Saddle as a safety harness

[jj554]

I see more hunters using a hybrid system with a small mobile stand and a saddle which makes for a versatile set up. Is there any reason that a saddle would be less secure than a full harness when hunting from a normal stand position with your back to the tree? Normally when saddle hunting the tension on the rope is constant so you can't really fall. Assuming you would fall straight down due to equipment failure, how would the semi slack rope attached to your saddle affect the position you land in?

 

[ResearchinStuff]

There's not a great way to connect the back of most saddles to the tree, so if you want to spend your time that way any fall is also going to include a 180 degree twist. Can't imagine that's fun.

 

[The_Jim]

Saddle as a safety harness sounds like a terrible idea. There’s a reason OSHA requires a 5 point harness for fall protection and banned the waist belt harness years ago.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

Most accidents happen while climbing. You’re already facing the tree. But what happens when you have a failure and you’re not facing the tree. You’ll fall, duh, but how you gonna get up to relieve the pressure the legs straps will put on you with a 5 point harness. Depending on your stand you may be stuck dangling 20 feet high with your tie off point above your head. I don’t know that’s there’s a great solution, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use one. Summit makes a tree strap that’s compatible for either a standard harness or a rock climbing harness.

 

[Houseminer]

I've done it a few times, mostly because the stands are there and my archon is more comfortable than any other stand I've been in. I hunt em just like if I'm saddle hunting usually, I actually feel safer that way than with a safety harness. I'd probably rather fall in a harness but i always keep the tether taught and only loosen it up to turn around. Generally if I'm doing that I use my rappel rope so I could drop down if I did fall.

 

[LostArra]

Sounds like it would be similar to using my rock climbing harness with a lot more material under your butt. Should work fine though.

I plan on trying a saddle on a tree where I have a ladder stand. When the leaves drop it's too exposed so I plan on putting a small platform on the backside of the tree and hang from the saddle.

 

[Macintosh]

It’ll be better in a rock climbing harness—the saddle bridge is somewhat problematic for sitting, at minimum its in the way. I sometimes do this with a stand, and will alternate between standing a la saddle and sitting, and while a saddle works its not ideal. A rock climbing harness wont be as comfortable when leaning, but its more versatile in this regard. They are safe, but if youre going to fall there is nothing to keep you upright, so just know what it will and wont do and be prepared to deal with that.

 

[LostArra]

if youre going to fall there is nothing to keep you upright, so just know what it will and wont do and be prepared to deal with that.

Pardon the hijack:
Years ago when I started using the rc harness I set it up about 5' off the ground and tried to get upside down. I finally did it but it was not easy. It was simple to get back upright. Body types do matter and rc harness is not for everyone.

 

[Macintosh]

Correct, if worn correctly it will hold you even upside down, and most people wont flip upside down without trying, but it is possible. Depending on body type and how you fall its not unlikely—a very heavy dude will have a hard time with a rock climbing harness for a variety of reasons, someone with a more athletic build it’ll probably work great. Either way (rc harness vs saddle used as a tree stand harness) you are using equipment that was not specifically designed for the exact type if falls and loads you would encounter. Both are plenty “strong” but they also both have limitations, (example, the bridge on a saddle designed for static load versus a dynamic fall) so its good to understand what the differences are and how that could affect them in use, and go into it clear-eyed. Thats all Im saying.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

Correct, if worn correctly it will hold you even upside down, and most people wont flip upside down without trying, but it is possible. Depending on body type and how you fall its not unlikely—a very heavy dude will have a hard time with a rock climbing harness for a variety of reasons, someone with a more athletic build it’ll probably work great. Either way (rc harness vs saddle used as a tree stand harness) you are using equipment that was not specifically designed for the exact type if falls and loads you would encounter. Both are plenty “strong” but they also both have limitations, (example, the bridge on a saddle designed for static load versus a dynamic fall) so its good to understand what the differences are and how that could affect them in use, and go into it clear-eyed. Thats all Im saying.

Tying off with a rock climbing harness or saddle, should you fall or have a stand failure, if you use a lifeline or similar setup you can repel out of the tree and be just fine. Try that with a 5 point harness with your tie off point above your head, with your legs quickly pooling with blood. My understanding is you have about 5 minutes before that situation gets dangerous. The odds of turning upside, no matter how big you are, is pretty slim. Outside of a head injury, your tie off point is at the waist and you can just grab your line and pull yourself up. I will agree with how the harnesses are designed and their strengths in regard to shock.

