play is if I fell, Keeping me upright.
 
First off, don't write off ground hunting, it can be much more exciting than a stand or saddle.

But back to your original post/ question, how are you routing the lanyard on the HSS harness? I wear a full body harness with my fleece saddle and can't think of a routing for the lanyard that wouldn't be a complete pain to negotiate. Secondly are you worried about your saddle failing and you falling or just a short static fall on your tether?

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Routing the lanyard over my shoulder to the tether, the lanyard is mounted to the harness between my shoulder blades. Short static fall.
 
wingnut said:
Routing the lanyard over my shoulder to the tether, the lanyard is mounted to the harness between my shoulder blades. Short static fall.
Click to expand...
Feels to me that the lanyard would get in the way of your shot? but I'm over here still thinking that with my standard saddle setup the bridge and tether still are too in the way, more practice needed.
 
wingnut said:
Routing the lanyard over my shoulder to the tether, the lanyard is mounted to the harness between my shoulder blades. Short static fall.
Click to expand...
after it comes over your shoulder does it goes upwards to the tether and end up above your bridge connection point or downwards and below?
 
How much slack do you have in your tether at hunting height? I don't understand why one would need a body harness, you must be doing something different.
 
I have questions as to how the combination would work too because it looks like very few people have tried it. The clear benefit would be the attachment point on your upper body instead of your waist. When I first started hunting the only fall protection available was a single strap that went around your waist, again, backbreaker. When your connected with your saddle to your tether, even if you slipped off your platform you would just swing a bit but still no problem. But say the same thing happens on a wet Icy morning and your friction hitch slides down to the stopper knot. Now your falling horizontal with your attachment point at your waist. I'd rather be attached at my upper body if I had a choice.
 
Just a question, but if you are tethered in with load on your hitch even in an icy environment how would the hitch slip?
 
I'm still not envisioning a way to connect the laynard strap without it being a very awkward setup, but I've never tried it either because it's too short as is. It might be a better option to tie in a second stopper knot below your friction hitch after getting setup, that would eliminate the possibility of your friction hitch riding all the way down your tether if it should some how slip.

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wingnut said:
I have questions as to how the combination would work too because it looks like very few people have tried it. The clear benefit would be the attachment point on your upper body instead of your waist. When I first started hunting the only fall protection available was a single strap that went around your waist, again, backbreaker. When your connected with your saddle to your tether, even if you slipped off your platform you would just swing a bit but still no problem. But say the same thing happens on a wet Icy morning and your friction hitch slides down to the stopper knot. Now your falling horizontal with your attachment point at your waist. I'd rather be attached at my upper body if I had a choice.
Click to expand...

Are you planning on getting rid of the bridge completely in some way, or connecting both the lanyard and a bridge? If you are taking about connecting the lanyard from the HSS to your tether along with your bridge I see no way of getting the lanyard to arrest the fall. The lanyard will have slack and your bridge connection won't. If you fall the bridge at your waist is still going to be what arrests the fall. If your bridge failed the lanyard would then catch you, I guess but that's the only scenario I see it being a benefit.
 
Great questions, but I'm not an expert on this combination, I'm trying to work it out myself. The way I see the hitch slipping, if it did, would be the sudden impact and load of your full body weight. Instead of just a leaning pressure. The Knot below your hitch sounds like it could be a good Idea. I'd still have the same bridge to tether set up, just adding the harness lanyard. Your spot on about which would grab first the saddle bridge or the harness lanyard. They would need to be adjusted to about the same length so you could sit with your weight on the saddle but the lanyard would tighten before you went horizontal in a fall.
The harness was designed to be used with a tree stand where your back is to the tree. I'm sure that's why the lanyard is on the back. For saddle hunting with your face to the tree It would work a lot better if the Lanyard were on the front. If it were, there wouldn't be much difference between your bridge connection and a lanyard connection at your sternum.
 
If I were going to experiment with this setup I think I would start by making a loop out of whatever I had available (550, hollow braid poly rope, clothesline,etc) and TEST OUT AT GROUND LEVEL the manuverabilty and the positioning of the laynard and bridge connections to see if it could actually help in the event your friction hitch slipped or if it would just be in the way and not increase safety. On the other hand runners can come in handy for self rescue some times as well so ordering one won't be a waste of money if this isn't a practical application.

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I think my full body harness will stay buried in a tote in the attic or I may sell it. I have not at this point ever experienced any slippage but if I ever feel the need I'll do the back up stopper know just under my hitch. As a matter of fact I may start doing that anyways just for the added security. BTW great post @wingnut, that extra stopper knot is what I will take away from it.
 
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