smaller than ambush sized saddle platform maybe coming from lwcg

[raisins]

i reached out to lwcg and beast gear to suggest they consider a machined saddle platform the size of the predator but to do their lightweight magic (hopefully 2 lbs or less).

beast gave me a canned response, lwcg said they were working on a platform smaller than the ambush.

maybe if enough of us suggest this to companies then it'll get made. for a run and gun, minimalist setup, i find the predator the perfect size (just big enough to fully stand on and turn with no tension on tether but still compact and light)

so maybe shoot them a harassing email!

 

[OutOnTheFarm]

So is the LWCG platform smaller than the "new" ambush that pics were floating around of (which was more like a predator XL)?

 

[raisins]

So is the LWCG platform smaller than the "new" ambush that pics were floating around of (which was more like a predator XL)?

good question, i don't know, they weren't that specific

if it is the size of the predator xl and like 2 pounds, them i'm all in

it's mostly the weight thing for a platform big enough to actually fully stand up on, the predator just seems heavier than it needs to be, the post especially is probably longer and chunkier than necessary and cast aluminum is weaker and so has to be over built

 

[Oklahoma33]

Will the post on this new LWCG platform be good the first time? Or second? Or third?

I kid. I love my ambush. It was a bear getting all of that taken care of though. I just hope they don’t run into the same issues.


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[gjs4]

There is a thread on here, pics and a video. Not out yet just checked with them again last week.

I’ve got al of lwcgs stuff and where i feel it shines is weight, then innovation then packability (with system integration). Despite being a fanboy- I don’t see how the second two can take place with a smaller platform. Hunted with my ambush with two sticks locked on this weekend. So slick.


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[raisins]

There is a thread on here, pics and a video. Not out yet just checked with them again last week.

I’ve got al of lwcgs stuff and where i feel it shines is weight, then innovation then packability (with system integration). Despite being a fanboy- I don’t see how the second two can take place with a smaller platform. Hunted with my ambush with two sticks locked on this weekend. So slick.


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i do all day remote sits (places where if i'm not prepared and something happens....then i'm SOL) and have to pack more stuff in than many people, so shaving weight everywhere i can is a big deal to me

 

[Hunter260]

I think the platforms are about as good as it’ll get, maybe they’ll shave off a pound but the biggest room for improvement is in climbing method. A plug and play solution for ditching climbing sticks would be ((((((game changing)))))).

I foresee a climbing stand like platform around 4lbs, a purpose built one stick, or an actual new idea?

 

[raisins]

I think the platforms are about as good as it’ll get, maybe they’ll shave off a pound but the biggest room for improvement is in climbing method. A plug and play solution for ditching climbing sticks would be ((((((game changing)))))).

I foresee a climbing stand like platform around 4lbs, a purpose built one stick, or an actual new idea?

maybe, but the predator being cast aluminum can be significantly lightened (it would be great if they treated these the way they do climbing carabiners with machining and heat treat)

there's some of us that think going from a 4 to a 2 lbs platform is a big deal and some that don't, probably has to do with how you hunt, age, injuries, how much you work out, terrain, etc

i cut weight everywhere i can and it adds up, a stumbling block though is that i won't single stick or rope climb....i only feel safe climbing with 3 or 4 sticks with aiders or the strap on steps i currently run (which get me 24 feet and total system to do it weighs 4.8 lbs)

hoping someone makes a small machined platform and someone perfects the 1 pound stick....i'll spend 600 bucks to remove 3 or 4 pounds from my pack, as crazy as that sounds

 

[gjs4]

i do all day remote sits (places where if i'm not prepared and something happens....then i'm SOL) and have to pack more stuff in than many people, so shaving weight everywhere i can is a big deal to me

I don’t think we will see innovation or a redo from lwcg because they’re not saddle guys. Weight savings perhaps but it would be a new wheel- just a light one.

While there are guys on here that forgot more than I know on saddle hunting specifically the best compromise valuing weight (and there is always a descending list of priorities from what one cherishes the most) was a UP top step platform on LW full length sticks with an aider. Packed weird but could get high quick and was light.

I just came home from a week hunting hard, deep in some fun terrain and cover in the Midwest. I value packability and comfort equally with weight. I also would rarely sit the same tree am and pm but that’s more about deer than saddles; just saying there is a move at some point. You can’t have it all, and the more one aspect will valued the more others will be pared down.

For the record I also ran a stand and sticks a few days. Some trees just aren’t that saddle friendly compared to a stand. Tree odds to everything and if it wasn’t apparent; I care more about deer by prime location than I do gear.


