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Tethrd phantom

Deano0686

Deano0686

New Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
6
Just looking for input. Last year I hunted out of a kestrel flex and while it was ok, it left a little to be desired in my opinion. The phantom seems very similar to it with the adjustable bridge and such, but it looks lighter. What’s everyone’s opinions on them?
 
I like mine.It is an improvement over the mantis as far as comfort, enough so that I thought it was money well spent. If you get it dialed in to your hanging style I don't think you'll be disappointed.
 
What was the issue with the kestrel flex?


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As far as my opinion I was underwhelmed for the price point.

It was alright in a leaning position, but sitting I was uncomfortable after about an hour. Comfort channels didn’t do anything to provide relief or additional comfort.

Some rave about it and I recognize everyone’s comfort is different. Just my 2 cents.


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Apex7 said:
The Flex is an awesome saddle in my opinion. I've used a lot of different saddles over the years and the Flex is the most comfortable next to my Guido's web. I'm like to sit most of the time and never had a problem with comfort.
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I used a flex last year. It is a great saddle and I really like it but for me the Cruzr XC I got this spring is a bit more comfortable. The mesh flexes like fleece while the cordura has no flex. I think that makes it slightly more comfortable on the hip bones . I expect the material that goes into a pleated saddle affects comfort on the boney areas of the hips.

Really the Cruzr XC is a flex made from mesh.

The phantom is a mesh too but it is way smaller than a Cruzr. I suspect the mesh is less pliable in a phantom too. The size of a saddle and material affects comfort. Less pounds of butt per square inch of saddle and more give on the boney areas equals more comfort for sitting.
The recon achieves some comfort by allowing pressure to be spread over 4 two inch straps instead of two. And you can move the straps to the soft areas of your butt. It is still not as comfortable as a Cruzr XC

The H2 achieves comfort while sitting by having a very cupped shaped cordura that evenly distributes the weight over your butt while sitting It is not bad either but IMO not as good as a CruzrXC.
The Kestrel is similar to the H2 but the shape on the H2 distributes weight better for me.
I expect my TX5 to be excellent when it comes because of the size, shape, elastic pleat, and material used.

The phantom achieves comfort when sitting by adjusting the bridge and tether angles and by evenly distributing the weight on your butt with those adjustments. Also you reduce pressure on your hips while sitting if you transfer pressure to your knee pads and back band. Less pounds per square inch on the boney hips equals more comfort while sitting

The ultribridge achieves added comfort by shifting pressure points between the legs and waist and evenly distributing that weight.

The Cruzr XC is very difficult to make uncomfortable and is easy to make very comfortable. This post is about the phantom.
The phantom is much more difficult to dial in and make it more comfortable compared to other saddles but it can be done to a certain degree. And then there is the thing called saddle shape which is not necessary for many saddles

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Ontariofarmer said:
I used a flex last year. It is a great saddle and I really like it but for me the Cruzr XC I got this spring is a bit more comfortable. The mesh flexes like fleece while the cordura has no flex. I think that makes it slightly more comfortable on the hip bones . I expect the material that goes into a pleated saddle affects comfort on the boney areas of the hips.

Really the Cruzr XC is a flex made from mesh.

The phantom is a mesh too but it is way smaller than a Cruzr. I suspect the mesh is less pliable in a phantom too. The size of a saddle and material affects comfort. Less pounds of butt per square inch of saddle and more give on the boney areas equals more comfort for sitting.
The recon achieves some comfort by allowing pressure to be spread over 4 two inch straps instead of two. And you can move the straps to the soft areas of your butt. It is still not as comfortable as a Cruzr XC

The H2 achieves comfort while sitting by having a very cupped shaped cordura that evenly distributes the weight over your butt while sitting It is not bad either but IMO not as good as a CruzrXC.
The Kestrel is similar to the H2 but the shape on the H2 distributes weight better for me.
I expect my TX5 to be excellent when it comes because of the size, shape, elastic pleat, and material used.

The phantom achieves comfort when sitting by adjusting the bridge and tether angles and by evenly distributing the weight on your butt with those adjustments. Also you reduce pressure on your hips while sitting if you transfer pressure to your knee pads and back band. Less pounds per square inch on the boney hips equals more comfort while sitting

The ultribridge achieves added comfort by shifting pressure points between the legs and waist and evenly distributing that weight.

The Cruzr XC is very difficult to make uncomfortable and is easy to make very comfortable. This post is about the phantom.
The phantom is much more difficult to dial in and make it more comfortable compared to other saddles but it can be done to a certain degree. And then there is the thing called saddle shape which is not necessary for many saddles

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Click to expand...
I have a Cruzr XC on order. I wanted a Flex style saddle with mesh and I heared nothing but good things about the Cruzr XC.
 
I really like my phantom. 2nd and 3rd comfort channel feel about the same for me. I’m about a buck 80 and 5’9. Don’t think you could go wrong with the phantom


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@DanO brought a bunch of saddles to the North Central PA Saddle Meetup and I tried the Phantom, Cruzer and Flex and the Flex opened my eyes. It was way more comfortable to sit in than I thought it would be. The other two not so much.
 
Ontariofarmer said:
Just curious. Was it a Cruzr XC or. Regular Cruzr. We are all different and I do like the flex.


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I think the Cruzr was actually @SnakeEater 's personal saddle so I'm not sure which model. Maybe he will comment. It was more comfortable than the Phantom but the Flex felt like sitting on a pillow. The Phantom felt OK, just not like a pillow. :D I want to try and sew a DIY Flex.
 
Ontariofarmer said:
Have you tried any other saddles. If I had never tried anything else I would agree If I mostly leaned in a saddle it would suit me as well


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I am a leaner. And yes, trophyline and a mantis. I’m interested in a back up. And was actually looking really hard at the Cruzr xc


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TNbowhunter said:
I honestly don’t think the Flex Seal infomercial guy pushes his product as hard as @Ontariofarmer pushes the Cruzr XC.
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He must really like it . . . I think he's tried almost all available at one time or another :) and, for him, this one must stand out. My understanding is there's no affiliation there, just a guy who really likes the product.
 
boyne bowhunter said:
He must really like it . . . I think he's tried almost all available at one time or another :) and, for him, this one must stand out. My understanding is there's no affiliation there, just a guy who really likes the product.
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No affiliation with anyone, maybe talked to Chad when I ordered it . But I really don’t like stories of guys that hate saddle hunting after trying something uncomfortable.
I really think the phantom is great if you lean and want the lightest thing out there. I would buy it for that reason.

And New Tribes is an excellent company. I am looking forward to trying my TX5 which I expect to be great.


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Cruzr XC is the most comfortable saddle I have tried and I have paid retail and tried most saddles currently on the market. I felt the Cruzr S was comfortable also not nearly as comfortable as the XC though. I equate the S to Kestrel comfort. The XC is my new benchmark...

I had a phantom. If you use the Phantom in conjunction with a predator or similar platform it’s nice. Pretty comfortable. But if you are a sitter and a ring of steps guy like me.... it is not comfortable.
 
Ontariofarmer said:
I like the Jx 3 just as much . Comfort is important to me while sitting. As I said I liked a few other saddles as well.


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For the record, my laughing emojis didn’t show up above for whatever reason—I know you’re just a regular ol’ guy who’s interested in helping folks out!
 
Nope, another small saddle manufacturer. Unless I'm mistaken the proprietor is @setxhunter on here. I believe his name is Matthew Tompkins and his company is TX5 Custom Saddles.
 
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