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My question is how good should your physcal shape should be using a tree saddle

kidneystones_3000

kidneystones_3000

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2019
Messages
293
I am 48 years old male and i have been using a tree stand climber for a long time. I recently talked to hunter who is well respected who hunts a lot of public land and is very successful Bowhunter. He told me he owns a tree service and am a professional tree climber for over 20 years. He told me that tree saddles are not comfortable at all. Plus he said you have to be in good Physical condition to use a tree saddle. I watch YouTube videos from DIY Sportsman, G2 Outdoors and John Eberhart.

I don’t have any physical disabilities I am would consider myself to be in average shape. My question is this is tree saddle climbing a good option for older hunters? Try to be honest because I have kids and don’t have money to waste thanks.
 
Dang, why are you shouting? :tearsofjoy: I don't think I've seen anyone use anything but the standard font here. Anyhow...

I've only got a couple hours total in mine, but I have already been able to find it comfortable. A lot of guys get so comfortable in them, they get to the tree super early in the morning and take naps up there before the sun comes up.
 
I have a 4 yr old and 4 month old. I am in the worst shape of my life. Saddle hunting is way easier and more comfortable to me than an other treestand I've hauled or used..and I'm a gear head. That being said, I'm an ex rock climber and comfortable climbing and at heights in general.
 
I'm a 56 year old guy, not in the best shape I have ever been in. I hunted over 70 sits this year in a saddle at an average of 3.5 hours per sit including 2 all day sits. I have no issues. I've hunted out of climbers for 20 years prior to starting saddle hunting and still have those climbers in my arsenal. I did not use them once this year. As I tell my hunting buddies who question the comfort of hunting from a saddle, if I was uncomfortable I'd be back in the climber in a minute. I'll admit, my Summits are slightly more comfortable to sit in but not enough so that I would give up the advantages I get from hunting out of a saddle.

Hunting saddles are very different in construction from arborist or climbing saddles. They're made to provide better support on the posterior to spread out the pressure points. Additionally having the supporting bridge ties attached out by the hips rather than in the center of the belt provides a more comfortable hang with less hip pinch.
 
I'm 6'2" and 300# and I find the saddle alot more comfortable than a hang on. Sure the saddle takes some getting used to but for me after 3 or 4 hunts it became second nature.
 
I think your buddy may be assuming hunting saddles are like his arborist saddles. That's not the case at all, hunting saddles are designed to sit/lean in, motionless for long periods of time. Arborist saddles are not and are much less comfortable. At least for me it took a lot more physical exertion to wrestle my old 20+ lb lock ons into trees then it takes to saddle hunt. If you can climb a tree with climbing sticks you can saddle hunt.
 
53 and I have an Aero Hunter Kestrel and it’s wayyyyy more physically comfortable AND mentally comfortable than any climber, loc on or ladder that I’ve ever hated out of.
 
The saddle is basically irrelevant to this. Switching from a climber to a saddle, the act of climbing is a bigger transition.

Even using climbing sticks, which are considered one the more basic climbing methods, increase the athleticism significantly. All you can do is try and see if it works for you. And be safe.
 
I think a lot of physical comfort relies on mental comfort. Too many guys have a hard time accepting change which leads to anxiety. They've hunted out of climbers, ladders, shooting houses, or ground blinds for their entire hunting life. The idea of hanging in a tiny, lightweight harness makes some guys kinda nervous and for some, it freaks them out. Any mental discomfort will magnify the slightest physical discomfort. That's not to say there isn't a level of dialing-in that's needed to fine tune comfort, but most issues can be remedied.
A lot of comfort problems with a saddle don't come from the saddle itself as much as they come from the foot system. I like to hunt all day and prefer a platform over a ROS. I am not as comfortable during the 2nd half of an 11 hour sit on a ROS as I am on a Predator.

