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Short bridge, low tether and xl platforms

M

Muskyhunter

Active Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2019
Messages
132
This is not something I came up with. I bought a lwcg ambush a few years ago. At the time lwcg talked about releasing a harness to pair with the ambush and I am trying to do something similar. Basically what I have been doing on my ESS is to make the bridge 10 inches long. I set my tether at my sternum(belly button hook up). Basically I am almost upright on the platform and leaning slightly on the saddle like leaning against a table. I can make all the shots out of this set up, while keeping me closer to the tree and no hip pinch. This may not be for everyone and that is ok but if you have an xl platform and an ESS or Recon give it a try. You just might like it.
 
In tree saddle hunting geometry is actually very important. It is ignored to the exstreem.a low tether Limits your movement and position.you need it in some situations but it is not most desirable for all situations .Im just a jerk on the internet .my opinion means squat.if i can even spell it right.but i use a lower tether when i need to.for some people its what they are comfortable with.and they make it work.just like a ring of steps.if you use a platform it makes sence that you might feel more stable with a low tether since your feet are close together.but put steps on the strap on both sides of the tree and you will notice the difference in positioning around the tree if you move your tether to eye hight.i started with John eberhearts advice tried many othet things and reverted back to his wisdome of trial and error ,thruogh trial and error..i didnt even want to say this because i dont want to discourage you in any way.but i do want you to be comforitable in the saddle ,wich i think is more important than your mobility to make a shot.if you can sleep in it than you are lagit.and all that said,I typically try to setup to shoot in one direction where a low or high tether is only a matter of comfort.plus some Setups are built that way.just food for thought ,try a couple things then go back to what you are comfortable with.and forget what the Dummy on line said.you will harvest when you are comfortable. And i know you will.for some people a low tether could make them feel more secure on a platform so you dont lose your balance as easy moving frome side to side ,more so on a platform compared to a ring of steps, and more so on a leaner,and its worth a try,but what do i know.i just hope you have fun at it dog, you dont give up on it,and you get one down .thats what realy matters.
 
Here's a link to Brad's harness, for reference.


It was a bit different than the typical low tether saddle setup. I liked it for an XL platform.
 
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Plebe said:
Here's a link to Brad's harness, for reference.


It was a bit different than the typical low tether saddle setup. I liked it for an XL platform.
Click to expand...
I wonder why this never came to market? My Ess is pretty nice but I can see advantages to this design as well. Having Brad's design with another lower panel would be pretty nice.
 
Muskyhunter said:
I wonder why this never came to market? My Ess is pretty nice but I can see advantages to this design as well. Having Brad's design with another lower panel would be pretty nice.
Click to expand...

They probably didn't feel they could make money on them.

But the concept can be replicated with really no trouble at all and better components. I don't want to get into all those details.

When the Notch Sentry harnesses were on sale for like $50, I thought about getting one and doing just that, but never did.

It's funny, Brad's prototype looks like it's built on a LWCG treestand waist support.

Anyway, I do like the low tether for crossing over.

It's not really intended for walking the tree, which I think could be a holdup for traditional saddlehunters. But, as intended, the integral tether is a good choice for this design as it maximizes range of motion in each direction.

It's as you say, meant for XL platforms.
 
tailgunner said:
In tree saddle hunting geometry is actually very important. It is ignored to the exstreem.a low tether Limits your movement and position.you need it in some situations but it is not most desirable for all situations .Im just a jerk on the internet .my opinion means squat.if i can even spell it right.but i use a lower tether when i need to.for some people its what they are comfortable with.and they make it work.just like a ring of steps.if you use a platform it makes sence that you might feel more stable with a low tether since your feet are close together.but put steps on the strap on both sides of the tree and you will notice the difference in positioning around the tree if you move your tether to eye hight.i started with John eberhearts advice tried many othet things and reverted back to his wisdome of trial and error ,thruogh trial and error..i didnt even want to say this because i dont want to discourage you in any way.but i do want you to be comforitable in the saddle ,wich i think is more important than your mobility to make a shot.if you can sleep in it than you are lagit.and all that said,I typically try to setup to shoot in one direction where a low or high tether is only a matter of comfort.plus some Setups are built that way.just food for thought ,try a couple things then go back to what you are comfortable with.and forget what the Dummy on line said.you will harvest when you are comfortable. And i know you will.for some people a low tether could make them feel more secure on a platform so you dont lose your balance as easy moving frome side to side ,more so on a platform compared to a ring of steps, and more so on a leaner,and its worth a try,but what do i know.i just hope you have fun at it dog, you dont give up on it,and you get one down .thats what realy matters.
Click to expand...

