• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

New Saddle Hunter from SC

H

heuplek

New Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2025
Messages
34
Location
Beaufort, SC
Hello from SC. I've spent a long time hunting out of climbers which is easy to do in the pines of coastal SC. Two times this season I had my back go out and sciatica flare 30+ft up in my climber. Took me ages to get down without a lot of room to release the tension in my back. In talking to some people with similar back issues and a doctor saddle hunting should allow me more flexibility and comfort or at the very least a safe way to get down the tree if my back does go out with a repel set up. Combine that with some new access to bow only property and getting a saddle just makes sense.

Probably going to jump right in to a one stick setup and go from there, slowly acquiring things through the offseason.
 
Welcome from TN, and also a fellow back pain/sciatica sufferer. L3, L4, L5/S1 herniations/ruptures with SI joint disorder to boot. I feel your pain.

Couple of tips

- find the right saddle. The first one I tried ended up causing some discomfort. An XOP Mondo. Ended up having a Cobra built by Jerry at CGM to my measurements. I feel the 2 panel saddles are much more accommodating for the back pain, and spreading the weight around helps relieve the tension, and also sitting occasionally.

- One Sticking is doable, but requires a bit of flexibility that other climbing methods dont require, that you may or may not have depending on how bad your back is. Don't discount other climbing methods.

- devise a safe way to where you're always tied into your rappel method rather than switching over when you're done. Having had my back go out before and having to literally crawl on my belly 20ft to find something to pull myself up on, that pain can be mind numbing and disorienting.

BT
 
Appreciate all the input. Luckily my back pain isn't chronic (yet) I think the seat position of climbers just compresses my spine after longer sits. I herniated my L4/L5 disc at 22, 31 now and 90% of days I'm fine but when the spasms start it seems like any wrong move can leave me stuck. Starting with a cruzr xc, not a 2 panel but its pleated so should offer some support. I'm pretty atheletic and flexible don't see 1 sticking being to hard but I'll probably end up just converting a 3 stick setup and using one stick so I'll have the options if I don't like it.
 
Thanks all, quickly learning this is quite expensive. I get the saddle and ropes those are very much not something I would cheap out on but platform and stick prices are insane they're a hunk of aluminum. Summit climber is the same price as some platforms which is absolutely wild.
 
Welcome from Central Illinois! Saddle sure helped my back pain. I've even hung a sit drag in my permanent ground blind for cold weather hunting as I don't climb when it gets much below freezing. I'm 76 and not limber when dressed to keep the old bones warm. My lower back gave me no problems hunting since I went to the saddle.
 
Welcome from Michigan! Just got back from Visiting my family out side of Charleston.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top