Nutterbuster's Treehopper Recon Sling Video

[Jimmyfunk60]

My recon just came in the mail, did a test hang in the yard and for the short 5 minute sit I’d say it’s the most comfortable saddle I’ve sat in so far. Currently running a flex size two. I got the rope bridge buckles to run my bridge I use, the only thing I may not have done right is I ordered a large and it may be just a fuzz to big I have the buckle tightened all the way down it’s sitting on top my hips but don’t know what it will do with pouches.. I’m heading for a doe hunt in 25 minutes I’ll report back lol.


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[Allegheny Tom]

My recon just came in the mail, did a test hang in the yard and for the short 5 minute sit I’d say it’s the most comfortable saddle I’ve sat in so far. Currently running a flex size two. I got the rope bridge buckles to run my bridge I use, the only thing I may not have done right is I ordered a large and it may be just a fuzz to big I have the buckle tightened all the way down it’s sitting on top my hips but don’t know what it will do with pouches.. I’m heading for a doe hunt in 25 minutes I’ll report back lol.


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Mark needs to shorten the section of the belt that attaches to the tri slides. Doing that would add a couple inches to the ability for tightening the belt.
A medium is actually too large for me if I used the stock belt (not enough travel to tighten it), but the medium is more comfortable for me than the small. Bungee belt fixed that issue for me.
I can think of a few other diy belt configurations to address the issue.
Comfort is job #1.
The belt is pretty much an accessory. Make a belt mod that works for the size of Recon that fits you the best

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[Jimmyfunk60]

Mark needs to shorten the section of the belt that attaches to the tri slides. Doing that would add a couple inches to the ability for tightening the belt.
A medium is actually too large for me if I used the stock belt (not enough travel to tighten it), but the medium is more comfortable for me than the small. Bungee belt fixed that issue for me.
I can think of a few other diy belt configurations to address the issue.
Comfort is job #1.
The belt is pretty much an accessory. Make a belt mod that works for the size of Recon that fits you the best

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First sit was an amazing one.. definitely the most comfortable saddle I’ve hunted out of, need to play around with rope management and belt. I put bags in it and I will be taking those off. I saw a bunch of immature does and a piebald doe. But my old man killed a hog 150 yards from me.

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[mtsrunner]

First sit was an amazing one.. definitely the most comfortable saddle I’ve hunted out of, need to play around with rope management and belt. I put bags in it and I will be taking those off. I saw a bunch of immature does and a piebald doe. But my old man killed a hog 150 yards from me.

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Wow. You buried the lead on that story. Your dad’s buck is a monster. Good for him.

 

[gcr0003]

First sit was an amazing one.. definitely the most comfortable saddle I’ve hunted out of, need to play around with rope management and belt. I put bags in it and I will be taking those off. I saw a bunch of immature does and a piebald doe. But my old man killed a hog 150 yards from me.

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Buddy that’s a buck not a hog!! Lol

jk nice “hog” your dad got!

 

[mattsteg]

Wow. You buried the lead on that story. Your dad’s buck is a monster. Good for him.

The piebald was pretty cool too though. I was 100% expecting a literal hog and not a HOG.

 

[Rich1201]

My recon just came in the mail, did a test hang in the yard and for the short 5 minute sit I’d say it’s the most comfortable saddle I’ve sat in so far. Currently running a flex size two. I got the rope bridge buckles to run my bridge I use, the only thing I may not have done right is I ordered a large and it may be just a fuzz to big I have the buckle tightened all the way down it’s sitting on top my hips but don’t know what it will do with pouches.. I’m heading for a doe hunt in 25 minutes I’ll report back lol.


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Mark mentioned he was receiving this feedback when I ordered. He recommended the small for me even though I'm a 33 inch waist. Glad he did, it fits perfect. At 195lbs I never thought I'd be a small in anything but it works.

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[sweats]

So I got to try my Recon for the first time tonight for a brief evening hunt. I tried everything at ground level first and was very surprised how comfortable it was.

Feeling good about everything I went and actually setup for a hunt. I went to my closest spot since I didn't have much daylight left. It's an SRT preset and I was pleasantly surprised how well the Recon worked for SRT. I wasn't as comfortable as I was on the ground and I re-tested on the ground afterwards to figure out what the issue. I think I didn't have the panels overlapped as much at height.

I've only ever used a Kestrel so it is a bit of an adjustment. The main change that stands out is that the waist belt has to be loose.

I will be trying the bungee belt mod that @Allegheny Tom recommends because I really don't like the top panel slipping down when I stand up. I also may replace the leg straps with tubular webbing and some no sew buckles. The stock leg loops work for holding the bottom panel in place, but they were sliding around a bit and it was hard to keep them from twisting at times when putting it on.

I went with a medium instead of a small. I have a 34 inch waist which is right at the cutoff, but I do have 40 inch hips so I was afraid a small would not have worked for me. I don't wear the saddle in anyway, so this really isn't an issue for me.

