Petrichor
Well-Known Member
I will preface this by saying I’m not sponsored by anyone and paid for this saddle with my own hard earned cash.
About 2 weeks ago after much frustration trying to figure out my setup for my first season in TN, the saddle bug bit me hard. I was always nervous for various reasons and never thought hanging by my butt would be comfortable for an all day sit. I looked and looked but the problem with this sport is the price to get into it is high. I know the DIY section is probably arms in the air right now, and I’m sure you can DIY a setup cheap but I know nothing on the matter.
I researched Tethrd, H2, cruzr, aero and more. Variations on a thème. How to choose, they are all basically the same thing? Well I went for the cheapest one that was American made with solid reviews, so I was set on H2. Well, do enough research in the saddle world and you will likely find that Dane from Dryad is kinda blowing up talk in the saddle World. There are lots of questions, lots of talk, weird looks, and some scoffing.
Rewind about 10 years. I became a diehard hammock camper after spending a few nights in one and telling my wife I was moving into the backyard (willingly). Hammock solved all my problems (back and other) with sleeping while camping and even just relaxing. Then fast forward to Thursday at work, one day away from purchasing the H2. I stumble across the Drey (squirrel nest for the people that don’t know). I watched all the videos and didn’t have to second guess them because with a decade of hammock camping aka hamping, I knew all the benefits.There is nothing like it on the market and people who’ve tried it seem to really like it.
I decided to call the business and Dane answered. We talked for over an hour. Every question I had was answered and we just chatted about everything. Oh yeah the guy still sews all the saddles btw, right here in TN 1.5 hours from my house. Needless to say I was sold and I ordered Thursday night, shipped Friday, arrived Saturday by 11am.
While Dane and I were on the phone he told me he had a friend (Roger) out my way that could help me try out different steps and sticks and other saddles and such. So I get the contact info for Roger and we setup a meet for today.
The packages arrived very well packed with freebie stickers and stuff. Very nice packaging and just a clean setup. Stitches look amazing and everything is in order. My first impressions are that the saddle is light, modular, simple, and stout. Let’s get this straight right here right now, I have never sat in the saddle and I knew nothing about saddle hunting until I went to Roger‘s house today. I am sure some will say that that does not give me the experience to compare it to other saddles, however, I was able to compare it to both the tethered mantis and phantom all side my side today. Is that enough time to definitively compare one saddle to another? I would say yes because while there are slight differences between many of the current traditional saddles on the market they seem to all be variations on the same thing. I’m not saying that in a negative way. I would say my lack of experience is an advantage in a couple ways: One I don’t have any predispositions or allegiance to a particular brand of saddle, number two a fresh opinion sometimes is an interesting perspective, and three well there is always to supposed to be a three.
I get to Roger‘s house and he is a salt of the earth kind of guy just like Dane. He opens his house to me tells me some more stories of hunts past and proceeds to show me everything I need to know about saddle hunting in person. It was like having a four hour private lesson with no agenda. He walked me through the different ropes and how to use them. He taught me saddle set up with the Dryad (he has one also) at ground level. And then even helped me put things into practice and discussed different advantages for different methods of climbing. I got to see everything from wild edge steps to a naider or swader. I had the most incredible time, so shout out to Roger and Dane for putting me in contact with Roger. This is what hunting is all about teaching people and showing them how to do something just because it benefits the community, it benefits people, and enriches our lives.
The long and short of this review is this, the Dryad Drey is the real deal. It was so comfortable in both sitting and standing positions. Has nearly unlimited adjustability in terms of back support whether you want it or not. You’re also able to accomplish positions that are not possible with a saddle without falling out. This is made possible because you are able to move within the hammock material while being fully supported and not having to engage core muscle groups. The set up is not hard at all and even a first timer or like myself was able to pick it up in just a couple of tries. Eventually I got my bow up in the tree and took some shots (shot pretty well too). All I’ve got to say is I am completely satisfied with the set up was easier than any tree stand that I’ve ever used, the materials are top quality, the saddle is made right here in the US of A, and the customer service has been second to none. Dane even contacted me today to figure out if I enjoyed my first sit in my saddle. I’m blown away and a little ashamed I didn’t get into saddle hunting sooner, but at the same time I feel that this is the right time, right when a game changer hit the market. I think the more people that try these the more people will make the switch, Dane is going to be a very busy man and the saddle community is gonna be better for it.
