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ROS vs Platform

What do you put your feet on?

  • I only hunt with a ROS

    Votes: 29 29.3%

  • I only hunt with a platform

    Votes: 36 36.4%

  • I prefer a ROS, but will occasionally use a platform

    Votes: 12 12.1%

  • I prefer a platform, but will occasionally use a ROS

    Votes: 13 13.1%

  • I'm close to a 50/50 split

    Votes: 9 9.1%
  • Total voters
    99
dblomberg4 said:
I've be up my tree and using 2 wei stepps as a platform, but when it gets cold up here in Mn I'll most likely go to a platform as my cold weather boots (Mukluks, made in Ely, Mn) have soft sole bottoms on them and Idon't think the WEI stepps or any ROS will be comfortable in a soft sole boot for long sits if you like to lean... Anybody use ROS with softer sole boots and can comment on their own experience?
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I wear muck rubber snake proofs and the sole is super soft. I use 6 ameristeps, 3 on left(7-8 o’clock)& 3 on right(4-5 o’clock)side of tree pushed together makes a nice little platform for each foot to stand up and give some relief or make adjustments. Linesman belt can be used to help keep you standing upright while you stand. When I’m sitting I wedge my heel in between the steps to help take pressure of the boot soles.
 
dblomberg4 said:
Thanks for all the soft sole input guys, what a great community this is!
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I, like a lot of folks on here probably, wear steel toe and shank boots all day. And when I’m not I’m walking barefoot as much as possible. My feet are fairly hardened I reckon. Walking in soft sole hiking boots is like vacation for them, and a ROS don’t bother me none.

I just got into a hard sole pair of boots for a western hunt, and don’t see what all the fuss is about. They feel great, besides the doubling of weight from my vasques.

But a hard sole boot may be the answer for folks who have soft feet
 
First year in a saddle for me and going with the predator platform since I was hang and hunt before. I don’t know any better yet.
 
A platform has advantages a ring of steps just doesn't.

1 it's more surface area for your feet. Which translates to less pain and fatigue on long hunts

2. It's much easier to add clothing on cold hunts.

3. It's easier to install without any noise. I hated how the ROS felt like a string of sleigh bells while I tried to get them strapped around the tree.

4. It's easier to install the platform tightly to the tree. OCB buckles and ratchet straps work, but aren't as easy

5. When you stand on a platform it naturally creates a more horizontal bridge/tether angle since your feet are further from the tree. This dramatically increases comfort in the saddle.

6. The platform allows for the ability to shoot a week side shot without bringing your bow over your bridge or having to circle around the back side of the tree. (Really cool Tethrd developed move here. It will be explained shortly on a popular hunting YouTube channel. )

Granted a platform can be heavier, or bulkier (actually I think a well designed platform is easier to pack than a set of 5 ameristeps) but for me the advantages greatly outweigh those factors. I use a platform on every hunt.





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Erniepower said:
A platform has advantages a ring of steps just doesn't.

1 it's more surface area for your feet. Which translates to less pain and fatigue on long hunts

2. It's much easier to add clothing on cold hunts.

3. It's easier to install without any noise. I hated how the ROS felt like a string of sleigh bells while I tried to get them strapped around the tree.

4. It's easier to install the platform tightly to the tree. OCB buckles and ratchet straps work, but aren't as easy

5. When you stand on a platform it naturally creates a more horizontal bridge/tether angle since your feet are further from the tree. This dramatically increases comfort in the saddle.

6. The platform allows for the ability to shoot a week side shot without bringing your bow over your bridge or having to circle around the back side of the tree. (Really cool Tethrd developed move here. It will be explained shortly on a popular hunting YouTube channel. )

Granted a platform can be heavier, or bulkier (actually I think a well designed platform is easier to pack than a set of 5 ameristeps) but for me the advantages greatly outweigh those factors. I use a platform on every hunt.





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Click to expand...


"felt like a string of sleigh bells". Funny but true.
 
I used to hunt from a ring of steps because that was what was available. Now there platforms to hunt from and the older I get the more I appreciate them. So the majority of the time it's a platform and maybe a step at 3 and 9 depending on terrain.
 
started out with a DIY ring of wooden steps then moved into the stirrups. I have hunted with stirrups up until this year and will be trying out a platform.
 
Erniepower said:
A platform has advantages a ring of steps just doesn't.

1 it's more surface area for your feet. Which translates to less pain and fatigue on long hunts

Not for me. Platforms make me stand "ballerina style" with my toes pointed (ankle strain) and my feet close together. I like to man-spread. Even in thin-soled Muck Fieldblazers, I can sit all day without foot discomfort.