The webbing did make some noise when sliding through the buckles. Not frequently, but sometimes after adjusting a panel or spreading my legs wider.

I will be taking it tommorrow for an all day hunt that will likely be the last for my season this year. Overall, I really like it.

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[TNSTAAFL]

Only my second hunt in the Recon tonight. Hoping to not rush to judgment as I have not had enough practice time to get used to it, but... finding it a challenge.

Very comfortable once set up. Very nice to walk in with them overlapped up high.

That belt though... just seems like a bad design to me. I was annoyed enough mid hunt that I pulled the belt sides out and stuffed them in my pack. I like Like how it hung much better without those in there. They seem to jam up the freedom of the panels to adjust naturally.

Problem was on the climb down things got sketchy fast. I'd already ditched the leg loops, so now I had nothing but the friction from leaning back holding it up. The minute I leaned into the tree to climb, the whole thing wanted to drop to my knees. Obviously this was my fault, and not a good idea. I should've pulled the belt parts back out and reinstalled them. I probably should use leg loops.

I think I'm just a single panel guy, who likes a functional belt that operates independently of the bridge loops, and leg buckles that don't impede the positioning of the saddle.Just me. Your mileage may vary.

Guess there might be a CruzrXC in my future, or possibly a TX5.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

Only my second hunt in the Recon tonight. Hoping to not rush to judgment as I have not had enough practice time to get used to it, but... finding it a challenge.

Very comfortable once set up. Very nice to walk in with them overlapped up high.

That belt though... just seems like a bad design to me. I was annoyed enough mid hunt that I pulled the belt sides out and stuffed them in my pack. I like Like how it hung much better without those in there. They seem to jam up the freedom of the panels to adjust naturally.

Problem was on the climb down things got sketchy fast. I'd already ditched the leg loops, so now I had nothing but the friction from leaning back holding it up. The minute I leaned into the tree to climb, the whole thing wanted to drop to my knees. Obviously this was my fault, and not a good idea. I should've pulled the belt parts back out and reinstalled them. I probably should use leg loops.

I think I'm just a single panel guy, who likes a functional belt that operates independently of the bridge loops, and leg buckles that don't impede the positioning of the saddle.Just me. Your mileage may vary.

Guess there might be a CruzrXC in my future, or possibly a TX5.

I'm telling you guys, the bungee belt is the way to go.
I used it on the prototype Recons all last year and I'm at about 100 hours with the bungee this season.
There are probably a dozen different ways to rig it so let your imagination decide what works best for your style of hunting and gear hauling. But the issue of sagging is not an issue with a bungee belt.

 

[sweats]

Only my second hunt in the Recon tonight. Hoping to not rush to judgment as I have not had enough practice time to get used to it, but... finding it a challenge.

Very comfortable once set up. Very nice to walk in with them overlapped up high.

That belt though... just seems like a bad design to me. I was annoyed enough mid hunt that I pulled the belt sides out and stuffed them in my pack. I like Like how it hung much better without those in there. They seem to jam up the freedom of the panels to adjust naturally.

Problem was on the climb down things got sketchy fast. I'd already ditched the leg loops, so now I had nothing but the friction from leaning back holding it up. The minute I leaned into the tree to climb, the whole thing wanted to drop to my knees. Obviously this was my fault, and not a good idea. I should've pulled the belt parts back out and reinstalled them. I probably should use leg loops.

I think I'm just a single panel guy, who likes a functional belt that operates independently of the bridge loops, and leg buckles that don't impede the positioning of the saddle.Just me. Your mileage may vary.

Guess there might be a CruzrXC in my future, or possibly a TX5.

As a Kestrel guy, I understand. I like how comfortable it is and I will not use it without leg loops.

However, as I was sitting there I was struck by how reliant I was on being in a stable sitting position. The belt has to be loose and the leg loops are not load bearing.

I know this may be saddle hunter heresy, but I am considering using a rock climbing harness with it. I SRT sometimes anyway and the belay devices are designed for a RC harness. That would also free me up to not use the leg loops which would allow a lot more adjustability.

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[Olegrad]

Not in a rush (as I’m sure business has picked up for Treehopper, and I have other saddles to get me through the season), but what is the turnaround time for most people to receive their sling? Placed order 2 weeks ago but still haven’t received a confirmation or request for size. Again, heard only good things so far and just want to have an idea on lead time. TIA.

 

[sweats]

Not in a rush (as I’m sure business has picked up for Treehopper, and I have other saddles to get me through the season), but what is the turnaround time for most people to receive their sling? Placed order 2 weeks ago but still haven’t received a confirmation or request for size. Again, heard only good things so far and just want to have an idea on lead time. TIA.

For me it was about a month.

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[MaxJac]

I received got my recon yesterday and put it on for a couple of minutes in the back yard. First impression ........ extremely comfortable. Being a bigger guy, Marks recommendation for a medium sized recon was spot on!

as I am planning out on how many and what kind of dump pouches to put on, there is no doubt that I will also add suspenders to keep everything in place. They will make it also much easier to “stepp in” the saddle.

