- Joined
- Oct 31, 2017
- Messages
- 921
Like many of you here I get quite a few questions. I'm happy to help anyone I can. We have so many new people here and I'm glad to see it. I got bored in the middle of the night so I thought I would post the answers to some of the questions I get a lot. This is all personal preference but for some reason other folks opinions matter so here we go.
Best saddle? I like the kestrel and evo a lot. Great saddles for sitters, work well for leaners too. Haven't tried some of the newer saddles but the ones with cupped butts tend to work well for me. The tethrd saddles are fine saddles and I recommend them to leaners and the weight saving crowd all the time. Their menace looks interesting for sitters, especially since the kestrel is DC. Im trying to perfect a pleat in a saddle that makes more of a cupping action and stays shut when you want it to. Most of my opinions on saddles come from building my own and trying different designs. If you have one you love then why do you care what anyone else thinks, never sell it lol.
Best climbing method? I like preset SRT a lot on my private land spots because its so quiet and safe. If I hunt a new area I love spurs. Public land run and gun its hard to beat WE stepps with knaider and swaider or one sticking. I see no benefit in carrying multiple sticks. I always rappel down no matter what.
Best backpack? If you can swing it Kifaru frame with 22 mag bag. Eberlestock mainframe with bag is a good budget option. Basically anything with a frame that fits you well. The weight penalty is worth it because the weight you carry in your pack will ride so much better. You will also have options for attaching things like sticks or platforms. I carry everything I need for a hunt inside my pack or strapped to it including my saddle. Your backpack gets so much more use than your bow but people will pay over $1000 for a bow and not pay over $200 for a good pack.
Best platform? I go back and forth on squirrel steps and a predator. The new stuff from lone wolf and trophyline look good too. For all day sits the platform wins. for short stuff I almost always use the squirrel steps. I hate having to carry the predator. For one sticking I would use a scout instead of a platform.
Best rope? Sterling htp is hard to beat. I use 9mm. Im sure oplux is nice but I dont see enough of a benefit to throw out my perfectly good htp and pay a premium to go down 1mm in rope size. If I was buying for the first time I would give oplux a shot though.
Best srt setup? Any hand ascender and a safeguard with a diy footloop or a swaider for the foot loop. I do not hang from the safeguard. I switch over to a tether.
Clothing? I have almost stopped wearing camo. I buy most of my hunting clothing from steepandcheap.com now in solid earth tones. Top tier mountaineering stuff that works. Read the descriptions and reviews to find what works for you. Camo companies are making too much money by charging ridiculous prices. It honestly makes me upset that they charge so much when you can buy better gear in solid colors that work just as well or better for fractions of the cost of sitka and other brands. High quality base layers are a must.
High quality hiking boots beat any rubber boot. buy high end merino socks.
Prusik tenders killed the ropeman 1.
I always carry an atc and prusik with me with an extra carabiner. Its saved me a few times.
I hunt the wind and dont have a scent regimen. I dont even use scent free soap. And I consistently see deer. Hunt the wind and dont walk on or across trails.
Make yourself be still in the saddle. Its so easy to swing around or move in the saddle that most people do it too much. Myself included.
Whatever system you use, practice with it at home until its second nature. Trying to figure something out after hiking miles in the heat just makes you frustrated. I have hated many things I tried for saddlehunting until I finally practiced enough to be proficient with it. One or two tries isnt enough time to determine if something works well or not.
Best saddle? I like the kestrel and evo a lot. Great saddles for sitters, work well for leaners too. Haven't tried some of the newer saddles but the ones with cupped butts tend to work well for me. The tethrd saddles are fine saddles and I recommend them to leaners and the weight saving crowd all the time. Their menace looks interesting for sitters, especially since the kestrel is DC. Im trying to perfect a pleat in a saddle that makes more of a cupping action and stays shut when you want it to. Most of my opinions on saddles come from building my own and trying different designs. If you have one you love then why do you care what anyone else thinks, never sell it lol.
Best climbing method? I like preset SRT a lot on my private land spots because its so quiet and safe. If I hunt a new area I love spurs. Public land run and gun its hard to beat WE stepps with knaider and swaider or one sticking. I see no benefit in carrying multiple sticks. I always rappel down no matter what.
Best backpack? If you can swing it Kifaru frame with 22 mag bag. Eberlestock mainframe with bag is a good budget option. Basically anything with a frame that fits you well. The weight penalty is worth it because the weight you carry in your pack will ride so much better. You will also have options for attaching things like sticks or platforms. I carry everything I need for a hunt inside my pack or strapped to it including my saddle. Your backpack gets so much more use than your bow but people will pay over $1000 for a bow and not pay over $200 for a good pack.
Best platform? I go back and forth on squirrel steps and a predator. The new stuff from lone wolf and trophyline look good too. For all day sits the platform wins. for short stuff I almost always use the squirrel steps. I hate having to carry the predator. For one sticking I would use a scout instead of a platform.
Best rope? Sterling htp is hard to beat. I use 9mm. Im sure oplux is nice but I dont see enough of a benefit to throw out my perfectly good htp and pay a premium to go down 1mm in rope size. If I was buying for the first time I would give oplux a shot though.
Best srt setup? Any hand ascender and a safeguard with a diy footloop or a swaider for the foot loop. I do not hang from the safeguard. I switch over to a tether.
Clothing? I have almost stopped wearing camo. I buy most of my hunting clothing from steepandcheap.com now in solid earth tones. Top tier mountaineering stuff that works. Read the descriptions and reviews to find what works for you. Camo companies are making too much money by charging ridiculous prices. It honestly makes me upset that they charge so much when you can buy better gear in solid colors that work just as well or better for fractions of the cost of sitka and other brands. High quality base layers are a must.
High quality hiking boots beat any rubber boot. buy high end merino socks.
Prusik tenders killed the ropeman 1.
I always carry an atc and prusik with me with an extra carabiner. Its saved me a few times.
I hunt the wind and dont have a scent regimen. I dont even use scent free soap. And I consistently see deer. Hunt the wind and dont walk on or across trails.
Make yourself be still in the saddle. Its so easy to swing around or move in the saddle that most people do it too much. Myself included.
Whatever system you use, practice with it at home until its second nature. Trying to figure something out after hiking miles in the heat just makes you frustrated. I have hated many things I tried for saddlehunting until I finally practiced enough to be proficient with it. One or two tries isnt enough time to determine if something works well or not.
Last edited:
