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Recon belt mod feedback

I played with a few of Toms’ & Wolnut ideas and made the paracord a daisy with small 4 in cable ties. It was cleaner for me than knots or prussik. Time will tell if this yoke “walks” a bit or stays put
 

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I'd ike to see some more detailed pics.
Here a few . It’s splitting hairs but the ties are neater than when I did a daisy chain of knots.
I’m adding a small nite ize where the hook is .
I put hook closer to end loops when at height . Hook closer to opposite bridge when hiking in, or I can double it back to cinch it down really snug.
I’ll probably sew or glue a streamlined version eventually.

Put it on a box so I could take better pics.
 

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Here a few . It’s splitting hairs but the ties are neater than when I did a daisy chain of knots.
I’m adding a small nite ize where the hook is .
I put hook closer to end loops when at height . Hook closer to opposite bridge when hiking in, or I can double it back to cinch it down really snug.
I’ll probably sew or glue a streamlined version eventually.

Put it on a box so I could take better pics.
Your mod needs one little detail...
Clip the tag ends of the zip ties flush with the locking part of the zip tie. After I cut zip ties I usually take a piece of sand paper or fingernail file and smooth any little sharp edge of the cut. Those little cut-ends sticking out can catch on clothes or other stuff and can snag material and also make noise.
Otherwise, your mod ain't bad. Like I said, there are a dozen ways to rig a bungee belt and all of them are better than the stock belt. I love my Recon but I hate the belt.
 
oldsouth, I have that same question. I have a recon on the way and have thought about just sewing a belt onto the inside of the top strap because I'm not a fan of the bungee idea.
 
@StHubert please let me know how it goes. I two am not a fan of the bungee. The belt situation is the only thing holding me back from getting a Recon. If I had access to a sewing machine I would have probably already got one and sewn in a belt myself.
 
I don't have access to a sewing machine right now, but what I thought about doing until then is using the leg straps (cut and shortened) to secure both panels together. I think this may limit the sagging, and in turn, let the belt tighten things up better. But I'm a fan of smaller saddles like the sit drag so only having one smaller panel isn't a big deal to me. YMMV
 
What exactly is wrong with a sewn belt on the inside of the top strap?
I was the main tester of the prototypes that Mark was making. The very 1st belt style he made was sewn directly onto the top strap. I was not a fan of that style. First off, that belt just pulled on the top strap and not on the whole unit. The bottom section always seemed to be sloppy. That wasn't a complete deal breaker but the fact that a static belt didn't allow the sling to actively open and close while under tether was the biggest factor for my needs. Guys have shown there are different ways to configure a bungee belt, but the main point is that it keeps the sling just snug enough to stay in place when the bridge is unweighted, but it also allows the plates to open back up when you weight the bridge. A static, webbing bridge either doesn't keep the sling snug, or the other choice is to constantly have to adjust the webbing belt in relation to how you are using it at that instant. The bungee belt self adjusts, the webbing belt does not.
 
This interesting. I guess it depends on what you like best about the recon. Personally, I like the recon, not because it's a 2 panel, but because I can double up the panels and make a narrow sling style saddle which I think allows for more freedom of movement in the tree. And if I sew a belt into the top section it will more or less become a 1 piece saddle which is exactly what I was hoping for.


I was the main tester of the prototypes that Mark was making. The very 1st belt style he made was sewn directly onto the top strap. I was not a fan of that style. First off, that belt just pulled on the top strap and not on the whole unit. The bottom section always seemed to be sloppy. That wasn't a complete deal breaker but the fact that a static belt didn't allow the sling to actively open and close while under tether was the biggest factor for my needs. Guys have shown there are different ways to configure a bungee belt, but the main point is that it keeps the sling just snug enough to stay in place when the bridge is unweighted, but it also allows the plates to open back up when you weight the bridge. A static, webbing bridge either doesn't keep the sling snug, or the other choice is to constantly have to adjust the webbing belt in relation to how you are using it at that instant. The bungee belt self adjusts, the webbing belt does not.
 
This interesting. I guess it depends on what you like best about the recon. Personally, I like the recon, not because it's a 2 panel, but because I can double up the panels and make a narrow sling style saddle which I think allows for more freedom of movement in the tree. And if I sew a belt into the top section it will more or less become a 1 piece saddle which is exactly what I was hoping for.
Saddle hunting is such an individual thing. It's amazing how much, or how little, each of us varies our individual rigs.
I hear what you are saying about liking to double up the panels. I sometimes find myself doing just that after 10 hours or so in the tree. But that's actually one of the things the bungee does best. No matter where the panels are placed (overlapping, or spread apart) the bungee dependably holds them (and the entire unit as a whole) where you place them. A static webbing belt will either allow sag when you reposition (because you've loosened it for better comfort) or it won't sag when you reposition because you've kept the belt cinched tight, which is not as comfortable.
 