I'm 61 and like most guys my age, I'm not in the shape I used to be, but I've had no problems in the saddle due to being out of shape. And I've never had a fear of climbing or heights. I've been just fine in hang-ons with a basic harness for over 40 years, but now that I've been in a saddle, I wonder if I'd be as relaxed if I went back to a harness. There's no such thing as worrying where my feet are on a platform with a saddle. I'm totally comfortable in a saddle...both physically and mentally. (I didn't say I'm mentally stable, I said mentally comfortable, LOL).
 
im 66, have hunted out of a saddle since the mid 80s. yes i use other types of stands but the saddle is my prefered way to hunt from a tree. i find it to be comfortable if you can shift position when it gets uncomfortable. i dont do all day sits in it but 4 hours isnt a problem. as far as physical fitness goes i dont think its a big issue. im probable half or more weaker than my best due to chemo and on going treatments yet it hasnt been a problem hanging from one or getting up to height.
 
I have somewhere between 100 and 175 million hours in a hunting saddle since 1998. Loved every minute of it ( wow that’s a lot of minutes). Ok seriously, I’d try it if I were you. At worst, you hate it and sell it for a tiny loss. At best, you start hammering giant bucks because of the very distinct advantages to using a saddle. Thank me later:cool:
 
It’s not the saddle you have to worry about.
It’s the climbing methods. If you don’t practice before your first hunting situation you will end up a sweaty mess, exhausted and about to give up. I mean practice until you cannot get it wrong in the dark.

I would be very weary of anyone who tells you a saddle is more comfortable than a Summit. It’s not. BUT it can be, once you get settled in and have a season under your belt you will get in to what is known as “saddle shape”. It’s a real thing. You will get to where you don’t notice the pinch point or you will figure out how to remove them, get more comfortable, hunt the right trees move around. There’s a lot to it.


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I'm 51 and just getting into saddle hunting myself. I have over 50 sits in my Lone Wolf Climber and another 20+ in hang-on stands this season. I am getting my saddle gear now to practice over the summer. It seems to offer some significant advantages that are worth looking into.
 
OK, I'm another 66 year old and I just got into the saddle last year. I find it fun! I have used the advice and tried the methods of quite a few guy's on this site and found my zone. I am extremely comfortable in my saddle.
 
man with that size font I'd be more worried abut your vision than the fitness :tearsofjoy: all kidding aside, anything is easier when you are fit. Hanging in a camo diaper has nothing to do with fitness, but comfort is an acquired taste and completely individual - there is a learning curve and what is referred to as "saddle shape" - just means your used to the differences. I can fall asleep in my saddle - but I also move around a good bit to mix up the positions to stay comfortable all day - and I do a lot of all day sits.
 
@kidneystones_3000 I'm new here too brother I have been in the tree care industry for just over ten years. This comes down to are you willing to try this saddle thing. Yup it's going to take some getting use to! You might be able to do it and you might not. The better shape your in no doubt helps in my humble opinion. I have had work saddles that were terrible and had some that I really liked. Then I found the one I have now and love it, took me a few years to find it. Not saying your old, but are you willing to try and make a change at this point in the game is a personal decision. Seems to be guys on here a bit older and younger that have made a smooth transition and are loving the change!!! My father is just over 50 in fantastic shape if I gave him a saddle he wouldn't use he is set in his ways!! He is killing big mature southwest Virginia mountain buck in his climbing tree stand..... Who knows you may have someone from the site close to you, who has a saddle and will come let you try one out!!! Good luck man stay safe out there in whatever you choose!
 
ImThere said:
It’s not the saddle you have to worry about.
It’s the climbing methods. If you don’t practice before your first hunting situation you will end up a sweaty mess, exhausted and about to give up. I mean practice until you cannot get it wrong in the dark.

I would be very weary of anyone who tells you a saddle is more comfortable than a Summit. It’s not. BUT it can be, once you get settled in and have a season under your belt you will get in to what is known as “saddle shape”. It’s a real thing. You will get to where you don’t notice the pinch point or you will figure out how to remove them, get more comfortable, hunt the right trees move around. There’s a lot to it.


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Click to expand...

Well start getting *weary of me because I can tell you unequivocally that my Kestrel is infinitely more comfortable than a summit ever had time to be. I had a summit for a week and couldn’t get rid of it fast enough. API was much more comfortable than the summit, but still not even in the same ballpark as a Kestrel.
 
Lol a kestrel isn’t as comfortable as a sitdrag much less a Summit!


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