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Supplies List for Sitdrag Saddle

love2hunt

love2hunt

New Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Messages
29
Hey y'all, new to this site. I'm re-reading Precision Bowhunting by the Eberhart's and got thinking about saddles again. I'm going back to school, about to have my first kid, and money is tight, so I'd given up on the idea for now until I found the Sitdrag idea on here. I've looked up as many threads as I can find and think I've got the idea down. I watched the DIY Sportsman video where he built his and am going to follow his template. Here's the shopping list I have so far:

Sitdrag
Rock climbing harness (Mammut Ophir 3 Slide, on sale right now for ~$45)
1 carabiner (already have 2 more from HSS)
Tree rope (12’)
Rope for 2 prussic knots (10’)
Rope for bridge (3’)
Rope to go around harness for lineman clips (3’)

Total 7/16” rope (BlueWater AssaultLine): 18’
Total Prusik cord (6.5 mm prusik cord): 10’

My setup idea is to have a tree strap like DIY Sportsman's, with 2 prusik's, one for climbing harness, one for Sitdrag. I'm going to use my HSS lineman's belt and the 2 carabiners it came with to get up/down, then swap one of those biners to the tree strap once I'm up. I've already got climbing sticks from my hang-on stands, and I've got a few Ameristeps laying around I'll use for a platform for now.

What am I missing? Anything you would swap out/change/suggest? Will my HSS lineman's belt be sufficient, or should I just spend a few more bucks for the rope?

I will probably make other upgrades later (Ropeman instead of prusiks, better platform, etc.) but I'm thinking this should get me started. Any advice or input is welcome!
 
I prefer a webbing bridge. Smoother movement and packs down flat. I tied a full loop rather than a knot on each end.

Keep your eyes open for a Ropeman 1. It is magic on a linesman's belt. I find it more valuable there than on my tether but I have two so one it also on my tether.
Are you attaching the HSS Linesman to your rock harness?

I picked up a Treehopper Linesman's belt that I really like with the Sitdrag. It is a separate Belt with two attachment points. I actually used it with the Sitdrag to give me more support when you lean back
IMG_0073.JPG
 
justsomedude said:
I prefer a webbing bridge. Smoother movement and packs down flat. I tied a full loop rather than a knot on each end.

Keep your eyes open for a Ropeman 1. It is magic on a linesman's belt. I find it more valuable there than on my tether but I have two so one it also on my tether.
Are you attaching the HSS Linesman to your rock harness?

I picked up a Treehopper Linesman's belt that I really like with the Sitdrag. It is a separate Belt with two attachment points. I actually used it with the Sitdrag to give me more support when you lean back
View attachment 2285
Click to expand...

Okay, the webbing bridge was mentioned somewhere else, too, so I think I'll do that. Maybe swap it for the rope around harness, too. I wonder if there is a way to keep the webbing adjustable until I dial in the bridge length?

Yes, I'd be modding the RC harness to attach the lineman's belt to on the sides. I'm so used to using that HSS belt that I can use it blindfolded now.

That lineman's belt is pretty cool. I'm thinking about doing the one-stick method for my longer hikes, though, and that doesn't look like I could hang from it while adjusting my climbing stick (correct me if I'm wrong).
 
Another question. The Sitdrag site has the "deluxe package" with extension straps and carabiners. Can I use one of those biners to for the tree strap or linemans belt? Can't tell the quality from the website.
 
No, you don't hang from the Treehopper belt. Just Linesman's use. On my Alpine Bod, I ran a length of webbing around the waist and tied loops in each end to connect my linesman/s belt. On some harnesses you could just tie loops on but you don't want them sliding to the front.

For my bridge, I did an adjustable bridge prusik until I found the right length and then tied that.
 
justsomedude said:
No, you don't hang from the Treehopper belt. Just Linesman's use. On my Alpine Bod, I ran a length of webbing around the waist and tied loops in each end to connect my linesman/s belt. On some harnesses you could just tie loops on but you don't want them sliding to the front.

