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H2 saddles & TMA news

Education and familiarization go much farther in this game then regulation. I have 40 years of TMA approved product use and agree that they drive the market for thier own gains and not nessarily
BCHunter said:
I believe Greg and Ernie tracked down TMA last year, and that's what go the ball rolling on all this. If they are in the talks I'm sure that saddle hunters will be well represented as this plays out.
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Great to hear it. Just hope the TMA allow saddles to be saddles and remain in the treestand arena. Didn't Trophyline carry a TMA approval at first? I bought a full arrest harness back in the day they were pushing their tree saddle, but was unsure of the certification carried by it then. Also a footnote to this post is this TMA approved harness was the heavies and awkward one I ever owned. Linemens loops were too far back and often I had near misses attaching. Lol
 
Yall are a gloomy bunch of fellas today. :)

Alabama got thrown out there as a state that required TMA harnesses. Not true to my knowledge. They do specify that it has to be a full body harness, probably because TMA only certifies full body harnesses. TMA does this because people died using waist belts. If you're going to have slack in your system and a static tether, like most treestand hunters, a full body harness makes sense.

Acting like the TMA is a big, "cartel" is kinda silly. Sure, treestands are big compared to saddles. But the hunting industry is very, very small potatoes, and treestands are a very small piece of that pie. TMA is based out of Mississippi. That's your first hint it cant be all that. Summit is based out of Alabama. Small business. Cougar Claw Treestands is based out of Elberta, AL, which is a town you've never heard of. They build stands in their garage, and meet standards set by the TMA while doing so. TMA was a good thing when it came, imperfectly executed perhaps. But it looks like they're willing to change with the times, which is cool.

I think we'll be looking at Tethr'd and Trophyline (the biggest players) being available in box stores now. Saddles will become completely non-special, and the magic will be mostly gone. Good for some, sad for a few. I think the small guys will be fine. Doubtful that the standards will be unattainable for most. Some will get TMA approved, some won't. Won't make sense for small guys who are selling direct to consumer.

Curious to see what the standards look like. Doubt we'll see shoulder straps with Tethr'd and Trophyline having a little more muscle this time around.
 
And then there is always the chance a solitary individual with a personal agenda will make asinine accusations to some governign agency about how a product is unsafe and try to shut down a product. Funny what pride and envy does to some folks.....
 
DaveT1963 said:
And then there is always the chance a solitary individual with a personal agenda will make asinine accusations to some governign agency about how a product is unsafe and try to shut down a product. Funny what pride and envy does to some folks.....
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I suppose everybody is the hero of their own little story. If the acronym boys cause a company to reevaluate their products and make them safer, that's a good thing? Or no?
 
from what i can tell about the post, it isnt just H2 that will be at this meeting, im sure the Tethrd guys will be there representing us as well.

i guess my thinking is that its a good thing that there will be some level of quality assurance and proper failure testing on saddles produced. the little stamp doesnt mean a lot to me, but it is nice to know that there is some level of safety oversight with a product im purchasing.

it does add a certain appeal to the naysayers who look at me in my tree diaper and scoff, im not worried about being in some exclusive club that saddle hunts, i love it and go all "im a vegan" on people when talking about saddle hunting. It excites me and i dont mind sharing my love of it with others
 
Nutterbuster said:
I suppose everybody is the hero of their own little story. If the acronym boys cause a company to reevaluate their products and make them safer, that's a good thing? Or no?
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Unfortunately, a lot of times it is done by acronym jack wagons with personal vendettas. Heroes don't tend to stand in front of mirrors admiring themselves.
 
Jay_Disarray said:
from what i can tell about the post, it isnt just H2 that will be at this meeting, im sure the Tethrd guys will be there representing us as well.

i guess my thinking is that its a good thing that there will be some level of quality assurance and proper failure testing on saddles produced. the little stamp doesnt mean a lot to me, but it is nice to know that there is some level of safety oversight with a product im purchasing.

it does add a certain appeal to the naysayers who look at me in my tree diaper and scoff, im not worried about being in some exclusive club that saddle hunts, i love it and go all "im a vegan" on people when talking about saddle hunting. It excites me and i dont mind sharing my love of it with others
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i wouldn’t have any illusions that Tethrd, or any other manufacturer at these meetings is representing you or your best interests. You may reap some fringe benefits.
 
kyler1945 said:
i wouldn’t have any illusions that Tethrd, or any other manufacturer at these meetings is representing you or your best interests. You may reap some fringe benefits.
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no, i realize that they are there for their best interests as well, but whats good for the goose....
 
