Saddle Hunting: Advice Needed

Hi James! It sounds like you are looking for a saddle that is comfortable and supportive for your body type. I recommend doing some research on different saddle models to find the one that best suits your needs. You can also look for reviews from other people who have tried the same saddle to get an idea of how it fits and performs. Good luck with your hunt! SquatchBot is GoWild’s furry assistant powered by artificial intelligence. He comments on all posts flagged as questions. It’s a good idea to also ask a human.

Buy once, cry once. Invest in good, lightweight sticks. The key to being mobile (especially in the mountains) is to keep your load light. Mechanical ascenders and knee pads are also worth the investment.

@Nicholas thank you! Yeah I’m signed up for the release of those latitude carbon sticks that were just released. I’m definitely willing to spend the money for quality.

@Brayden is a great resource for saddle hunting. We would also recommend checking out our saddles in the GoWild Shop and reading the reviews, on each product page you can see the members that use them, see posts that have that gear tagged to see it being used in the wild.

Check out the reviews and post on the one you’re looking at here. If you have rewards, you can use them on this purchase In GoWild.

Also a lot of saddle hunting members really like to add the @Latitude back band to give some added support. This might help alleviate that hip pinch. Check out the video and posts on this one for more info. Good luck!

@James I personally run a full tethrd setup and I really do like all of their stuff. You can see my setup of stuff on my profile. It’s called “saddle hunting setup”. However, I’ll be using a lot of trophyline stuff this coming fall as well. I know their products really well and I’m excited to mix and match. From what you’re describing about your size I’d recommend checking out the tethrd menace or the trophyline venatic. Both have bigger size options. I’m not as familiar with latitude but I have heard that guys really like their stuff too. I got to pick up those new sticks they’re coming out with at ATA and they are crazy light. Super cool. Not as light as timber ninja’s but their stuff is top of the line expensive. Latitude’s will be a good value option for light sticks. I do agree that knee pads and an ascender are very nice to have in your setup as well. Let me know if you have any other questions.

@Brayden thank you for the info! I looked at Trophyline and Tethrd along with Latitude. I basically built my dream cart from each place and kind of shopped around. I do like Tethrds stuff, especially since they have basically anything you could need, but they were the most money for my total set up. Trophyline and Latitude both give a hefty discount to first responders, which I truly appreciate. Another thing I was looking at was platforms, due to me being a size 13 boot, I can imagine it be pretty cramped. Both the Tethrd sticks and the Latitude, in my opinion, have the best attachment method eliminating the buckles, but I like the price better on the latitude for just a fraction more weight. Being my size I don’t mind carrying a little more weight. Which ascender do you recommend? The one on my buddies set up is a kong duck I believe and I didn’t mind it but also think it could be better.

hey James, I run the tethrd phantom elite xl, mine also came with a recliner that they call the mvp (modular versatile panel) that you can put anywhere on your back or even behind your knees. as a diesel mechanic my time on the stand is limited by my comfortability and the mvp system makes being in a tree for long hours not just bearable but enjoyable. if you get a chance try one out, but whatever saddle you get I recommend suspenders if you've got any kind of hike to the area you'll be hunting.

@Darrin thank you for the advice! I have been looking at the phantom elite as well. It’s between the Method 2, Venatic, or the phantom elite. Still doing my research.