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Recon review

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Ontariofarmer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2015
Messages
5,249
I ordered two recons because I could not decide which bridge to get. A rope or webbing bridge.
I was interested in this because of discussions about the wrapter 2R. And many comments about the Anderson sling including the fact that Jon Eberhart uses an Anderson sling I believe and I heard tethrd is think of introducing a sling with Johns name on it. Maybe this is all rumour.

Disclaimer. I did get a deal from Mark for ordering two slings but I am also giving the extra away for Canadians to try. I will draw a name out of a hat to those that try it and give it to the draw winner for shipping costs . So no gain for me.

Review
1. Seems to be important-to everyone. Mark Cama is a great guy with great service and made in the USA - the foreign Canadian province of Florida where half of all Canadians over 65 live each winter. Can’t beat that.
2. Comfort. - very comfortable for me
3. User friendly- once you figure it out it is fine. Seems like a tangled mess at first.
4. Waist belt. Just ok. It could be higher but it moves very very easy. Maybe better than any other belt I have tried for fast adjustments.
5. Quality. Honestly the stitching and build is the very best. I understand it is sewn by a parachute mfg. All the other mfg. could learn from Mark.
6. Lineman’s loops. Above average size and shape with good location but the phantom is better.
7. Bridge. I prefer the rope bridge. Especially with a homemade utilibridge on it. It serves as a waist belt and will be nice to adjust after loading
8. Price. Very very economical.
9. Adjustability is fantastic. You can move the pressure to where it suits your body. And with 4 two inch webbing straps.
10. Future improvements. Fleece or some mesh added?

My recommendation. It is a definite buy for the price conscious.
It is definitely comfortable for me. So many great options today that I will have no idea what is going to be my preferred light weight saddle until December 2020.
The JX 3 will be used no matter what.


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Thanks for the review. I've had one for a while and agree with everything you said. I remember seeing the wraptor thread and had no idea how comfortable a sling style would be for me. I bought the recon thinking I would probably use the 30-day return policy. I couldn't have been more wrong. The sling-style saddles are now my choice if I'm sitting for any length of time.


Like many of us, I have a bunch of saddles. If I take them to the backyard and sit in them for a while, I find several designs very comfortable. Where the slings make a huge difference to me is when I'm hunting for 3 hours or more. I can adjust the webbing wherever I want. The longer the hunt, the more I like the slings.
 
I've got minimal time in my Recon so I can't give "real input" on the comfort but the adjust ability is unmatched by any other saddle out there. The ability to adjust the pressure points plus the ability to "spread the load" pretty much anywhere you want should provide comfort for longer sits. Most saddles only allow you to move the saddle up or down to adjust for comfort with the flex offering a little more adjustments due to the nature of its construction. Bridge length can also adjust the comfort level but once the optimal bridge length is set, it's pretty much set. I'm looking forward to spending time in my Recon this fall. :cool:
 
Ditto. There is no other commercially made product I have been in as comfortable or adjustable and at the price point it’s no question the best value there is. You can buy the Recon and the tree suit stand for the price of a saddle from other places. The belt for me is only place I’m so so on. I love the simplicity and ease but for me I can’t get it snug enough to walk in wearing - Its a touch too big. I’m a 32” waist and have a medium. Could be I just need a small. Hard to gripe as I won it in a drawing - that was a good day ;)


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kelly.jayp said:
Its a touch too big. I’m a 32” waist and have a medium. Could be I just need a small. Hard to gripe as I won it in a drawing - that was a good day ;)
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Click to expand...

There's your problem. You need to do something about that.... A real man has at least a 40" waist. You've got work to do there, Slim. LOL!!
 
kelly.jayp said:
Ditto. There is no other commercially made product I have been in as comfortable or adjustable and at the price point it’s no question the best value there is. You can buy the Recon and the tree suit stand for the price of a saddle from other places. The belt for me is only place I’m so so on. I love the simplicity and ease but for me I can’t get it snug enough to walk in wearing - Its a touch too big. I’m a 32” waist and have a medium. Could be I just need a small. Hard to gripe as I won it in a drawing - that was a good day ;)


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Click to expand...
I'm in the same boat. I pulled all my presets foe the year wearing it though. I leave my bridge biner on it and after tightening the belt, I twist rhe bridge by turning the biner a few times, the bring it around to my hip and clip it to one of the molle loops. Works great.

