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Nutterbuster's Treehopper Recon Sling Video

Nutterbuster

Nutterbuster

Well-Known Member
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Oct 12, 2017
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Where the skys are so blue!
I'm really late to the party on this (or early, right @Bwhana and @Vtbow?) but I finally got around to ordering a treehopper recon sling back around July and have had the time to hog hunt out of it a bit. I liked the ole anderson I bought a couple of years back, but couldn't be bothered with bringing it up to par with the saddles on the market at the time. You don't really know until you have a few dark-to-dark sits in it, but I really think the recon might be the most comfortable soft saddle I've ever sat in. It's definitely the lightest and the most streamlined, minimalistic design. $150 for an American-made saddle or sling (with a dump pouch) ain't bad either, vs a certain other saddle/sling that's 33% more expensive and made in one of those lesser nations. Still got a one month back order on that other one though, so good for 'em. Less money, less weight, less lead time, and more comfort is an easy win for me. Yes, I'm shilling for treehopper. No, they're not paying me to. I paid for my property with my own personal pesos. :)

Really want to thank @Vtbow and @Allegheny Tom for putting this one on Mark's radar. I think he knocked the recon out of the part, and I know y'all helped with design.

Since folks always ask about mods:

  • the buckle I swapped to is an Austrialpin 1" no-sew cobra
  • I removed the vinyl coating around the hole on the "amsteel model" bridge plate so I could fit a carabiner through. Haven't noticed any noise issues.
  • I ain't runnin' no leg loops, and was very grateful to not have to take a pair of scissors to the recon to make that happen. For them that want/need them, they're included and modular. :)
Other than that, I see no need to modify/improve upon the recon sling in any way. I did briefly sample a recon with the webbing bridge. It was awesome in every way, but I have just grown accustomed to my bridge/tether combo and the amsteel plate facilitated using that.

Aside from the recon just being ridiculously comfortable and affordable, I was very happy with how well it wore when walking in the first few times I messed with it. It's also much more comfortable for me to climb in with a lineman's belt, since there are 2 pieces of webbing taking your weight instead of 1. And obviously 4 when you're at height.


Apologies for the mid-video edit. The neighborhood kiddo saw me swinging around in a saddle and talking to myself and felt led to investigate. Then he wanted to buy one of my chickens. Such is life in the boonies...
 
Thanks for the mention. There's one more guy that was involved in this chain of events. @Navigator is my buddy that I've referred to a few times when I talked about when I 1st saw an Anderson. He would come to my house and we would goof around with my Kestrel, or my old Trophy Line. He would show his Anderson and I would think to myself "How can that thing be as comfy as my Kestrel"? I had no desire to even look at the thing. I musta had just enough beers one day to finally give it a try in the basement and holy crap, it was so fricken nice!
At the time, I knew Mark was toying with the idea of making a saddle so I told him about it. He actually made a few other versions to test that just weren't floating my boat, so Mark asked me to try to find an Anderson for him to see. That's where @Vtbow comes into the picture. He supplied one for Mark to scrutinize and Mark ran with it. Add it all up...Where it's made, the price, the availability, the best customer service, and the comfort. I can't imagine that there is a better choice for a saddle.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
Thanks for the mention. There's one more guy that was involved in this chain of events. @Navigator is my buddy that I've referred to a few times when I talked about when I 1st saw an Anderson. He would come to my house and we would goof around with my Kestrel, or my old Trophy Line. He would show his Anderson and I would think to myself "How can that thing be as comfy as my Kestrel"? I had no desire to even look at the thing. I musta had just enough beers one day to finally give it a try in the basement and holy crap, it was so fricken nice!
At the time, I knew Mark was toying with the idea of making a saddle so I told him about it. He actually made a few other versions to test that just weren't floating my boat, so Mark asked me to try to find an Anderson for him to see. That's where @Vtbow comes into the picture. He supplied one for Mark to scrutinize and Mark ran with it. Add it all up...Where it's made, the price, the availability, the best customer service, and the comfort. I can't imagine that there is a better choice for a saddle.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the double panels can be offputting at first, but it's way more comfortable than it looks.

Mark has always been a pleasure to deal with. My first exposure to him was immediately after I kinda trashed his original treehopper drill for not actually drilling holes. I didn't blast him, but I was honest. @DanO introduced me to him at saddlepalooza and Mark was like, "We're gonna fix that drill." It didn't bug him that I said his drill wasn't good, it bugged him that the drill wasn't good. Then he turned around and made an awesome little drill.
 
So quick question, walking in with saddle has not been an issue for you or anyone else here? It seems that I had read somewhere that it tends fall down while walking. That has really been the only thing that has kept me from trying one out.
 
Andrew said:
So quick question, walking in with saddle has not been an issue for you or anyone else here? It seems that I had read somewhere that it tends fall down while walking. That has really been the only thing that has kept me from trying one out.
Click to expand...
Not a bit. I cinch the buckle up and roll out. I wear it a bit higher than my kite, and it rides very well. No flapping or getting hung up on anything.
 
Where can I see detailed pictures of the leg straps and how they connect?

Are the holes in the Amsteel plates big enough for 10mm rope?
 
That's what I'll be using this season after trying a bunch of different saddles. Most comfortable by far.
 
Here ya go.
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Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
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I ordered a Recon today - I figured since I've owned a tree suit, Guidos, Mantis and Flex I might as well try this too lol lol...I've been looking at and researching it for a couple of weeks now but Nutters video 'sent me over the edge' so to speak lol by giving me that final bit of info I needed to make a decision....
 
I don’t see on their site a way to choose between the different buckles for the rope bridge and the webbing bridge. Do you have to call for that?
 
Wlog said:
I don’t see on their site a way to choose between the different buckles for the rope bridge and the webbing bridge. Do you have to call for that?
Click to expand...
Yep.
And with the webbing style buckles, you can use either webbing or rope for the bridge. The rope style plates do allow a caribiner but I don't care about opening my bridge.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
Ruckerduck said:
Nutter, can you go into more detail on your buckle/belt mod? Also, what is your tether set up? Thanks
Click to expand...

I use an adjustable shock cord for a belt but I never carry anything on mine. Also I use a utilibridge made from oplux as a bridge. It is the best thing I’ve ever used.

Take notice of the blood on there lol.

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