For my bridge, I did an adjustable bridge prusik until I found the right length and then tied that.
Click to expand...

Okay, that's what I suspected on the belt. I'll just go with the climbing harness for now then.

Perfect on the bridge, I'll research that knot.
 
I would not be swapping carabiners in the tree, too many chances to make a mistake. I know things are tight but you can get locking aluminum carabiners for 10-15 bucks and they are lighter than the ones you have. I would not use the sit and drag ones, nothing on that system is approved to be used off the ground.
 
redsquirrel said:
I would not be swapping carabiners in the tree, too many chances to make a mistake. I know things are tight but you can get locking aluminum carabiners for 10-15 bucks and they are lighter than the ones you have. I would not use the sit and drag ones, nothing on that system is approved to be used off the ground.
Click to expand...

Perfect, that's what I was looking for on the Sitdrag biners. You're probably right on not swapping. It sounded good on paper. Thanks for the input!
 
Check out Samson Amsteel Blue for your bridge. It's stronger than webbing, packs smaller, and slides better through a carabiner. PLUS you can splice it onto the SitDrag for a professional look without knots. I won't use anything else.
 
g2outdoors said:
Check out Samson Amsteel Blue for your bridge. It's stronger than webbing, packs smaller, and slides better through a carabiner. PLUS you can splice it onto the SitDrag for a professional look without knots. I won't use anything else.
Click to expand...

I saw that in your video, but the splicing looked too complicated for me lol! I'll try the webbing and switch to your method if I see the need.


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Oh...sorry, I missed the carabiners. Throw those away.

Good carabiners are less than half the weight and a 100 times better. Probably true with the HSS biner too (I had one that was heavy steel).

I like a pear shaped carabiner like a Petzl William for my tether. Easy to attach ropes with gloves on and plenty of room for extra connectors and knots.

I use small screwlocks for linesmans belt and mini wire gates for gear hangers.
I don't use ANY that aren't climbing rated. That way I have spares and I can't accidentally clip in to a keychain :)
 
justsomedude said:
Oh...sorry, I missed the carabiners. Throw those away.

Good carabiners are less than half the weight and a 100 times better. Probably true with the HSS biner too (I had one that was heavy steel).

I like a pear shaped carabiner like a Petzl William for my tether. Easy to attach ropes with gloves on and plenty of room for extra connectors and knots.

I use small screwlocks for linesmans belt and mini wire gates for gear hangers.
I don't use ANY that aren't climbing rated. That way I have spares and I can't accidentally clip in to a keychain :)
Click to expand...

Went ahead and ordered Sitdrag without the biners. Got 2 Petzl brand on the way along with ropes and webbing. Thank y'all for all the tips. I'm excited for them to get here and start putting it all together.
 
Got everything in and tied together. Just went and tried it at ground level. Like it so far! I left my climbing sticks at my hunting property so haven't been able to climb up and try it yet.

Question about the SD bridge. What's the advantage of cutting off the bridge that comes sewn on the SD? The biggest thing I could see is that it was really long and put me sitting way below my tree strap. Any disadvantage other than that?
 
The bridge that comes with it is crap material. Tubular webbing or Amsteel rope is what you want.

Also, a bridge like we use will allow you to rotate.

love2hunt said:
Got everything in and tied together. Just went and tried it at ground level. Like it so far! I left my climbing sticks at my hunting property so haven't been able to climb up and try it yet.

Question about the SD bridge. What's the advantage of cutting off the bridge that comes sewn on the SD? The biggest thing I could see is that it was really long and put me sitting way below my tree strap. Any disadvantage other than that?
Click to expand...
 
justsomedude said:
The bridge that comes with it is crap material. Tubular webbing or Amsteel rope is what you want.

Also, a bridge like we use will allow you to rotate.
Click to expand...

Ah, I did notice it wasn't sliding very smoothly. I'm just hesitant to cut it off until I know I like the system. I have the tubular webbing for if I decide I do.
 
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