ROS

[Robbo]

Who using and ROS vs platform and are they comfortable and what’s the advantage

 

[Jammintree]

Who using and ROS vs platform and are they comfortable and what’s the advantage

I use either or both depending on the situation. ROS is light. small, and I can get all the way around the tree. Platform is more comfortable for longer sits but is heavier and takes up more space. Both together is fantastic, if I’m willing to carry all of the stuff.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Like @Jammintree mentioned above, I use both depending on the situation. My personal preference is to run a ROS for short hunts, especially if I plan on swapping trees. I have the hawk monkey bars which are pretty good but you have to get rid of their strap and get an OCB strap. I also have a ring of squirrel steps from Eastern Woods Outdoors and I absolutely love them. They are lighter than the hawk steps and they are slotted so I can use them as just a ROS or if I’m using a platform, I can add a couple of them to my platform strap. This makes it easy to shoot that weak side shot without a bunch of twisting on the front side of the platform. A couple weeks ago I picked up a new set of the Platform steps from Bullman Outdoors. I haven’t hunted out of them but I have spent a couple hours playing with them in the yard. They are large and comfy because they are angled on all 3 sides which keeps them ergonomically correct with the angle of your lean. They bite the tree better than the hawk or squirrel steps do. There is one major set back though, they don’t pack down anywhere near as compact and lightly as the other steps do though. ROS make shots around the tree much easier, they are light, packable and super quiet. One of the most important things in my mind for a ROS is having a very comfy supportive saddle because it’s much more difficult to stand up, to make continual adjustments. So if your saddle rides up or pinches on a platform, it’s gonna be amplified on ROS simply because of the added inconvenience of standing up hands free unweighted to make adjustments will be more difficult.

 

[Phllp581]

[mention]Fl Canopy Stalker [/mention] I’ve been thing about running squirrel steps on my platform strap similar to as you described to help with weak side shots. Do you just leave a couple squirrel steps on the strap all the time or do use the ones with the open slot and add them as needed?


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[NMSbowhunter]

I use a ROS exclusively and have done quite a few all day sits. I am a sitter 99% of the time and I use a 2 panel Recon sling saddle.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

[mention]Fl Canopy Stalker [/mention] I’ve been thing about running squirrel steps on my platform strap similar to as you described to help with weak side shots. Do you just leave a couple squirrel steps on the strap all the time or do use the ones with the open slot and add them as needed?


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I highly recommend it. They don’t weigh anything and if you are one of the guys who “clang” metal accidentally, just throw some tape around them…
I take them off and add them as needed. The slotted ones make it super easy to do and 2 or 3 of them easily fit into my dump pouch next to my tether & lineman’s rope.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

I use a ROS exclusively and have done quite a few all day sits. I am a sitter 99% of the time and I use a 2 panel Recon sling saddle.

Because I am also a majority sitter, I was pretty much exclusively a ROS guy too until I picked up that ridge runner a couple years ago. Several years ago my only option to steps was to cut down the tops of my old hang ons and add two straps and that was heavy and still didn’t like side pressure lol now there are so many nice platforms (LWCG Fix especially) that I find myself spreading the love a little more. But I’ve never been a turn around on the front of the platform guy so I keep the squirrel steps with me to make those back of the tree and weak side shots, platform or not.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

[mention]Fl Canopy Stalker [/mention] I’ve been thing about running squirrel steps on my platform strap similar to as you described to help with weak side shots. Do you just leave a couple squirrel steps on the strap all the time or do use the ones with the open slot and add them as needed?


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I’ve done it both ways but I prefer the 1” slotted ones so I can remove them: