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Treehopper Sling Review

Sticknstring88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2016
Messages
233
I placed an order over the phone with Mark at Treehopper early last week for some of the new strap on steps and a sling. Mark was nice enough to go ahead and ship the sling to me ahead of the steps which he told me would probably ship this week.

My first impression upon opening the package was that the build quality/sewing is very good. My next thought was how the heck do I use this thing! I have used/tried almost every commercial saddle available, but had never handled an Anderson style sling so it just looked like a mess of webbing to me. I read Tom’s thread and found where he said to hold it by the bridge and it would hand tangle free. Once i did that it didn’t seem like such a mess and I was able to put it on without too much trouble.

The belt is a bit different from what is on most saddles these days but it really easy to use. You simply pull the tag end on each side and it tightens up nicely. It pulls both panels of webbing up tight which is needed for walking in or climbing.

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Climbing with the sling is comparable to most other saddles. I find the linesman loops to be well placed and far enough forward to see and reach easily. Once at height, I installed my tether and connected to my bridge as normal. With the belt still tight, the bridge plates are sucked in tight making it uncomfortable, so the belt needs to be loosened once tethered in. Once I loosened the belt, it was easy to move the two panels of webbing wherever I wanted them.

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Saddle comfort is a very individual thing, but in my opinion this thing is by far the most comfortable saddle I have used. I have always felt a certain amount of hip pinch with other saddles but don’t feel any with the sling. It’s also nice to be able to move the panels individually to fit your rear. You can move a panel down for more leg support or the top panel up as a back rest. I still think the most comfortable position is probably the traditional one where the saddle just cradles your butt, but it is nice to be able to change it up when a change of position is needed. The webbing bridge is adjustable by taking your weight off of the saddle but I found it so comfortable where it was set that I haven’t moved it. When I had a Aerohunter Evolution I always liked being able to change the bridge length on the fly. This one isn’t quite as easy to adjust while sitting in the saddle, but it is nice to have options. Looking forward to more tree time with this one!
 
Thanks for the review. I've got one sitting at the house but I'm 2,000 miles away :( How do dump pouches feel on it while walking and climbing?
 
Thanks for the review. I've got one sitting at the house but I'm 2,000 miles away :( How do dump pouches feel on it while walking and climbing?

Not sure yet! I have been trying to get away from having so much stuff on my saddles, so haven’t even installed any pouches yet. I don’t anticipate it being any different than any other saddle.


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I ordered one with the amsteel circle plates. The sling feels exactly like my modified Anderson other than the way the belt is attached. Very quality stitching. Not sure about the molle loops. I'm sure they would work to some extent. Once tethered in, you loosen up the belt, not sure how that will affect the pouches. One thing about the amsteel plates, which I was aware of going into it having contacted Mark personally, was the bridge wasn't finished. Maybe they will be in the future? But he did throw in some amsteel for me to splice myself.
 
Thanks for the review. I've got one sitting at the house but I'm 2,000 miles away :( How do dump pouches feel on it while walking and climbing?
I just received mine today. The loops alternated flat, tight loop to big loop. Good idea to mix up the loop size for different options. I have to find my sys hauler tomorrow to check it out. Mine had leg loops too. One installed and the other in the package. The flat molle loop is really tight.

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The belt...
I will give input for guys familiar and for guys not familiar with the Anderson style sling.
1st, its pretty much mandatory that the belt attaches thru the plates (or the oval rings on a true Anderson). All straps go thru those plates, so having the belt attach thru the plates ensures the entire sling pulls tight when the belt is cinched. If the belt attached to one of the straps, then only a portion of the sling would cinch tight. That is an important part of the design.
Like @Bwhana says...its amazing how right they got the original Anderson.
But I will say, they belt connection was right, but I hated the belt itself.
Mark and I have been butting heads a little about how the belt should be.
Im convinced it needs to be an elastic or shock cord style belt. That style will be self tightening and self adjusting. I made a crude mod with an opening, shock cord belt and it works well. It cost me about $1.
I will actually be seeing Mark tomorrow and I can demonstrate my mod to him 1st hand. I think he is already starting to warm up to the concept of an elastic style belt. Its a minor fix to a vital function. That belt must be tight for walking and climbing, and then it needs to loosen while tethered...and it needs to be EASILY adjustable when going from one function to to the other.
My mod accomplishes that.
I just need to convince Mark. I believe he will see it my way when he sees it in person.
IMO, tweak the belt and the sling will be perfect.
 
Just got mine today. Initial thought, seems comfortable. Takes a learning cure to figure out, I’m still in that curve. Still haven’t figured out leg loops exactly. Keep in mind I’ve only got about 20 minutes with this thing. But the top portion seems to want to sag, without any bags in it already, maybe something I’m doing wrong. I would really like to see a video of someone using it that knows what there doing...
 
The belt...
I will give input for guys familiar and for guys not familiar with the Anderson style sling.
1st, its pretty much mandatory that the belt attaches thru the plates (or the oval rings on a true Anderson). All straps go thru those plates, so having the belt attach thru the plates ensures the entire sling pulls tight when the belt is cinched. If the belt attached to one of the straps, then only a portion of the sling would cinch tight. That is an important part of the design.
Like @Bwhana says...its amazing how right they got the original Anderson.
But I will say, they belt connection was right, but I hated the belt itself.
Mark and I have been butting heads a little about how the belt should be.
Im convinced it needs to be an elastic or shock cord style belt. That style will be self tightening and self adjusting. I made a crude mod with an opening, shock cord belt and it works well. It cost me about $1.
I will actually be seeing Mark tomorrow and I can demonstrate my mod to him 1st hand. I think he is already starting to warm up to the concept of an elastic style belt. Its a minor fix to a vital function. That belt must be tight for walking and climbing, and then it needs to loosen while tethered...and it needs to be EASILY adjustable when going from one function to to the other.
My mod accomplishes that.
I just need to convince Mark. I believe he will see it my way when he sees it in person.
IMO, tweak the belt and the sling will be perfect.
If possible, when you get the belt ironed out, could you post your DIY solution? I tried one stick climbing today and I had to quit because of the top falling down. I did not feel safe, the saddle kept sliding down.

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