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Kestrel comfort

Coleman said:
Ok so you guys who have received / hunted out of a kestrel....can you actually get 360 degrees of shot freedom?
I am having difficulty drawing my bow without the bridge interfering. Pretend you are facing the tree and you need to shoot to your 9 o'clock position. My bow string hits the bridge rope.
Would you attempt to position yourself so there is a more favorable shot position? I am guessing the 7 o'clock is the most ideal for a right hand shooter.
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Coleman said:
I am defiantly more sitting than leaning. I am still tuning my setup. So are most people standing / leaning as opposed to a sit?
The reason I was more inclined to sit vs stand is because I usually stay in the tree all day long.
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I sit in my saddle and I do all day sits. Obviously haven't done any in the kestrel but I will starting in about a month.

Is your bridge at the length it came from new tribe? Can you measure it from one end to the other for me? For reference mine is probably half its original length which is 24 inches. It sounds to me like the bridge is too long which would be why it is getting in the way.
 
Coleman said:
Look at this video of Boswell. His bridge is WAY longer than 24 inches and the tether is about 6 feet above eye level.
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I am the odd ball out, I like a long bridge and tree strap. The hardest thing for me when developing the Kestrel was hunting with a short bridge and a short tree strap. I had to do it, to make sure that the Kestrel would work for the leaners and the guys who like setting up this way. So I had to change how I set up to test all of that, I can hunt that way, I just prefer longer. While in that video "6 feet above eye level" is a bit of an exaggeration its a good 2 ft up there.

Thanks,
Boswell
 
Boudreaux said:
I am the odd ball out, I like a long bridge and tree strap. The hardest thing for me when developing the Kestrel was hunting with a short bridge and a short tree strap. I had to do it, to make sure that the Kestrel would work for the leaners and the guys who like setting up this way. So I had to change how I set up to test all of that, I can hunt that way, I just prefer longer. While in that video "6 feet above eye level" is a bit of an exaggeration its a good 2 ft up there.

Thanks,
Boswell
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@Coleman, this is a good example of why you just have to experiment around and see what works for you. Everybody likes something different. Sometimes small, sometimes drastically.
 
Boudreaux said:
I am the odd ball out, I like a long bridge and tree strap. The hardest thing for me when developing the Kestrel was hunting with a short bridge and a short tree strap. I had to do it, to make sure that the Kestrel would work for the leaners and the guys who like setting up this way. So I had to change how I set up to test all of that, I can hunt that way, I just prefer longer. While in that video "6 feet above eye level" is a bit of an exaggeration its a good 2 ft up there.

Thanks,
Boswell
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Me too. I'm about a foot over head with tether height, eye level where bridge attaches to tether and a 30-36in bridge. I sit most of the hunt. Lean when something comes in.
 
Last night was the first time I used the side adjustment straps on the Kestrel. When I tried them before I thought it put too much pressure on my butt, last night though with the saddle sitting low I tightened those side straps and man it felt great! For as simple as the Kestrel is, it's pretty dang versatile on how you can sit in it.


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flinginairos said:
Last night was the first time I used the side adjustment straps on the Kestrel. When I tried them before I thought it put too much pressure on my butt, last night though with the saddle sitting low I tightened those side straps and man it felt great! For as simple as the Kestrel is, it's pretty dang versatile on how you can sit in it.


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I love those straps. They are perfect for a sitter :D
 
redsquirrel said:
I love those straps. They are perfect for a sitter :D
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When you guys sit, do you sit with your knee/knees against the tree or with your legs straddling the tree? I was playing around last night and I think I will probably sit most of the time but,if the tree was too large sitting (straddling the tree) wasn't very comfortable. I am thinking knee pads might be required on larger trees.
 
GCTerpfan said:
When you guys sit, do you sit with your knee/knees against the tree or with your legs straddling the tree? I was playing around last night and I think I will probably sit most of the time but,if the tree was too large sitting (straddling the tree) wasn't very comfortable. I am thinking knee pads might be required on larger trees.
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When I am half-sitting I am almost always putting my knees against the tree. For me knee pads are required.


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GCTerpfan said:
When you guys sit, do you sit with your knee/knees against the tree or with your legs straddling the tree?
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Knees ALWAYS against the tree. Here is a good time lapse video showing how I sit but also the lack of movement/fidgeting during a hunt

Thanks,
Boswell
 
GCTerpfan said:
When you guys sit, do you sit with your knee/knees against the tree or with your legs straddling the tree? I was playing around last night and I think I will probably sit most of the time but,if the tree was too large sitting (straddling the tree) wasn't very comfortable. I am thinking knee pads might be required on larger trees.
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Knees against the tree. Knee pads are a must.
 
Arkrider said:
Where can I find knee pads? Do you guys have any suggestions on brands?

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I've used the trophyline ones for a long time. I'm in the market for a new pair myself right now.
 
May have missed it in here somewhere, but how does the kestrel compare to the evolution as far as comfort goes?. I got my sit drag in yesterday and actually ditched the evolution this evening just for packability reasons and so far it's pretty comfortable.

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Arkrider said:
Where can I find knee pads? Do you guys have any suggestions on brands?

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I have a pair of arc’teryx knee pads that are awesome. A little pricier than other brands but definitely super comfy and easy on off.


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d_rek said:
I have a pair of arc’teryx knee pads that are awesome. A little pricier than other brands but definitely super comfy and easy on off.


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Ha...I was just looking at those and figured I may get those.

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Mtnbowhunter said:
May have missed it in here somewhere, but how does the kestrel compare to the evolution as far as comfort goes?. I got my sit drag in yesterday and actually ditched the evolution this evening just for packability reasons and so far it's pretty comfortable.

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Honestly... I started with a trophyline, upgraded to an evolution, and now a Kestrel. The kestrel crushes them all.


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