 

[Nutterbuster]

I'm telling you guys, @Allegheny Tom is on the money with this one. A good, strong, stretchy length of shock cord that you can snug up tight will keep that saddle glued to you whether you're climbing or just sitting.

I also found it helped to cut the stitching that holds the two panels together, and to remove the vinyl coating on the plates where the webbing rides. This makes the two halves self-equalize very, very well.

I've sat in a lot of saddles and none of them can touch the recon for comfort and compactness. I have actually been more comfy in a recon than I was in a jx3.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

I'm telling you guys, @Allegheny Tom is on the money with this one. A good, strong, stretchy length of shock cord that you can snug up tight will keep that saddle glued to you whether you're climbing or just sitting.

I also found it helped to cut the stitching that holds the two panels together, and to remove the vinyl coating on the plates where the webbing rides. This makes the two halves self-equalize very, very well.

I've sat in a lot of saddles and none of them can touch the recon for comfort and compactness. I have actually been more comfy in a recon than I was in a jx3.

There is one thing about that stitching that guys may not want to remove it until they know the Recon inside and out...pun intended.
Those stitches really help eliminate the straps getting twisted in relation to each other.
Early on in testing the prototypes, we did have one without those stitches and at times the straps did turn into a confusing, tangled, cluster F. A couple times they came out of the washing machine in an absolute mess. I would say, whether you put it on at the truck or at the stand, the last thing a guy wants is to have strap confusion.
Im not saying nobody should ever remove those stitches but just make sure you are well familiar with the Recon before doing so.
Once a guy rigs up a decent diy bungee belt, the Recon is gold. I cant imagine ever hanging in anything else. Max comfort and super light.

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[Nutterbuster]

There is one thing about that stitching that guys may not want to remove it until they know the Recon inside and out...pun intended.
Those stitches really help eliminate the straps getting twisted in relation to each other.
Early on in testing the prototypes, we did have one without those stitches and at times the straps did turn into a confusing, tangled, cluster F. A couple times they came out of the washing machine in an absolute mess. I would say, whether you put it on at the truck or at the stand, the last thing a guy wants is to have strap confusion.
Im not saying nobody should ever remove those stitches but just make sure you are well familiar with the Recon before doing so.
Once a guy rigs up a decent diy bungee belt, the Recon is gold. I cant imagine ever hanging in anything else. Max comfort and super light.

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I think Mark needs to do 4 things to make it perfect.

Offer it stock with a bungie belt. Maybe change the plate to accommodate this.

Do away with the stitching but include two small clips that can be fastened semi-permanently to clamp the webbing together where it's sewn.

Include clips like on the latitude method or ESS.

Change the linemans loops to the style on the latitude classic.

Bonus 5th thing: source some mossy oak bottomless webbing to make it out of.

 

[Allegheny Tom]

I'm telling you guys, @Allegheny Tom is on the money with this one. A good, strong, stretchy length of shock cord that you can snug up tight will keep that saddle glued to you whether you're climbing or just sitting.

I also found it helped to cut the stitching that holds the two panels together, and to remove the vinyl coating on the plates where the webbing rides. This makes the two halves self-equalize very, very well.

I've sat in a lot of saddles and none of them can touch the recon for comfort and compactness. I have actually been more comfy in a recon than I was in a jx3.

And another benefit of a belt mod is that you can eliminate the plastic tri slides which further restrict the straps equalizing thru the plates. Those slides pinch down on the straps against the plates which limits how well the straps slide thu the plates.
I gave up on trying to convince Mark to ditch the webbing belt and go bungee, but he just seens hung up on the "look" of the bungee.
I dont give a crap how something looks. I want function over style.

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[Allegheny Tom]

I think Mark needs to do 4 things to make it perfect.

Offer it stock with a bungie belt. Maybe change the plate to accommodate this.

Do away with the stitching but include two small clips that can be fastened semi-permanently to clamp the webbing together where it's sewn.

Include clips like on the latitude method or ESS.

Change the linemans loops to the style on the latitude classic.

Bonus 5th thing: source some mossy oak bottomless webbing to make it out of.

I will add one more...
Offer it without molly loops.
I strictly hunt with 2 of the prototypes which have minimal molly loops on one and no loops on the other.
All that stitching on the production model that forms the molly loops makes the top strap stiff.
Personally, the number of molly loops that are on ALL saddles is extreme overkill.

And the Recon rolls up much nicer without the loops.

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[Davis21]

The belt confusion and the sag is what my main knocks on it are. Since removing the rubber coating, the straps seem to roll over and twist way easier in the plates. Then I spend time trying to get untangled. Maybe I will wrap the plates with some tape to take up some space. And the sag when I put my ropes on each side the top will not stay up very good constantly fighting it. Maybe suspender system or bungee belt may fix that. What y’all think?