Have heard about it but have seen no links to it. One of the guys from the saddlehunter is designing it, correct ???
I am still sticking with my sitdrag and rock harness for now. Cost me 75 bucks. Pete
If you're carrying your climbing gear, your sling/saddle AND a platform, why wouldn't you just hang a light weight stand instead? Wouldn't it be a lot more comfortable and safe? I don't see the advantage. What am I missing??
As far as safety goes, the saddle is also your harness. Your full weight is held by the harness at all times, so there is no risk of slipping from a stand and waiting for the harness to abruptly stop you, likely swinging you into the tree during the process.
In my mind it's the ultimate mobile hunting setup. While I haven't hunted from it yet, I have spent hours hanging from trees shooting arrows.
arch2112's Link
The Guidos is heavier but more comfortable saddle, it has a crutch to hold you off of the tree and you sit in it instead of leaning. I mostly lean in my sitdrag but that requires a better platform. I use an XOP Hand Climber, see below. Guidos is under new ownership, John is working on a new version of the Guidos, it looks promising, but keep in mind that the Guidos is the luxury model of saddles it’s comfortable but heavier and hotter.
http://www.guidosoutdoors.com/
Kestrel by New Tribe(Long time Arborist harness Manf. Company), looks awesome, good reviews, but expensive, 225 for just the saddle or 334 to add the tether, lineman belt, and back strap.
**Update, they just came out with a mesh version which could be sweet for those southern hunters**
https://aerohunter.us/store/
Mantis is the newest saddle on the market, it was just released. It looks like a lighter simpler version of the Kestrel and it’s made out of mesh. It is going for $199 right now.
https://tethrdnation.com/product/mantis-saddle/
SitDrag, this is what I have, it's super cheap($33 I think) but only made for sitting at ground level, combined with a rock climbing harness, it's a great way to get started and pretty cheap(I already had a rock climbing harness).
http://www.sitdrag.com/home.html
I loved my lonewolf climber but tired of having to find telephone pole straight trees in a sea of twisted/multi trunk/branched trees. so I went to a light weight hang on and climbing steps...but still struggled at times to 'find the right tree' or get comfortable etc. and also tired of having the deer come from unexpected directions and inevitably end up in an unshootable spot.
I found the saddle way more flexible for setups, and with my rock climbing hobby, more natural feeling hanging facing the tree rather than facing out. I like the ability of using your stand tree as cover (moving around the trunk to hide, etc). I 'feel' safer in my saddle than I ever did in a harness.
I also like the fact that with steppladder steps and a saddle, everything I need can be packed down small in a bag for travel and be ready to go and hunt anywhere without harming a tree or alerting others to my chosen stand sight.
so like I said....its all in what works for you.
I am dead serious (perhaps a poor choice of words) when I say I feel safer in my kestrel than on any stand with my SOTP harness.
Currently the Mantis saddle and Predator platform are being safety & strength tested at an independent facility in Minnesota. The lab is putting the gear through a series of tests which will tell us the maximum strength of the equipment. It will also allow us to put a weight/load limit on both the saddle and platform. We expect the load limit of both items to be in the 300-500 lb range. We expect the Mantis to test at well over 5,000 lbs and the Predator to test between 500-800 lbs.
We were delayed due to scheduling of the testing facilities. This is the reason you don't have your gear in your hands yet. We chose to delay shipping in order to ensure safety. We could have shipped untested products, but that is a bad idea. Returning home after a hunt is far more important than a few extra practice sessions in the back yard before deer season.
The good news is you will still have your gear in time for hunting season. Those few states that open in early September (I'm looking at you South Carolina, Kentucky, Nebraska, Wyoming, etc.) may be slightly impacted, but if your season opens sometime after mid-September, you're gear will be in your hands well in advance.
As of now we're looking at delivery times ranging from the last few days of July to mid-August for orders placed between late May - mid June. If you ordered after mid-June, you'll receive your gear from mid-late August. At the end of August we anticipate being 100% caught up on pre-orders and fully stocked and ready to ship items as soon as the order is placed.
Thank you so much for the support! We've been blown away at the encouragement and good vibes saddle nation has thrown our way. You guys are amazing and are making all the hard work and stress worth it. Designing, engineering, and PRODUCING, the greatest saddle hunting gear in the history of mankind (how's that for an accomplishment), couldn't have been possible without your support. You guys are the best.
Ernie & Greg
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Right now i"m sold on the saddle concept and wild edge steps.
I am all for a saddle meeting. Would be my first! Maybe when the Mantises arrive!
I bought 10 WE Stepps. This should get me to 20' if I wish to use all 10 "normally".
However, I can achieve the same or height with Peter's knaider/swaider method with half the stepps. Then I would have enough for a platform of 2-4 stepps.