While there are a lot of truths in your reply, a lot of them don’t apply to what he is talking about.

He’s not using a ROS, he’s using a large platform which entirely changes the geometry. I have used an XOP seat platform and those things are huge. When I use it I actually raise my tether higher to accomplish the same geometry he has with his setup. The difference is his short bridge. My bridge is close to twice the length of his so I have to raise my tether to accomplish the same triangle base (from bridge loops to tree) as he does with his short bridge and low tether.

I actually use it when I know I’m liable to see deer at ANY position because of the exact things he mentions about standing on the platform with little pressure on the saddle. You can position on the platform to get the needed tension.
 
A short bridge is another geometry issue. It only puls the strap in tighter on the front of you.clearly you dont do that for a reason and either do i when im forced to run a low tether but when i am im typically set up just to shoot in 1 direction.on a narrow platform i still feel more stable with a lower tether.still geometry is important to be comforitable for any period of time.im not responding to sound smart.in not.im just Refering back to anothet person 3 decades of exsperiance. because after trying all theses things i realise that was exsausting.the old dude was right ,and im right back where i started.jus tryin to save a dude some time.while jumpstarting some good conversation.
 
tailgunner said:
A short bridge is another geometry issue. It only puls the strap in tighter on the front of you.clearly you dont do that for a reason and either do i when im forced to run a low tether but when i am im typically set up just to shoot in 1 direction.on a narrow platform i still feel more stable with a lower tether.still geometry is important to be comforitable for any period of time.im not responding to sound smart.in not.im just Refering back to anothet person 3 decades of exsperiance. because after trying all theses things i realise that was exsausting.the old dude was right ,and im right back where i started.jus tryin to save a dude some time.while jumpstarting some good conversation.
Click to expand...

I agree with you that geometry doesn't favor a short bridge.

But what's lost to geometry is offset in Brad's design with a wide padded harness.

Like John, Brad has decades of experience saddle hunting, and this is the approach he's settled on. In my own trials, I've found a padded harness uber comfy so I get where he's coming from. (I do think Brad's harness could be redesigned to distribute pressure even better).

As for geometry...

Ideally a bridge wouldn't form a triangle, the lines would run straight, parallel to each other (like a linesman's rope around a tree the same width as one's hips). But that's not really possible the way things are usually set up.

Systems like a tree squeeze use two rings (ring-ring adjustable friction saver) that can create a better geometrical connection. A tree strap with two rings could be made up with a design specific for saddlehunting (maybe rings on leads or loops to allow some distance from tree). That comes with the issue of reduced side-side mobility.

Anyway, It's not really a problem worth solving in this case, imo.
 
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Muskyhunter said:
This is not something I came up with. I bought a lwcg ambush a few years ago. At the time lwcg talked about releasing a harness to pair with the ambush and I am trying to do something similar. Basically what I have been doing on my ESS is to make the bridge 10 inches long. I set my tether at my sternum(belly button hook up). Basically I am almost upright on the platform and leaning slightly on the saddle like leaning against a table. I can make all the shots out of this set up, while keeping me closer to the tree and no hip pinch. This may not be for everyone and that is ok but if you have an xl platform and an ESS or Recon give it a try. You just might like it.
Click to expand...
I typically run a shorter bridge and lower tether as well than most people. My tether is typically chest high maybe a hair lower, makes you lean in a more upright position which my back likes.
 
Muskyhunter said:
This is not something I came up with. I bought a lwcg ambush a few years ago. At the time lwcg talked about releasing a harness to pair with the ambush and I am trying to do something similar. Basically what I have been doing on my ESS is to make the bridge 10 inches long. I set my tether at my sternum(belly button hook up). Basically I am almost upright on the platform and leaning slightly on the saddle like leaning against a table. I can make all the shots out of this set up, while keeping me closer to the tree and no hip pinch. This may not be for everyone and that is ok but if you have an xl platform and an ESS or Recon give it a try. You just might like it.
Click to expand...
This is almost exactly what I do. I'm a leaner. Most of my weight is on my legs not the saddle. There is hardly any hip pinch. To shoot the off side, I just stand and pivot around. The one problem I have found is as I pivot to left I have to be very careful that my friction hitch does not hit the carabiner. It will act like a tender and you can go for a ride. I haven't tested it yet but I'm thinking about changing bridges to an amsteel whoopie sling bridge. No friction hitch.
 
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