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Painting my saddle.

BRAY2KAY

BRAY2KAY

Active Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2020
Messages
118
Location
West Virginia
I got the black cruzr xc last year. Had the h2 before. Love them both not sure which I love more but that's not the point of the post. My question is I'm wanting to paint the cruzr saddle. Its black and I know it's not a big deal about a solid color but I'm a guy who's likes to tinker so. Any help on this or if you've did it let me see some pics.
 

Spray painting a saddle

I’ve been working on customizing my TL Ambush saddle. One of the changes I’ve wanted to make is to give it some camo instead of the solid green mesh. I’ve considered sewing on some predator jersey cotton fabric. But what I’m leaning toward is a light application of different colored spray paints...
saddlehunter.com
 
raisins said:
i seriously advise you not to paint ropes, webbing, or saddles

i personally wouldn't paint carabiners either

i would paint sticks and platforms because they are not life support
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Does paint change the life support-ability?...is there some chemical degradation involved?...thanks in advance
 
Pilk64 said:
Does paint change the life support-ability?...is there some chemical degradation involved?...thanks in advance
Click to expand...

climbing rope makers say not to clean ropes with anything other than specialty rope or mild soap (i use a squirt of blue dawn in a bathtub filled 1/4 full) and not to paint, use any chemical on, or store near chemicals. they released something after covid on REI stating that people were disinfecting ropes with alcohol, peroxide, and bleach and that you should never do this.

i would be worried about chemical reactions to the webbing or thread and also introducing into the thread/fibers a material that infuses it and is abrasive to it

could you use fabric paint, latex paint, or RIT dye to color a saddle and get away with it? probably

but i considered it a high risk-low reward thing
 
raisins said:
climbing rope makers say not to clean ropes with anything other than specialty rope or mild soap (i use a squirt of blue dawn in a bathtub filled 1/4 full) and not to paint, use any chemical on, or store near chemicals. they released something after covid on REI stating that people were disinfecting ropes with alcohol, peroxide, and bleach and that you should never do this.

i would be worried about chemical reactions to the webbing or thread and also introducing into the thread/fibers a material that infuses it and is abrasive to it

could you use fabric paint, latex paint, or RIT dye to color a saddle and get away with it? probably

but i considered it a high risk-low reward thing
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makes good sense...thanks for your response
 
i painted mine, no problem. you could smell it for awhile, but the smell fades. the carrier in the paint evaporates pretty quick so i dont think it hurts anything. its better than a shiny piece of plastic strapped to your ass.
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I spray painted my straps that were black. It just kind of soaked in rather than sharp lines etc…but it did serve the purpose. These straps came with my trailerable bass boat cover and I use them for trail cams, and my gear strap. I would imagine your saddle would do pretty much the same…..it’ll cover that shiny black behind!
 
I hope this doesn't come off as bad, but I see people giving advice here that is counter to the advice of experts and testing and uses, hate to say it, bad logic. I feel I have to risk that.

Here's some data on climbing ropes and magic markers. If a magic marker can do this to a climbing rope, then spray paint is likely worse. Dynamic ropes are made of nylon, just like saddle webbing.


Also, I have to point this out so that others do not read other posts and get hurt:

Stating "I spray painted my saddle and didn't die" should be as compelling a reason to follow suit as "I got really drunk and drove home and didn't wreck". It is an anecdote, not data and ignores probability.

This has been brought up here before and many people said "don't paint your saddle or other life support, especially with anything containing a solvent". So, I don't think this thread is reflective of what folks would say here if all members were polled.

A solid color saddle in an earth tone that contrasts your outer wear helps to break up your outline and is not a concern for a deer detecting you at all. In fact, if you had sections of cloth, like a saddle, sewn all over your clothes randomly, it would probably be really good camo.
 
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Iron_llama said:
Here's a thought - what about a ghillie for a saddle? I'm picturing a shaggy apron sort of thing that attaches to MOLLE loops, or clips to the top webbing.

MossyAss by MossyOak?
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In the thread posted by @Maverick1 the poster had a fabric panel sewed on and it turned out slick.

Pretty easy on a single panel.

I had suggested something similar to what you've proposed @Iron_llama (I think in a post about VERSAskins outerwear), chiefly that a (seasonal) facelift could be accomplished using a fabric panel connected via MOLLE...easy enough if you've got top and bottom slots, especially on a single panel saddle. Ghillie is an interesting take.

As for paint, I think it was @redsquirrel that had mentioned the option of using a fabric paint marker to make some ASAT like lines to break up a solid panel. While different paints use different binders and solvents, some more suspect than others, I'd personally feel ok adding a few tiger stripes with an acrylic paint on the saddle panel, but do your homework and use your best judgement anytime altering gear.
 
Plebe said:
In the thread posted by @Maverick1 the poster had a fabric panel sewed on and it turned out slick.

