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Ordered a Recon, how has everyone improved upon it?

Those were some of my initial thoughts. I actually like my rope bridge now. It is adjustable via a prussik which I mostly only use to extend it far enough so it can ride over my shoulders for the walk in/out.

My only wish now is that it was openable, but I can't seem to find a carabiner that will fit that small hole in the bridge plate.

Overall the Recon is pretty sweet. I finally flipped the panels a la @Allegheny Tom and I like that better. I also stripped every accessory off if it (no pouches, stick hangers, etc) and I find it works much better just bare like that.

I stil haven't gone down the bungee belt mod path yet. I upgraded to the now standard (I think) web belt with the buckle (mine originally came with the "speed buckle" which I didn't like). This belt works good.

The leg straps are a little fiddly and I've gone back and forth with using them. I like the security of that bottom panel fixed to my legs when hanging, but it is much more streamlined to remove them.

Sorry for the long reply. You asked one question and got me going into a broader review. One of the problems with reading older posts is that people's experiences and thoughts change a lot over time.
Haha, no problem. I flipped the plates too and am wanting a bungee belt
 
I don't see how the webbing can slip if it's correctly woven through the plates. I would check that first because I'd venture to say that it's not installed as it should be. The way it weaves through the plates is not intuitive for me and I always leave one side on to copy for that reason. I can send you a picture if need be.
I one stick climb with the bridge the same length as it is when I'm hunting and don't have any issues. I've tried using a short bridge to climb with my TX5 saddle and honestly don't notice any advantages so now I just leave the bridge alone with whatever saddle I'm using.
If you could send a pic that would be great. I did take a picture when I flipped my buckles to make sure I reinstalled it correctly. But maybe it was not correct from the factory? I did actually mention this to Mark from Treehopper when asking about installing a rope bridge.

I try to minimize the slack in the system when climbing. I feel a shorter bridge length would allow me to pull more rope through the mad rock and keep more tension on it
 
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There is one simple mod that can insure the webbing could never slip entirely thru the plates. Hand-stitch each tag end so it basically has a flap on it. You would need to do that AFTER the webbing is routed thru the plates. Forming a flap essentially triples the end of the webbing so it cannot physically fit thru the slots in the plate.

As for proper routing of the webbing, I need to post a pic of how I do it. Hard to describe.
I will get a pic shortly.....

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I honestly can't remember how Mark routes it. I've undone the bridge so many times that I can't remember how the original was. And I've found a few different ways that it works.
Here is how I'm doing it.
Keep in mind that I am doing this with no rubber on the plates and I'm using tubular polyester webbing from Strapworks. So some brands/types of webbing may actually be too thick to route it this way.

I do prefer to start the route from the inside (closest to your body) of the 1st slot. That does 3 things...
1) it insures the webbing is always a cushion between the carabiner and the plate so it eliminates the possibility of any noise of the beener contacting the tip of the plate.
2) it does give a slight bit more "travel" across the length of the bridge.
3) it does slightly pull the plates out in a wider orientation when under weight as opposed to starting routing the webbing thru outside of the plate.

#2 & 3 are pretty subtle details but sometimes it's the little things that make or break comfort or noise factor.

This routing, with this webbing, has never slipped at all for me. I have not seen the need to hand stitch a flap like I described in the earlier post. But by all means, if you have ANY worries about webbing slipping, then sew the flap. An alternative to stitching is to put a couple zip ties thru the webbing and form a flap. I've done it that way too.
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Does anyone use the recon to one stick? It seems a little sketchy as it wants to fall down once you put slack in it. Anyone ever tried attaching suspenders?
 
dbd1313,
That how I started out my 1st season right outa the gate , recon, 1 stick and rappelling down... If you go backwards on this thread there are a ton of mods and quite a few here rappel and 1 stick. I was concerned about slipping out sorta like the ridding up effect I experienced in a Phantom but that was a loner saddle from a friend and I reused it again after time in the Recon and hands down the Recon is the most comfortable saddle for me and you will feel secure. I had some mods done before Mark shipped me mine but I think now after about 12 or so times in the saddle the bungee belt mod Allegany Tom developed will end up being the go to final answer for several reasons, but since I was a greenhorn I was a little more cautious. Every mod to mine can be undone easily.
 