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[Fl Canopy Stalker]

good question, i don't know, they weren't that specific

if it is the size of the predator xl and like 2 pounds, them i'm all in

it's mostly the weight thing for a platform big enough to actually fully stand up on, the predator just seems heavier than it needs to be, the post especially is probably longer and chunkier than necessary and cast aluminum is weaker and so has to be over built

If it’s the size of an xl and 3lbs I’m in lol… I wonder what the price point will be on it though

 

[mtsrunner]

hoping someone makes a small machined platform and someone perfects the 1 pound stick....i'll spend 600 bucks to remove 3 or 4 pounds from my pack, as crazy as that sounds[/QUOTE]


That’s nowhere near as crazy as some of my ultralight hiking buddies. The semi-consensus in the UL hiking community is it is reasonable to pay about $1/gram or $453 to save 1 pound.

Having said that, I run my hiking gear through Lighterpack. I should probably do the same thing for my hunting gear. It’s pretty eye opening how quickly the weight adds up.

I would pay $350 for a machined version of the LWHC with a better climbing belt and steeper angle of the arms.

 

[raisins]

hoping someone makes a small machined platform and someone perfects the 1 pound stick....i'll spend 600 bucks to remove 3 or 4 pounds from my pack, as crazy as that sounds

That’s nowhere near as crazy as some of my ultralight hiking buddies. The semi-consensus in the UL hiking community is it is reasonable to pay about $1/gram or $453 to save 1 pound.

Having said that, I run my hiking gear through Lighterpack. I should probably do the same thing for my hunting gear. It’s pretty eye opening how quickly the weight adds up.

I would pay $350 for a machined version of the LWHC with a better climbing belt and steeper angle of the arms.
[/QUOTE]

glad to hear i'm not alone

if we all threw in 100 bucks, we could buy a cnc machine and start making all this stuff

 

[n6dlh]

I too want to see an ultralight machined platform. Hunting deep in public with a back injury. Now, this does not help when I kill one, and 2 times this year began to question why I chose to shoot that deer. Getting one out having miles to get to the road will make anyone question that. I have been trying to lighten up my gear but I am still pretty heavy. I would like to get some lighter sticks for sure. Cutting several pounds from my pack does wonders.

Last year while I was perfecting my saddle setup I went to rope on the sticks and platform. I have now gone back to the factor buckle on my platform as the rope will sometimes cut into the bark and loosed up enough to kick out. Since going back to the buckle the stability has been much better. The rope is working well on the sticks, and that conversion alone saved a bunch of weight.

 

[raisins]

I too want to see an ultralight machined platform. Hunting deep in public with a back injury. Now, this does not help when I kill one, and 2 times this year began to question why I chose to shoot that deer. Getting one out having miles to get to the road will make anyone question that. I have been trying to lighten up my gear but I am still pretty heavy. I would like to get some lighter sticks for sure. Cutting several pounds from my pack does wonders.

Last year while I was perfecting my saddle setup I went to rope on the sticks and platform. I have now gone back to the factor buckle on my platform as the rope will sometimes cut into the bark and loosed up enough to kick out. Since going back to the buckle the stability has been much better. The rope is working well on the sticks, and that conversion alone saved a bunch of weight.

what platform? i'm using an amsteel daisy chain with trucker's hitch on my predator and it gets tighter than the factory buckle

 

[n6dlh]

what platform? i'm using an amsteel daisy chain with trucker's hitch on my predator and it gets tighter than the factory buckle

Its a predator. I was using amsteel daisy chain but it was the 1/8” I believe. So the small diameter would cur into the bark. I may try is again with a larger diameter. I used the same stuff on my Hawk Helium sticks and it worked well. On my Shikar sticks it has Amsteel but it is larger diameter, and i have cam buckles on 3 and daisy chain on 1. They also work fine.

ETA: I noticed it more on pine trees, I have also learned to avoid pine trees if I can now. Prefer a hardwood tree.

 

[raisins]

Its a predator. I was using amsteel daisy chain but it was the 1/8” I believe. So the small diameter would cur into the bark. I may try is again with a larger diameter. I used the same stuff on my Hawk Helium sticks and it worked well. On my Shikar sticks it has Amsteel but it is larger diameter, and i have cam buckles on 3 and daisy chain on 1. They also work fine.

ETA: I noticed it more on pine trees, I have also learned to avoid pine trees if I can now. Prefer a hardwood tree.

have you tried the trucker's hitch method? mine gets so tight that it is like a guitar string, can put total side pressure and nothing

i don't climb pines though, there aren't many where i'm at

if i did, i'd probably have dedicated tethers, etc just for them (sap, etc)