Pretty easy on a single panel.

I had suggested something similar to what you've proposed @Iron_llama (I think in a post about VERSAskins outerwear), chiefly that a (seasonal) facelift could be accomplished using a fabric panel connected via MOLLE...easy enough if you've got top and bottom slots, especially on a single panel saddle. Ghillie is an interesting take.

As for paint, I think it was @redsquirrel that had mentioned the option of using a fabric paint marker to make some ASAT like lines to break up a solid panel. While different paints use different binders and solvents, some more suspect than others, I'd personally feel ok adding a few tiger stripes with an acrylic paint on the saddle panel, but do your homework and use your best judgement anytime altering gear.
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maybe on the mesh panel area that could disappear and you'd stay in sadde, but the structural webbing and thread is a bad idea

i think if we start doing things that every climbing instructor on Earth would say is nuts, then we are doing a disservice here
 
It seems like common sense to me but I wear the stuff nearly every day for work. If my fall harness was as coated with paint as the guys painting them, it would be deemed out of service by me and my safety supervisor.
I'm assuming the company doesn't like buying new harnesses because the old one is coated in paint but I know they'd rather pay for a new harness than pay for death or disability insurance claims.

What's Wrong With This Picture? (Q2 2015)

Blogs from Guardian Fall Protection, F.I.R.S.T Choice Training, and ESG.
www.guardianfall.com www.guardianfall.com

The most visible issue with the webbing is the contamination from what looks like paint. Contamination in this manner doesn’t necessarily mean the lanyard has to be removed from service (the Competent Person will need to make that final decision), but it does present some problems for us.

What contamination like this tells us right away is that the equipment isn’t being maintained properly. The problem with contamination is that certain contaminants can degrade webbing strength over time (something that isn’t always visible), potentially resulting in diminished equipment performance. The other issue is that contamination makes it so equipment can’t be fully inspected. How, after all, can stitching integrity be inspected if the stitching is obscured by paint? In short, the solution to this problem is to clean, maintain, and store equipment with care; it will increase product lifetime, and keep workers safer.
 
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raisins said:
maybe on the mesh panel area that could disappear and you'd stay in sadde, but the structural webbing and thread is a bad idea

i think if we start doing things that every climbing instructor on Earth would say is nuts, then we are doing a disservice here
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I agree with the premise....but we're already doing some very discretionary stuff, so use discretion augmented by knowledge.

I'm personally comfortable with what I've put forth. I'm as confident in it's safety factor as I am in the way many climb trees. lol.

But, yeah, look into Cordura, (or your mesh material) and research paint composition and specifically solvents and binders, and make your decision.

Don't take it from some fella on the internet like me.
 
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I will add I have had a fabric seat tear on me before and it was no fun, and that was only a ground chair. Don't know what the fabric was. But concerns aren't without warrant.

Then I wonder how many saddles are being used past manufacturers specified retirement.
 
Jtaylor said:
It seems like common sense to me but I wear the stuff nearly every day for work. If my fall harness was as coated with paint as the guys painting them, it would be deemed out of service by me and my safety supervisor.
I'm assuming the company doesn't like buying new harnesses because the old one is coated in paint but I know they'd rather pay for a new harness than pay for death or disability insurance claims.

What's Wrong With This Picture? (Q2 2015)

Blogs from Guardian Fall Protection, F.I.R.S.T Choice Training, and ESG.
www.guardianfall.com www.guardianfall.com

The most visible issue with the webbing is the contamination from what looks like paint. Contamination in this manner doesn’t necessarily mean the lanyard has to be removed from service (the Competent Person will need to make that final decision), but it does present some problems for us.

What contamination like this tells us right away is that the equipment isn’t being maintained properly. The problem with contamination is that certain contaminants can degrade webbing strength over time (something that isn’t always visible), potentially resulting in diminished equipment performance. The other issue is that contamination makes it so equipment can’t be fully inspected. How, after all, can stitching integrity be inspected if the stitching is obscured by paint? In short, the solution to this problem is to clean, maintain, and store equipment with care; it will increase product lifetime, and keep workers safer.
Click to expand...

Good angle to this. I was reading and ran across someone saying that paint will cause fibers to lose flexibility and not bend as usual (not across the length but wherever the paint coating makes it more likely) and that this stresses the fibers in that area and not be supple. Makes sense as you are stiffening in a random pattern something designed to be flexible.
 
The small surface area color of a saddle does not matter one bit toward hunting success, and if you think it does, you need to spend time to improve your hunting skills and knowledge and forget about camo. Painting clothing and other non-life support gear doesn't matter, but saddles and ropes are no-go, and even the beloved ozone generators, permethrin, and other scent killers should be kept away from them. This discussion is the equivalent of taking a knife and intentionally cutting a few strands on your tether and ising it - probably won't fail in most cases, but why would you ever risk it?
 
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