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Saddle Hunting

Red

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Red Experienced

Red

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I've never saddle hunted before but am very interested in trying it.

I went to to a saddle hunting event a few weeks ago.  The guys hosting the tethered event bright a ton of harnesses and everything to go with them from a bunch of different manufacturers and you could climb some trees to test them out it was very cool.

If they were selling the saddle set ups there I would've bought the tethered phantom xl set up on the spot.  

Feeling and using the different diameter ropes I liked the 8 vs 11.

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BowmanMike Experienced

BowmanMike

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6 hours ago, Versatile_Hunter said:

8mm vs 11mm ropes? Any suggestions?

8 mm is lighter lots of people use it. you need to go down to 6mm or 5mm for cord for your friction hitches on 8mm rope. I have 11.4 mm rope because that is what I started with to do Moving rope system climbing where the rope moves over the branch.  I will see how I like the new system I am learning, and if I like it I will go to 8mm rope. less bulk when you carry it in as well.

There are so many climbing options it is mind boggling. That may be the hardest part to figure out. The saddle itself is easy. Saddlehunter.com is a great resource.

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Versatile_Hunter Experienced

Versatile_Hunter

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2 hours ago, BowmanMike said:

8 mm is lighter lots of people use it. you need to go down to 6mm or 5mm for cord for your friction hitches on 8mm rope. I have 11.4 mm rope because that is what I started with to do Moving rope system climbing where the rope moves over the branch.  I will see how I like the new system I am learning, and if I like it I will go to 8mm rope. less bulk when you carry it in as well.

There are so many climbing options it is mind boggling. That may be the hardest part to figure out. The saddle itself is easy. Saddlehunter.com is a great resource.

Was getting ready to put a system together when I come across the option of upgrading to the 8mm rope on their starter kits. Do little bit of reading and learn that it seems like this is a good move for reading bulk and weight. Then I come across the pissed off people who upgraded but found that their Ropeman1 was not compatible with 8mm rope. I ask myself, wth is a Ropeman1 and why is the 8mm compatible Ropeman2 not on the website? Man, I can see the appeal to this infinitely customizable system but how does one get started? 

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BowmanMike Experienced

BowmanMike

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9 hours ago, Versatile_Hunter said:

Was getting ready to put a system together when I come across the option of upgrading to the 8mm rope on their starter kits. Do little bit of reading and learn that it seems like this is a good move for reading bulk and weight. Then I come across the pissed off people who upgraded but found that their Ropeman1 was not compatible with 8mm rope. I ask myself, wth is a Ropeman1 and why is the 8mm compatible Ropeman2 not on the website? Man, I can see the appeal to this infinitely customizable system but how does one get started? 

Just the basics. Saddlehunters are the tinkering kind and make it their priority to switch stuff out. If you are talking ropes for tether or lineman belts it really doesn't matter because they are fairly short. I was talking about ropes for climbing,like 50 to 80' of rope. I have a ropeman2 that I could sell you since I won't need it anymore. it works with both diameter ropes but is more abrasive on the thick rope.

What would your climbing method be? Sticks? Are you using sticks now?

I decided to rope climb so I wouldn't have to buy sticks,plus the rope is lighter. I looked at NY saddlehunter on you tube. They have good videos for that. DIY sportsman is very informative too.

I bought the phantom saddle,their predator platform and made my own tether and linemans belt from the extra rope I bought to climb with. I think I spent $750 for everything. Quite a bit to get started,but I will never have to buy another tree stand.

And I like the safety aspect of being tied to the tree as soon as my feet leave the ground. And the 360° shot possibilities. And the rappelling down,look out batman.

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Versatile_Hunter Experienced

Versatile_Hunter

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On 8/26/2021 at 5:38 PM, BowmanMike said:

Just the basics. Saddlehunters are the tinkering kind and make it their priority to switch stuff out. If you are talking ropes for tether or lineman belts it really doesn't matter because they are fairly short. I was talking about ropes for climbing,like 50 to 80' of rope. I have a ropeman2 that I could sell you since I won't need it anymore. it works with both diameter ropes but is more abrasive on the thick rope.

What would your climbing method be? Sticks? Are you using sticks now?

I decided to rope climb so I wouldn't have to buy sticks,plus the rope is lighter. I looked at NY saddlehunter on you tube. They have good videos for that. DIY sportsman is very informative too.

I bought the phantom saddle,their predator platform and made my own tether and linemans belt from the extra rope I bought to climb with. I think I spent $750 for everything. Quite a bit to get started,but I will never have to buy another tree stand.

And I like the safety aspect of being tied to the tree as soon as my feet leave the ground. And the 360° shot possibilities. And the rappelling down,look out batman.

I’m leaning towards purchasing the phantom starter kit. I’ve only ever used ladder stands and ground blinds so with the saddle I’ll be purchasing climbing sticks as well. I agree, the cost adds up quickly but this seems like the way to go (compared to a lone wolf hang on). It appears that a saddle is lighter, more comfortable, quicker to use, and maybe safer. In contrasting between the 8mm and 11mm ropes, I was wondering whether there’s any advantage to the thicker rope. If not, 8mm would seem like the best option. 

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sodfather Enthusiast

sodfather

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5 hours ago, Versatile_Hunter said:

For sticks I’m thinking the Hawk Helium. I was looking at the wild edge steps but I think the sticks would be a faster setup. 

I bought those steps and returned them a day later . They are not an easy system to learn . 

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Ajhunter29 Newbie

Ajhunter29

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I used the heliums last year and had no issues with them.  Some people reported issues with bending steps, or suction cups that were too tight.  From recent posts I've seen they are now sending a strap daisy chain instead of a buckle strap so there's no need to upgrade the attachment system any more.  I used 3 mini heliums with 2 step amsteel aiders attached to each stick and it worked great.  I upgraded this year to the tethrd sticks based on the weight savings.  Your question about 8mm vs 11mm...both are strong enough to not worry about them breaking, 11mm is usually cheaper and can be used with a ropeman 1.  The 8mm rope would need either a ct roll n lock or a kong duck for a mechanical device.  There's also the option of just using a friction hitch instead, which is again, cheaper.  

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