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ROS VS PLATFORM

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BigAl

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2018
Messages
580
Location
Midway Tennessee
How many hunters love a ROS or use it often? Platforms are great in their own right but doesn't a ROS make mobility of a hunter somewhat more efficient as well as hiding from deer. With the new ROS options available and 2TC system it seems a very good option for long walks but I have not hunted from a ROS yet ......I hope for input from both sides.
 
If I wanna be ultralight and it’s a short sit I’ll use the ROS alone. Most of the time I like the comfort of the platform. I use both together sometimes.
 
Looking forward to the responses. I have not used a ROS before but plan to run 5 in conjunction with a (smaller) platform.
 
I 2Tc and use a ring of steps exclusively. I did several all day sits last season with that set up. Normal sits are 4 to 5 hours. Everything I need to climb and hunt (minus bow) fits in a medium backpack. I can go as high or as low as I want. 2TC can work on some pretty big trees too. It's a great all around minimalist system.
 

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If you are primarily a sitter, then a ROS would prolly work great for you. As a leaner almost exclusively, there is no way I would just use a ROS. Only way I could picture that working at all is a with a really stiff mountaineering boot with at least a 4 rating. I'm still not sure that would be bearable for a half day hang though.
 
Peekie boo is cute with infants, deer not so much. You better be climbing mongo trees if you want to hide behind them. I always chuckle at that one.

I'm firmly on team platform, actually almost all hybrid saddle/treestand. But it's purely a personal preference thing. Less movement is always better than trying to swing around the tree to hide imo. There's a reason a lot of the ROS guys advocate for climbing into the stratosphere. But mostly it's a comfort thing. I just prefer leaning/standing to sitting.
 
Hummm. I don't understand why 2 panel saddle guys aren't speaking up about this. I guess the Eberhart camp doesn't have many people. My back is not great so sitting is the rule for me. I tried a 2 panel saddle and I think I may purchase one soon.
 
To me, a ROS seems to fit with a smaller platform. I don't see ever using them without a platform, and packing a large platform + a ROS doesn't make sense to me either. We'll see.
 
BigAl said:
Hummm. I don't understand why 2 panel saddle guys aren't speaking up about this. I guess the Eberhart camp doesn't have many people. My back is not great so sitting is the rule for me. I tried a 2 panel saddle and I think I may purchase one soon.
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To me the tree saddle is a seat. It is designed to sit in. It's the same way that if I take the effort to carry a chair somewhere and set it up, I don't spend all day leaning against it. John Eberhart makes that point in several of his videos. That said, if folks want to lean and that works for them then that is OK in my book. Different strokes for different folks. At the end of the day, you have to decide what works for you.
 
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NMSbowhunter said:
To me the tree saddle is a seat. It is designed to sit in.
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That’s quite debatable. It depends on what you want to consider as the origins of a tree hunting saddle. If we say that it’s derived from an arborist tree saddle that would imply it’s a tool used for climbing and working in various postures which includes sitting, leaning, standing, ascending and descending, etc.

Edit: even if they were originally designed for sitting, they have clearly been re-engineered for a variety of uses.
 
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A ring of steps fan since I started saddle hunting 4 years ago. Hiding behind the tree has saved me on many occasions where I hunt pressured deer in Ohio and PA. One of the main reasons why I switched. Was tired of getting picked. Killed 3 P&Y bucks biggest 160” and several other smaller bucks and doe after letting other non target deer pass by without detection. People who say hiding behind the tree is silly make me laugh.
 
While I’ve never used a ROS to pivot and move around the tree, I’ve used the mobility of a saddle to significantly change my position in the stand to “hide” from deer based on their approach. I do see this as a real benefit, especially with a ROS.
 
I'm a 2 panels guy. But I tried ROS a few times and I can't say it's for me. A few steps along with a platform is great but due to the fact that one of my main criteria is feet comfort, just steps themselves hurt after a while. I have been converter to the Croc Cult, I hike in with a comfortable pair of hiking shoes and switch it out to a pair of Croc once I'm in the tree. Standing on a large platform and being able to pee against the wind while in Croc probably is the biggest luxury in the tree for me. I know some guys 2TC and ROS with Croc but I just cant.
 
I am a 2 panel ROS mini-John Eberhart...well maybe not a real mini John but I did watch a lot of his videos when first deciding on which saddle to purchase. Anyway, I have used a ring of steps with a ratchet strap for the past 2 seasons. 99.999% of the time I tried a Tether platform that I purchased when I bought my son and son-in-law each a saddle and platforms. They both love their platforms but I will not be using the platform again.
I do all day sits 50% of the time and I love my ROSs, I wear Muck boots with no foot pain at all. I like the security I get with the ratchet straps for my ROS but it is cumbersome to say the least.
Disclaimer... this is the only way I have hunted so far and I may just be ignorant to the advantages of a platform and to stupid to realize I am not comfortable.
Heck it is only money, try them both.
 
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