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New Saddle Nightmare!

Hooking your leg straps to the slot for the micro fit adjusters and then cinching them down helps keep it from riding up as well too!


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NEBowHunter said:
Hey Everyone,

Let me start by saying I am a veteran bow hunter and a newbie to saddle hunting. I have the Tethrd Mantis and have been using it for about a month. I have to say I absolutely HATE IT! I cannot get comfortable in it. I find myself sliding out of the saddle near the end of my sits. It squeezes me to the point of bruising. I know there is a learning curve with any new products but, man I am not digging saddle hunting at all! I am using the ratchet strap ring step set up btw and will be looking into a platform if I decide to keep this torture device for hunting! Any an ALL advice is sorely (pun intended) welcomed!!!
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Thats how I felt about the Mantis....My flex is the exact opposite - very comfortable......If you want to saddle hunt sell the Mantis and get a Flex....I know some folks like the Mantis but this is just my experience - everyone must find what works for them....
 
Try lowering the saddle on your rump, sit more on it than in it. See if that helps any. It may help with it riding up on you. Mostly comfort is found by moving the position of the saddle a little at a time until you find a position that works best for you. Once you are hurting, you'll need to give your hips a rest for a few days or it will seem like anything you do doesn't help.
Worst case, your Mantis will sell quickly on here if you want to try something else...
 
NEBowHunter said:
Damn I'd hate to scrap this saddle as they are not cheap and I waited several weeks to get the damn thing!
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I guarantee you'll sell that saddle in minutes and more than likely get what you paid for it. Finding a replacement might be a little more challenging although the new TL come out tomorrow and rumor has it they'll be in stock

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One more thing you might want to try before selling the Mantis is try an adjustable bridge....I played with bridge length on my flex until I found the perfect length for my comfort...The bridge Being adjustable made a huge difference in making the saddle work for me...
 
I felt like I was modeling lingerie when I tried a buddy’s Mantis. The Kestrel is where it’s at for me, with adjustable webbing bridge (or any adjustable material honestly). I would not be happy with a fixed-length bridge. It’s pretty easy to put an adjustable rope bridge on yourself, and if you can sew then sew a webbing bridge on with @DanO new tri-glides. I also fully endorse the platform experience vs steps. With my adjustable bridge and platform “combo”, i find putting my tether at forehead height and the prusik at chest/neck level, then adjusting the bridge to about 16-18” helps put the weight in the right places for me. I’m a lot shorter than you and about 40# lighter, but I think you’d find a sweet spot with platform and bridge adjustments in your setup.
 
EricS said:
Once you’re setup you could use your linesman’s as an adjustable bridge just to see if it helps.
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This is exactly what I do. For reference we are about the same size. I'm using an XL Mantis and while i like climbing on the stock bridge, I do get some hip pinch after a while using it. I just swap in my lineman's belt and adjust it to about 35-36 inches. I also wear the Mantis pretty low, waist band just above my tailbone. I am a sitter (knees to the tree) and I find this works very well for me. As others have said, playing with different saddle positions, tether heights and bridge lengths cna make a world of difference, and it doesn't always seem to take a big adjustment to find the sweet spot.

It does seem though that different manufacturer's saddles fit people differently. I know its late in the season but an option down the road might be to sell the Mantis and look at the Aerohunter Kite. These saddles are holding their value pretty well.
 
I have a flex and after the few sits of the year I made small adjustments and I’m good now.I see your in Massachusetts you may wanna reach out to other local state saddle hunters and try other saddles
 
You want the part of the tether that is 'around the tree' to be at your face height. In other words, If i'm looking straight at it when I'm on my platform and it seems high or low, I adjust it so I am looking right at the tether part wrapped around the tree. If it is riding up that much it sounds like you are almost hanging from the tether completely. You want your legs to be at about a 45 degree angle from your hips down to your knees and that seems to be the tether height that provides the most comfort to me. Also, try putting the leg straps down past the lineman's loops instead of up on the waist buckle loop. You can do it either way but I like the lower adjustment of the leg loops there as it doesn't bind on me at all or feel like I'm getting a weggie. I find my mantis to be extremely comfortable with these adjustments.
 
I tried a sit drag first, which people claim is as comfortable as a saddle, but it pinched my hips no matter how I adjusted it. Seems like a saddle would have the same problem so I ended up building a preacher seat. Cost about $15 to build and is super comfy.
 
The only way I could get the mantis to stop riding up was to move the bridge down on the bridge loops. This changes the pitch of the saddle. There are a few guys with there bridge girth hitched onto the loops so that when it is weighted it cinches down and stays in place. I tried that with amsteel and it didn’t want to stay due to it being too slick. Webbing would hold better but I gave up on the saddle and went back to the kestrel.


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I had the same issue with comfort and have found what i think is the solution. Go buy some cheap seat cushions. Cut them in 8 inch squares. After you tether in, put them between you and the saddle at pinch points. I tried this in the back yard and it made a night and day difference.
 
Chistavocat said:
The only way I could get the mantis to stop riding up was to move the bridge down on the bridge loops. This changes the pitch of the saddle. There are a few guys with there bridge girth hitched onto the loops so that when it is weighted it cinches down and stays in place. I tried that with amsteel and it didn’t want to stay due to it being too slick. Webbing would hold better but I gave up on the saddle and went back to the kestrel.
I think this adjustment is overlooked
Makes night and day difference in the difference the way the saddle cups.
If you tend to go back and forth between leaning and sitting you will have to adjust it but it’s not hard
Red dots are just to show you what part I am talking about

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Discomfort is a broad in the mantis. I had medium sized up to a large and it still hurt. I had to go another direction

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boyne bowhunter said:
This is exactly what I do. For reference we are about the same size. I'm using an XL Mantis and while i like climbing on the stock bridge, I do get some hip pinch after a while using it. I just swap in my lineman's belt and adjust it to about 35-36 inches. I also wear the Mantis pretty low, waist band just above my tailbone. I am a sitter (knees to the tree) and I find this works very well for me. As others have said, playing with different saddle positions, tether heights and bridge lengths cna make a world of difference, and it doesn't always seem to take a big adjustment to find the sweet spot.

It does seem though that different manufacturer's saddles fit people differently. I know its late in the season but an option down the road might be to sell the Mantis and look at the Aerohunter Kite. These saddles are holding their value pretty well.
Click to expand...
How exactly do you use your LB as an adjustable bridge. I wouldn't mind trying that

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Im a big guy at 5'11" and 280lbs. I have the XL Mantis and am very comfortable in it. Just goes to show you that not everyone is the same. I did the battle belt mod on mine so the saddle sits very low on my hips and that helps to prevent it ridding up.
 
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