Ordered a new saddle today, so excited. I've been hunting out of the mantis for two seasons now and I knew in the back of my head the whole time there had to be something more comfortable and from everything I've read the "xc" is just that! If any ok ne has experience with this saddle please share. Also I'm looking to get rid of my mantis now. I've heard negative things about walking in with the "XC" on but that wasn't enough for me to not buy it.
I have the Cruzr XC. It is my second saddle (first being a Recon).
The Cruzr XC is very comfortable to me and the stitching is good workmanship.
Here are some issues and how I dealt with them.
1. I don't find it comfortable to walk in wearing if you are also wearing a backpack with a waist belt. It gets jumbled and the pack pushes the saddle down. It is very tough to have a pack belt on your hips yet have a saddle there as well and not have slippage etc. Maybe I should ask people how they dealt with that in another thread. How I dealt with that is to stop wearing it in. It isn't an issue because my climbing system goes inside a pack, etc (I already can't just walk to a tree and start climbing using what is hanging off my saddle....I have to dig around for a few minutes to get setup); so I just have to slip it on. I fold the saddle like a burrito and slide it in a sea to summit sturdy mesh sack of the appropriate size (one with green top, too lazy to look it up right now). This then goes under the bungees that hold my platform on my pack.
2. Some people don't care or say it isn't so, but the buckles are pretty obviously not the same quality as a Cobra or a Raptor and it is doubtful that the ratings on the waist one (legs don't have ratings) are accurate. The buckles were found on ebay and alibaba for like a buck a piece (rated ones are over 20 bucks). How I dealt with that is I removed the stock waist buckle and bought the appropriate sized Cobra buckle (dual adjust). I threw on heavy duty Suncor triglides on the tags both sides because the webbing of the belt is so thin that it is likely out of spec for the Cobra buckle (this is seen by how easily it adjusts without much lifting of the buckle edge). I left the leg buckles alone because they are sewn on and there isn't an easy solution plus leg buckles are not as important.
3. I don't like amsteel bridges after doing some research. I switched to an Oplux and TRC triple adjustable bridge (both side positions and length).
4. The "loose" molle loops are still pretty tight. Before climbing, I attach plastic carabiners on each side. It was a real pain getting the 'biners through those loops while in heavy clothes, in the dark, etc. I tied small paracord loops in the right spots and now clip to those loops instead.
Number 2 and 3 above seem like common mods. I'm sure you'll be fine without making those changes, but I feel more confident in the saddle having made them. Hopefully they keep making this saddle for a long time and maybe offer these mods as options for a price.