Absolute minimums? 4 Stepps to get to 20' using Peter's method. 2 Stepps for a platform.
Shipping update What's up Saddle maniacs? It's time for another Tethrd shipping update, and I'll just cut right into it.
First of all, the Predator platforms are delayed due to the ZipCam strap. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR! It's frustrating to have all these beautifully engineered, homegrown, USA born & bred, aluminum deer killing masterpieces ready to go only to be held up by a polyester strap! It's a super strong strap, but it's just a strap...and it's not even camo!!!!
We're told the straps will be ready by the first part of next week. Meanwhile your Predators are sitting quietly in the Tethrd World Headquarters (aka Ernie's basement) begging to be strapped to a tree. As soon as we have the ZipCam strap, boom, Predators are shipped.
Nearly all of our hold ups have been from our sewing contractor. It's not totally their fault and here's why. We selected them because they're an ISO (International Standards Organization) credentialed facility. They are more expensive and they take longer than other sew shops because of all the safety checks and quality control practices they MUST abide by in order to maintain their certification. This is good and bad. It's good because our lives are on the line, literally and figuratively, and we want to take every precaution possible when it comes to strength and safety. However, it's thrown more than one monkey wrench in our timeline. For that, we apologize. However, we know it will be worth the delay in the end. You will receive a quality, strong, and most of all, safe product that has been inspected over and over to ensure all standards are met. Did I mention this is all done right here in the USA?
The Mantis Saddles are in the final stages of production. We expect to begin taking delivery of those next week, and we are shipping as soon as they come off the line. Ernie and his saddle minions have decided to burn vacation days (aka rut hunting days) in order to ship this stuff as fast as humanly possible. Our anticipated timeline hasn't changed. We expect to get a lot of you your saddles by mid-august, and be totally caught up with orders by the end of the month. It may spill slightly over into September, but that's something we're working hard to avoid.
We've also been putting goodies in every single box to make up for the delays. I'm not going to tell you what they are...but we think you'll like them.
Finally, we found another test machine for the Mantis. It looks like we'll be able to get a full strength test done soon. But don't worry...this won't hold up shipping. And when the Mantis breaks this one too...we'll make sure to let you know.
We sound like a broken record saying "thank you for the support" over and over again, but the support and the "atta-boys" have been outstanding. Thank you guys so much. Our shared dream of hunting with the best saddle hunting equipment in the world is right around the corner. It's so very close!
Greg & Ernie
Tethrd nation - it's time for another update. It's been a little longer on this update because we were waiting for verification on some really good news.
And the good news is: we received ALL OUR ACCESSORIES! That's right, all of them! SYS Haulers, Microfit Adjusters, Mantis Recliners and SBW Heaters are all in stock and shipping NOW! They turned out amazing! Some of you have already started to receive them and the feedback is great. We also have some video instructions in the works for the Mantis Recliner and the SBW Heater since those aren't quite as intuitive as the SYS Hauler. Look for those videos to be released on the Tethrd Nation YouTube channel this week.
Mantis XL – we are caught up with all orders and have a small amount of inventory. Mantis L – These have seen the biggest increase in production and we will be caught up on all orders by the end of October. Mantis M – These are coming in a bit slower and will be caught up in the first part of November. Predator Platform – The manufacturer ran into delays and we're expecting our next shipment by the end of this week and another big shipment at the end of next week. After we receive the second shipment, we will be totally caught up and have a small amount of inventory. Lineman Belts – in stock, ready to ship. Tethers – in stock, ready to ship. Carabiners – in stock, ready to ship. Ropemans – SOLD OUT. Not due in for 6 weeks. MicroFit Adjusters – in stock, ready to ship. SYS Haulers – in stock, ready to ship. SYS Haulers ES – in stock, ready to ship. Mantis Recliners – in stock, ready to ship. SBW Heaters – in stock, ready to ship.
For those of you who received partial orders, we're deep in the process of catching up on those now. We're sending out hundreds of boxes a week until we get caught up. Ernie hired a bunch of people to help expedite the shipping process so you guys get your gear as fast as humanly possible.
As you can see, we're slowly but surely getting Tethrd gear in the mail. Has it been an ideal process? Certainly not. We wish the process would have gone much more smoothly and quickly. However, we've done our best to keep you informed and get boxes out the door just as fast as humanly possible. Ernie, Val (Ernie's wife), and their Minnesota crew have been working their saddles off to get everything boxed and shipped. They're the true heroes of this operation! Try to keep in mind that we had no idea this experiment would attract so many hunters. We only had goals of getting the best gear into the hands of a few saddle hunters. It's humbling how many want to join the Tethrd Nation. Talk about a surprise!!!!
We'll send out another update soon. Thanks for the support! Now get out there and arrow a chasing buck!
Greg & Ernie