@StHubert please let me know how it goes. I two am not a fan of the bungee. The belt situation is the only thing holding me back from getting a Recon. If I had access to a sewing machine I would have probably already got one and sewn in a belt myself.

How can you not be a fan if you haven’t tried it? If there was a way to make a regular belt do what the bungee does we would be using that. The belts are a problem with 2 piece saddles because they only grab one half like Tom stated. The bungee is dynamic and works in every situation. You just have to try it to appreciate it.
 
There are a few reasons, the first is while I like having a belt, I don't like the belt being too tight at any time during ascent, hunting, or descent and I prefer the belt to be quite loose during the hunt itself. Part of my preference comes from using different saddles but I always go back to my modded sit drag. Keep in mind that I didn't get the recon because it was a 2 panel saddle, but because it could be used as a narrow 1 panel saddle much like a sit drag. Other 1 piece saddles I have tried are too much material, restrict torso movement, and just don't do what I want a saddle to do. So I intend to only use the recon with the panels completely overlapped, basically as a 1 panel saddle .

How can you not be a fan if you haven’t tried it? If there was a way to make a regular belt do what the bungee does we would be using that. The belts are a problem with 2 piece saddles because they only grab one half like Tom stated. The bungee is dynamic and works in every situation. You just have to try it to appreciate it.
 
You are right, I haven't tried it. Just in my opinion I'm not a fan. Maybe I'll pick one up one day.
 
There are a few reasons, the first is while I like having a belt, I don't like the belt being too tight at any time during ascent, hunting, or descent and I prefer the belt to be quite loose during the hunt itself. Part of my preference comes from using different saddles but I always go back to my modded sit drag. Keep in mind that I didn't get the recon because it was a 2 panel saddle, but because it could be used as a narrow 1 panel saddle much like a sit drag. Other 1 piece saddles I have tried are too much material, restrict torso movement, and just don't do what I want a saddle to do. So I intend to only use the recon with the panels completely overlapped, basically as a 1 panel saddle .

I came to the recon from sitdrags and fleece saddles. I couldn’t find any commercial saddle that I liked better. There still isn’t anything more comfortable than a fleece saddle btw. But I was using bungee belts on those rigs too! It’s basically a third hand that keeps everything where you had it when you introduce slack. The bungee isn’t any good if you plan on loading up your saddle with bags and such.
 
I came to the recon from sitdrags and fleece saddles. I couldn’t find any commercial saddle that I liked better. There still isn’t anything more comfortable than a fleece saddle btw. But I was using bungee belts on those rigs too! It’s basically a third hand that keeps everything where you had it when you introduce slack. The bungee isn’t any good if you plan on loading up your saddle with bags and such.
I will disagree slightly. Depending on how the bungee is rigged, it can be in either a dynamic position (allowing stretching of the bungee) or it can be fully stretched-out to the extent that it becomes a static belt (which will carry loads just as well as the stock webbing belt)
 
There are a few reasons, the first is while I like having a belt, I don't like the belt being too tight at any time during ascent, hunting, or descent and I prefer the belt to be quite loose during the hunt itself.....
You aren't understanding how a properly rigged bungee belt works.
They are not only "active", they are active within any amount of tightness (or looseness) in which we set it. Hey, if you like it totally loose, you can set it that way. If you want it static tight, you can set it that way, too. And you can set it for anything in-between the 2 extremes.
 
You aren't understanding how a properly rigged bungee belt works.
They are not only "active", they are active within any amount of tightness (or looseness) in which we set it. Hey, if you like it totally loose, you can set it that way. If you want it static tight, you can set it that way, too. And you can set it for anything in-between the 2 extremes.

I believe that it can be rigged to either of those things, but I also don't particularly like a saddle belt that gives. I like the feedback webbing gives particularly because it doesn't give. It may not be your cup of tea, but for me, I'm interested in the bungee concept. If the static webbing doesn't seem to work well while using the recon as a single panel saddle I will probably go back to my sit drag.
 
I believe that it can be rigged to either of those things, but I also don't particularly like a saddle belt that gives. I like the feedback webbing gives particularly because it doesn't give. It may not be your cup of tea, but for me, I'm interested in the bungee concept. If the static webbing doesn't seem to work well while using the recon as a single panel saddle I will probably go back to my sit drag.
Brother, I've read your last few posts and I gotta say that you are confusing the heck out of me.
I'm not tracking with you at all.
 
Brother, I've read your last few posts and I gotta say that you are confusing the heck out of me.
I'm not tracking with you at all.

Sorry A.T. if I was confusing in my replies. I responded earlier to someone saying that the bungee was needed because without one only half of the saddle is held up. I said I'm not worried about both panels because I intend to use it as a single panel (probably overlaying and permanently fixing the panels together as one) and since I won't use it as a two panel I don't see the need for the bungee vs the webbing. Hope this makes sense.
 
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