I also rarely walk in with my saddle on, so it suits me wll. I really couldn't be much happier with it.
 
I like everything about it as long as you don't add dump pouches to it. It is still workable with them but it added a bit too much hassle for my liking. I know a lot of guys don't like adding things to their saddle. If I was one of them I would be hunting out of a recon next year or at the least giving it a good shot. Just my two cents.
 
Arrowsquirrel said:
I like everything about it as long as you don't add dump pouches to it. It is still workable with them but it added a bit too much hassle for my liking. I know a lot of guys don't like adding things to their saddle. If I was one of them I would be hunting out of a recon next year or at the least giving it a good shot. Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

Dump pouches do add a little fiddle factor. I’m still thinking the comfort is worth it. I might try to figure a different way to carry my rapel rope. If that wasn’t in a dump pouch, I think it would be more manageable.
 
mtsrunner said:
Dump pouches do add a little fiddle factor. I’m still thinking the comfort is worth it. I might try to figure a different way to carry my rapel rope. If that wasn’t in a dump pouch, I think it would be more manageable.
Click to expand...

Battle belt? Use it for a back band after ?


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mtsrunner said:
Dump pouches do add a little fiddle factor. I’m still thinking the comfort is worth it. I might try to figure a different way to carry my rapel rope. If that wasn’t in a dump pouch, I think it would be more manageable.
Click to expand...
How bulky is it? Fleece sling bag, with drawstring top, small loop of webbing or cord attached to the bottom internally so cyou can throw the tail end of the rope int, flake the rope into the bag, then a lopp at the top to tie the other end to. When your ready to rappel, untied the top end, setup your anchor, loosen the drawstring and just drop the whole bag. When you get to the bottom, flake the rope back into it and tie the end back and you;re ready to go, hassle free!
 

Recon sling secondary waist belt and pouch attachment

Well guys I love the recon sling, its hands down the most comfortable "saddle" I've sat in but it leaves a lot to be desired with the waist belt. Personally when the waist belt is tighten all the way, it's still a little loose. Also when you load up the pouches the outer section tends to droop a...
saddlehunter.com

This helped out pretty good with the waist belt. I can also clip it onto the step of my shikar when 1 sticking.
The recons been my favorite "saddle" so far I find it more comfortable than the tl ambush, phantom, and yarak. Waiting on a flex to show up to compare it too
 
Vtbow said:
How bulky is it? Fleece sling bag, with drawstring top, small loop of webbing or cord attached to the bottom internally so cyou can throw the tail end of the rope int, flake the rope into the bag, then a lopp at the top to tie the other end to. When your ready to rappel, untied the top end, setup your anchor, loosen the drawstring and just drop the whole bag. When you get to the bottom, flake the rope back into it and tie the end back and you;re ready to go, hassle free!
Click to expand...

It’s not that big of a deal. Really just walking in is where I would notice it and I can get the stick belt tight enough that I will probably just stick with leaving it in my EWO dump pouch.
I use my MR Safeguard and 35’ of Oplux to ascend as a tether and to rappel, so once I’m at the tree, all is good.
 
I just had a visit from @Nugget to swap some Treehopper gear and he already owns a medium Recon, but he tried my small Recon. He immediately liked the fit better than the medium. And he is not a small guy, so the small may be more suitable for a lot of guys than the medium is. Mark will also offer a large, but a guy will have to be pretty big for the large to fit properly.
And as perfect as the Recon already is, I still prefer my bungee belt mod better.
Nugget liked it, too. He' gonna make one for himself.
For all day comfort, slings are the bomb. Its really hard to comprehend just how comfy they are until you hang from one for a dawn to dusk hunt.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
I just had a visit from @Nugget to swap some Treehopper gear and he already owns a medium Recon, but he tried my small Recon. He immediately liked the fit better than the medium. And he is not a small guy, so the small may be more suitable for a lot of guys than the medium is. Mark will also offer a large, but a guy will have to be pretty big for the large to fit properly.
And as perfect as the Recon already is, I still prefer my bungee belt mod better.
Nugget liked it, too. He' gonna make one for himself.
For all day comfort, slings are the bomb. Its really hard to comprehend just how comfy they are until you hang from one for a dawn to dusk hunt.
Click to expand...
Hmm. Now you got me curious.

Anyone have both the Kestrel and the Recon? If so, how does comfort compare between the two?

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