 

[JCMCUBIC]

I always use a saddle now, regardless of if I'm using a platform, lockon, or climber. I keep the tether semi-tight when seated or standing facing way from tree....semi-tight as in I can rotate, but if the stand dropped out from under me it would only be 6"+/- to tension. Worn like that, a saddle makes it almost impossible to fall...just leaning out away from tree gives a balance point. If facing the tree then it's under tension like normal use. One hand adjustable prussic makes adjustment easy.

I doubt I'll ever wear a classic safety harness again.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

I’ve used my saddle with no problem. Have the newest iteration that Tethrd has out and with the pockets, didn’t see any reason to go back to a harness.

I’ll often climb a pre-set ladder stand and just carry my platform to get on the back side of the tree. Sometimes I’ll take one of my climbing sticks to get a bit more elevation. Our good ladder stands are all doubles, and at least 15 feet off the ground


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jj554]

Thanks for the input everyone. I think the reason I was unsure about how the saddle would handle a fall was because I was assuming the slack in the tether would be similar to that of a full harness. My full harness always has a little slack because of the length of the tail but it has some elastic built in to soften the impact of a fall. It sounds like you guys using saddles are able to keep the tether much tighter without impacting your ability to maneuver so the distance you have to fall would be marginal, but if you are facing forward you would still have to deal with a sudden twist as the tether tightens.

 

[Macintosh]

The elastic doesnt soften anything load-wise, it only serves to keep the loose tether more contained so it isnt in your way as much.

The difference is that the tether on a tree stand harness is directly attached, ie its sewn on and tested to a dynamic load. The bridge is usually held in place with a friction knot and is designed for a static load—big difference. I am not aware that there is any standardization at all in how strong a saddle bridge is supposed to be. Some might be plenty strong, others not so much.

 

[houser52]

I started using a rock climbing harness 12-14 years ago. I’m 72 years old now and still use one while hunting out of a lock on or ladder stand. Most recently just this past hunting season.

I practiced falling out of the stand quite a lot from a low height and I can easily climb back onto the stand. Keep in mind that falling will not be like bungee jumping if you keep the tether slack to a minimum.

Here‘s an older pic of my basic setup although I use a different harness and tether now but still setup the same way.

 

[Btaylor]

The elastic doesnt soften anything load-wise, it only serves to keep the loose tether more contained so it isnt in your way as much.

The difference is that the tether on a tree stand harness is directly attached, ie its sewn on and tested to a dynamic load. The bridge is usually held in place with a friction knot and is designed for a static load—big difference. I am not aware that there is any standardization at all in how strong a saddle bridge is supposed to be. Some might be plenty strong, others not so much.

Standards are being worked on but not finalized at this point.

 

[Btaylor]

Regardless of whether you use a traditional FBH, saddle or RCH, everyone should be practiced and prepared for self rescue. That may be as simple as never climbing without a lineman's rope that could quickly be fashioned into a tether with a footloop to either recover or descend when paired with any of the saddle or harness options.

 

[jj554]

The elastic doesnt soften anything load-wise, it only serves to keep the loose tether more contained so it isnt in your way as much.

The difference is that the tether on a tree stand harness is directly attached, ie its sewn on and tested to a dynamic load. The bridge is usually held in place with a friction knot and is designed for a static load—big difference. I am not aware that there is any standardization at all in how strong a saddle bridge is supposed to be. Some might be plenty strong, others not so much.

That makes sense. I have what's called a shock pack on the end of my lanyard. It's wrapped in some kind of vinyl or something so it feels rubbery. I never put it to the test but they are sold as 'shock absorbing lanyards.'

 

[jj554]

Regardless of whether you use a traditional FBH, saddle or RCH, everyone should be practiced and prepared for self rescue. That may be as simple as never climbing without a lineman's rope that could quickly be fashioned into a tether with a footloop to either recover or descend when paired with any of the saddle or harness options.

If you have climbing sticks or a ladder and your tether is tied to the trunk, how can you get stuck, apart from knocking yourself unconscious? There was a guy at my local gamelands who had to be rescued because he wasn't able to get back up but I don't know what kind of set up he had.

 

[Btaylor]

If you have climbing sticks or a ladder and your tether is tied to the trunk, how can you get stuck, apart from knocking yourself unconscious? There was a guy at my local gamelands who had to be rescued because he wasn't able to get back up but I don't know what kind of set up he had.

In the fall, you could dislodge or knock the top stick off or out of reach. You could also fall to the opposite side of the tree or stand and not be able to reach the sticks. Top stick could break as you are transitioning to or from the stand. Etc.