2. It's much easier to add clothing on cold hunts.

Curious about this. Adding a top is no big deal no matter what you stand on. As far as adding pants, curious if you're putting them on over or under your saddle. I'm assuming under, which would necessitate removing or loosening waist and leg straps? Not something I would advocate. I don't have a lot of experience in brutal cold (high teens is as low as it gets here), but I've never had to add bottoms in a tree.

3. It's easier to install without any noise. I hated how the ROS felt like a string of sleigh bells while I tried to get them strapped around the tree.

Vet wrap. Done. $8 at Tractor Supply for 4 big rolls. Wrap your steps, carabiners, sticks, wild edge steps, whatever. Replace as needed.

4. It's easier to install the platform tightly to the tree. OCB buckles and ratchet straps work, but aren't as easy

Extremely subjective. Cam buckles are easier than OCBs and ratchets, yes. But I found camming the predator to be problematic on some trees. Nothing works perfectly every time, but I'd guess that I could set my ROS as easily and quietly as anyone else could set a platform.

5. When you stand on a platform it naturally creates a more horizontal bridge/tether angle since your feet are further from the tree. This dramatically increases comfort in the saddle.

Again, not for me. I like my feet spread naturally, and to be able to brave my knees against the tree. The benefit you describe could also be seen as a negative, since it makes you stand out more.

6. The platform allows for the ability to shoot a week side shot without bringing your bow over your bridge or having to circle around the back side of the tree. (Really cool Tethrd developed move here. It will be explained shortly on a popular hunting YouTube channel. )

Interested in this for sure. Until that secret is revealed, I can make any shot from a ROS that can be made from a platform.

Granted a platform can be heavier, or bulkier (actually I think a well designed platform is easier to pack than a set of 5 ameristeps) but for me the advantages greatly outweigh those factors. I use a platform on every hunt.

I think it largely comes down to personal preference, and an individual's comfort/experience with their gear. But, the cold, hard numbers are that my squirrel steps weigh just over a pound, and fit in a coat pocket. Even the ameristeps I have fit inside a fanny pack or small daypack. If I can sit dark-to-dark and pack those vs a 3lb platform, I'll do that. Weight and bulk reduction are my personal reasons for switching to a saddle.





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I hunted all of last season with a ROS on an OCB. This year I am slowly making switch over to a platform.

I like to throw a step or two on the backside of the tree in conjunction with my platform to help out with the weakside shots. Makes them a whole lot easier, especially coming from a ROS background.
 
I wouldn't be here today (on SH) if it weren't for the fateful day I saw my first Klemz platform. I had been intrigued with the concept of saddles/slings for many years, but it never quite worked in my head until the platforms burst onto the scene. Now that I am a saddle junky I have tried going hardcore with the ROS and it's as chitty as I imagined (my opinion of course). I do prefer to have my top climbing stick at platform level on the backside of the tree for ease of shooting. But for comfort hours on end I just can't get with the ROS. Platform gang lifer.
 
I wouldn't say the whole idea for everyone is to be as minimalist as possible.I Need to be lite weight but I won't sacrifice comfort,and it has to work for me.

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There is no right answer to this question. Some dudes like a ring, some don't. Some like a platform, some don't. Some like a hybrid.

Some hunters like box blinds, some don't.
Some hunters pay attention to scent control, some don't.
Some hunters can only shoot little tiny Itty bitty baby bucks (like @huck72412), some can kill monsters.

I say buy or make both and then use what works best for you. I sometimes use steps on preset trees, but always use a platform when I'm mobile. When I hunted in Illinois I used the top of my Muddy sticks and an Ameristep on each side.


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I love my LW hand climber seat! It’s a climbing system and platform in one. I also carry three squirrel steps on an ocb but haven’t tried them out yet the thought was to put them opposite the platform.


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I don't know if anyone has seen these API golden buck steps but if you find them they work great to pair with a platform. After the platform is in place you can just slip this little bugger onto the platform strap and cam it down. Tight as can be and the best of both worlds. This is my plan for this year.
These API steps came with a bolt with a square head to screw into the tree. I found them at a sporting goods thrift store and used them for my ring of steps last year.IMG_1979.JPGIMG_1977.JPGIMG_1976.JPG
 
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I thought I was going to use a platform this season....But after playing around with both ROS steps and platform this week I decided I'm going to use the ROS this season... I like being close to the tree for cover - and being a sitter primarily - the leg angle is more comfortable to me with the ROS - we'll see how I feel about the ROS once I've hunted this way a while......
 
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