Oh by the way just a little sidenote I put the saddle on in my kitchen. I got into the car without realizing I had it on drove to Rogers hung out in a tree, and drove back before taking the saddle off forgetting many times it was a right there.
Alright, to conclude let’s see if I can clear some things up I am going to do some common questions that I’ve read on the Internet and see if I can explain them.
Does the material make noise?
All things make noise pretty much. With that said the material is very quiet it’s a very soft soft ripstop nylon
How does the hammock affect bow clearance?
It doesn’t. I was able to shoot my 58 inch recurve with ease in all manner of positions.
How easy is it to move into various positions?
It is possible to go from and Eberhart type overlapped saddle you sit on to a full-fledged cocoon with almost no effort, no time,
Can I run my beloved dump pouches?
Yes it’s very easy to do; you could attach them to the loop de loop. There is plenty of excess Molle on the belt itself. However the pouch is a dump pouch it’s self. The hammock pouch is able to hold a 13 mm tether a lineman‘s line both carabiners leg straps etc. no issue.
Why is it so expensive?
When you think about it you’re getting a safety harness, hammock (fullback support instead of just a backstrap), a large dump pouch, American made, and local business.
I wish I could say more about how much I like this setup and I don’t plan on running anything else anytime soon. Feel free to ask any questions that you’d like I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer them, as I am just starting out. Here are a few pictures for you. I will continue to update you more as these are just my initial thoughts. I plan on using this all season long and will do a second part to this review that is much more detailed when I know more and have sat multiple all days sits in it.
About 2 weeks ago after much frustration trying to figure out my setup for my first season in TN, the saddle bug bit me hard. I was always nervous for various reasons and never thought hanging by my butt would be comfortable for an all day sit. I looked and looked but the problem with this sport is the price to get into it is high. I know the DIY section is probably arms in the air right now, and I’m sure you can DIY a setup cheap but I know nothing on the matter.
I researched Tethrd, H2, cruzr, aero and more. Variations on a thème. How to choose, they are all basically the same thing? Well I went for the cheapest one that was American made with solid reviews, so I was set on H2. Well, do enough research in the saddle world and you will likely find that Dane from Dryad is kinda blowing up talk in the saddle World. There are lots of questions, lots of talk, weird looks, and some scoffing.
Rewind about 10 years. I became a diehard hammock camper after spending a few nights in one and telling my wife I was moving into the backyard (willingly). Hammock solved all my problems (back and other) with sleeping while camping and even just relaxing. Then fast forward to Thursday at work, one day away from purchasing the H2. I stumble across the Drey (squirrel nest for the people that don’t know). I watched all the videos and didn’t have to second guess them because with a decade of hammock camping aka hamping, I knew all the benefits.There is nothing like it on the market and people who’ve tried it seem to really like it.
I decided to call the business and Dane answered. We talked for over an hour. Every question I had was answered and we just chatted about everything. Oh yeah the guy still sews all the saddles btw, right here in TN 1.5 hours from my house. Needless to say I was sold and I ordered Thursday night, shipped Friday, arrived Saturday by 11am.
While Dane and I were on the phone he told me he had a friend (Roger) out my way that could help me try out different steps and sticks and other saddles and such. So I get the contact info for Roger and we setup a meet for today.