Does anyone use the recon to one stick? It seems a little sketchy as it wants to fall down once you put slack in it. Anyone ever tried attaching suspenders?
I don't think I've ever read anything about anyone putting on suspenders. The bungee belt mod is the most popular modification from what I've seen around here.

Hopefully someone that one sticks can chime in on their experiences.

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I don't think I've ever read anything about anyone putting on suspenders. The bungee belt mod is the most popular modification from what I've seen around here.

Hopefully someone that one sticks can chime in on their experiences.

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Thanks, after I wrote that I did a search and saw a few posts up about the Bungie belt mod, guess I should have done that first!

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Well how bout that, threw this together out of stuff I had laying around and seems like a winner. Haven't tried it out in a tree but now I see what all the fuss is about.
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I see one thing that you may or may not need to adjust. The length of that prusik might need shortened, it all depends on the size of you and the size of your Recon.
In some cases (like me) the bungee can "bottom out" my medium Recon bungee belt if the prusik is long. The 1st prusik I made was too long and when I tightened up the bungee, I ran out of adjustment space before the belt could actually be totally tight.
I lost 25 pounds over the summer and now I need every last bit of space between the plates in order to fully tighten my bungee belt. The long prusik (for me) just didn't quite work by about 1"-2" inches.

I think the prusik style of the bungee belt is genius. I wish that I thought of it. Depending on the wearer's body size AND the Recon size the prusik style should work most of the time but in some cases it may require the prusik to be right up against the plate that it attaches to. I just couldn't seem to get the prusik positioned exactly right but I will admit that I didn't spend a lot of time trying to re-tie it, so I just went back to my original design with a yoke instead of the prusik. If I lose any more weight, even the yoke-style may not work for me and I may need to order a 'small' Recon.

Just thought I would point that out to guys that are trying out the prusik style bungee...pay attention to how you construct that prusik.
 
Another question (and I did search this one!)... How are you recon one stickers carrying your rapel line? I know a lot of people don't attach pouches etc... to the recon. Are you just pulling the line out of your pack and let it hang down the tree while you sit?

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Bought a recon last season. Just hunted out of it the first time yesterday. I ordered a medium instead of a small because I wanted more room for adjustment between the panels and didn’t listen when people told me the belt fitting is more important. It is more comfortable than my kite, and I haven’t done the bungee belt mod yet, but its coming. That’s the only thing it’s missing to me.
 
Another question (and I did search this one!)... How are you recon one stickers carrying your rapel line? I know a lot of people don't attach pouches etc... to the recon. Are you just pulling the line out of your pack and let it hang down the tree while you sit?

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i have hunted all year this year in a Recon with 2 dump pouches hanging on it. Left pouch is my lineman’s belt, ring of steps, and gear hanger. Right pouch is rappel line with safeguard which I also use as my tether.

This setup is a pain and is going to change for next year. Getting the saddle put on is the hardest part because all of the weight in those pouches pulls the top panel tnru the plates and sags while you’re trying to put it on. One sticking works nice once you have it put on. Once at hunting height the top panel wants to be the bottom panel because the weight of the pouches makes the top panel sag. It works ok this way, or with a lot of fiddling you can get the panels where they are supposed to be. Can’t unweight the saddle or else the top sags again!

I will say that the Recon is comfy and I fidget way way less in this thing than other saddles. I want to keep using it for that reason and next year I need to do away with the pouches somehow. This means a separate tether so the rappel rope can stay in my pack. Not sure how to handle the lineman’s belt yet, guessing enough searching this forum and YouTube will find the answer.
 
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