Welcome I am also new to the site seems like a lot of good guys here. I just received the aero Hunter kestrel and used it a few times absolutely love it I may buy a mantis for early-season next year as it seems to be A lot lighter and more breathable for warmer climates I am from the thumb of Michigan and right now the extra warmth is a bonus. My first suggestion to you starting out would be is if you have a harness already with lineman loops on them I would start practicing using a lineman's belt. Before I got my saddle I would use wild edge tree steps (The steps are amazing in my opinion) with my harness and lineman's belt and carry only the bottom of my summit climber as a hang on for the practice it helped a lot. The other tip would be to watch some YouTube videos of guys using different saddles and techniques most of which are members on this site the top three that I watched and like are boudreaux boswell, Greg from G2 outdoors and the dyi sportsman all of these guys give great explanations and great videos that will help you tremendously once you jump in a saddle you'll never wanna ride metal again!!