The packages arrived very well packed with freebie stickers and stuff. Very nice packaging and just a clean setup. Stitches look amazing and everything is in order. My first impressions are that the saddle is light, modular, simple, and stout. Let’s get this straight right here right now, I have never sat in the saddle and I knew nothing about saddle hunting until I went to Roger‘s house today. I am sure some will say that that does not give me the experience to compare it to other saddles, however, I was able to compare it to both the tethered mantis and phantom all side my side today. Is that enough time to definitively compare one saddle to another? I would say yes because while there are slight differences between many of the current traditional saddles on the market they seem to all be variations on the same thing. I’m not saying that in a negative way. I would say my lack of experience is an advantage in a couple ways: One I don’t have any predispositions or allegiance to a particular brand of saddle, number two a fresh opinion sometimes is an interesting perspective, and three well there is always to supposed to be a three.
I get to Roger‘s house and he is a salt of the earth kind of guy just like Dane. He opens his house to me tells me some more stories of hunts past and proceeds to show me everything I need to know about saddle hunting in person. It was like having a four hour private lesson with no agenda. He walked me through the different ropes and how to use them. He taught me saddle set up with the Dryad (he has one also) at ground level. And then even helped me put things into practice and discussed different advantages for different methods of climbing. I got to see everything from wild edge steps to a naider or swader. I had the most incredible time, so shout out to Roger and Dane for putting me in contact with Roger. This is what hunting is all about teaching people and showing them how to do something just because it benefits the community, it benefits people, and enriches our lives.
The long and short of this review is this, the Dryad Drey is the real deal. It was so comfortable in both sitting and standing positions. Has nearly unlimited adjustability in terms of back support whether you want it or not. You’re also able to accomplish positions that are not possible with a saddle without falling out. This is made possible because you are able to move within the hammock material while being fully supported and not having to engage core muscle groups. The set up is not hard at all and even a first timer or like myself was able to pick it up in just a couple of tries. Eventually I got my bow up in the tree and took some shots (shot pretty well too). All I’ve got to say is I am completely satisfied with the set up was easier than any tree stand that I’ve ever used, the materials are top quality, the saddle is made right here in the US of A, and the customer service has been second to none. Dane even contacted me today to figure out if I enjoyed my first sit in my saddle. I’m blown away and a little ashamed I didn’t get into saddle hunting sooner, but at the same time I feel that this is the right time, right when a game changer hit the market. I think the more people that try these the more people will make the switch, Dane is going to be a very busy man and the saddle community is gonna be better for it.
Oh by the way just a little sidenote I put the saddle on in my kitchen. I got into the car without realizing I had it on drove to Rogers hung out in a tree, and drove back before taking the saddle off forgetting many times it was a right there.
Alright, to conclude let’s see if I can clear some things up I am going to do some common questions that I’ve read on the Internet and see if I can explain them.
Does the material make noise?
All things make noise pretty much. With that said the material is very quiet it’s a very soft soft ripstop nylon
How does the hammock affect bow clearance?
It doesn’t. I was able to shoot my 58 inch recurve with ease in all manner of positions.
How easy is it to move into various positions?
It is possible to go from and Eberhart type overlapped saddle you sit on to a full-fledged cocoon with almost no effort, no time,
Can I run my beloved dump pouches?
Yes it’s very easy to do; you could attach them to the loop de loop. There is plenty of excess Molle on the belt itself. However the pouch is a dump pouch it’s self. The hammock pouch is able to hold a 13 mm tether a lineman‘s line both carabiners leg straps etc. no issue.
Why is it so expensive?
When you think about it you’re getting a safety harness, hammock (fullback support instead of just a backstrap), a large dump pouch, American made, and local business.
I wish I could say more about how much I like this setup and I don’t plan on running anything else anytime soon. Feel free to ask any questions that you’d like I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer them, as I am just starting out. Here are a few pictures for you. I will continue to update you more as these are just my initial thoughts. I plan on using this all season long and will do a second part to this review that is much more detailed when I know more and have sat multiple all days sits in it.
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