I value Aeros opinion. They are arborists, but have spent more time in trees than me. I’m also the guy that uses leg straps and likes buckles that are weight bearing. Whether you think they are necessary is your choice, but those little hooks on the mantis or H2 throw me off. I could do without TMA like the rest of you. You ladies and gents and many others put these saddles through the ringer and I value some of your opinions far more than some TMA folks.
 
kyler1945 said:
i wouldn’t have any illusions that Tethrd, or any other manufacturer at these meetings is representing you or your best interests. You may reap some fringe benefits.
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100% disagree. Don't know about all the others manufactures (funny how only one was named which was not even the one mentioned in the article) but anyone that knows Ernie, Carl or Greg even slightly (unless they are extremely biased) have watched through the years how hard they have worked and listened to the general saddle hunting populace.
 
Jay_Disarray said:
the little stamp doesnt mean a lot to me, but it is nice to know that there is some level of safety oversight with a product im purchasing.
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I read this part and immediatly though of the following line, "You can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking your head up a bull's a$$ or you could just take the butchers word for it."
Not to say it's relevant in this situation but thought it was funny.
 
Love Chris Farley.
I mean ive owned a few saddles prior to any TMA standards testing, and im fine with it, but it is kinda appealing to have safety standards it meets

Squirrels said:
I read this part and immediatly though of the following line, "You can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking your head up a bull's a$$ or you could just take the butchers word for it."
Not to say it's relevant in this situation but thought it was funny.
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Squirrels said:
You know the more I think about it, this is a relavent comment to this situation with TMA. Farley is referencing the guarantee stamp Zalinsky puts on his box. Callahan doesn't use a gurantee stamp on the box. Doesn't mean they make an inferior product....
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I agree, however you do have to admit to someone with little knowledge or experience, that weight may carry a bit of weight. I guess i look at it as improving the mass appeal of saddle hunting, and im fine with it. I doubt much will really change in saddle hunting with a TMA stamp. the stamp isnt really for people like us, who are more experienced and knowledged in tree saddles and saddle safety.
 
DaveT1963 said:
100% disagree. Don't know about all the others manufactures (funny how only one was named which was not even the one mentioned in the article) but anyone that knows Ernie, Carl or Greg even slightly (unless they are extremely biased) have watched through the years how hard they have worked and listened to the general saddle hunting populace.
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one was named because the fellow I quoted specifically said Tethrd. Note, I also said ‘any other manufacturer’. On purpose. I chose my words carefully to point out that Tethrd is not any different than any other business, for good or bad, in this regard.

those fellows certainly have done a lot of good things for this style of hunting. And in my limited interactions with them, they’ve been stand up fellows. Not sure what it’s got to do with the topic at hand though. I didn’t say they were not good fellows with good intentions. But being good ole boys, and making sound business decisions that don’t always align with a customer’s incentives, are not mutually exclusive.
 
Is there a fear that a "TMA Approved" saddle will be a reason to charge more for it?? What does TMA get out of putting their approval on something?
 
kyler1945 said:
one was named because the fellow I quoted specifically said Tethrd. Note, I also said ‘any other manufacturer’. On purpose. I chose my words carefully to point out that Tethrd is not any different than any other business, for good or bad, in this regard.
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Ok i should clarify as well, i didnt intend to throw Tethrd under the bus either, I guess i meant from what i have seen the guys over there are very outgoing and would jump at the chance to represent saddle hunters. I dont have any experience with the Aerohunter guys, so i didnt feel comfortable bringing their name up. Seems people might have thought that only H2 would be at this meeting, and i just wanted to clarify that the original post said that there were other saddle manufacturers going to be there also.
 
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