They are a tool. Period. Advertising would like you to believe you're a better hunter using one. You ain't. I've had 6 of them and sold them all.
Yes you can rifle hunt. The tree makes a great rest.
You rest your knees against the tree when in a sitting position. Knee pads make this bearable.
3. None that I know of. There just a super lightweight nimble system.
Two of the biggest perks your gunna hear are total bull. 1, I got picked off more in a saddle. Most people I know tend to move around more in the saddle. Not only that, you have a huge blindspot behind you when deer come in unknowingly. A tree stand completely hides that Blindspot by putting a tree behind you AND as they face you you have the tree to breakup your outline.
And 2, you'll hear the saddle has better 360 degree shooting. I have never not once struggled in hundreds of sits with a loc on to shoot a deer because of the angle. Vice versa in the saddle, if you face the tree and have to shoot to your 2-6 o'clock sucks. It requires a great deal of movement to get into that awkward position.
4. Comfort is extremely subjective. There's a lot of older guys whose backs cannot tolerate a hang on and the saddle let's them enjoy hunting again. For myself, I find a tree stand more comfortable. Can't stand my knees going into the tree with any kneepad.
I want to emphasize again a hangon and saddle is just a tool. Neither will make you an "elite" hunter. Hunting land with more and better bucks is all that matters. Period

 

I hunt out of everything, saddles, loc on, climbers, and on the ground. A saddle is a tool plain in simple and far from an end all do all.

I agree with everything said above about movement, being picked off, and shooting ability. The last one I shot in a saddle was on my weak side and I was so twisted and contorted to make the shot I twisted off the platform and was literally dangling by the rope. It was a very nice buck so I gritted my teeth and drew and shot him but a nut and some poo dribbled down my pants in the process I believe.

I would never rely on a saddle as my primary system.

They are not much lighter, the saddle weighs about the same as the safety harness you wear with a stand, so no weight savings to speak of. The platform weighs a few lbs less than a light weight stand. Your climbing method is likely the same. Add the knee pads and your basically even.

For me a hang on and sticks will always be #1, then a climber, then a saddle tied with a ghilli or leafy suit and ground chair.

 

Individual results will vary because there's so many different ways to hunt with a saddle.Personally,I like a two piece saddle like a cruiser archon but used a cruiser xc most of last season.I find it way more comfortable than a traditional stand and on par with a Millenium.Yes,you can easily hunt with a rifle out of one.In fact,the tree makes a good rest.Guys wear knee pads because when you actually sit,your knees are against the tree.I hang my Sitka toolbelt in front of me with a seat pad hook to the bottom for the same reason.I climb with one stick and to me,it's faster,lighter and gives me more options.I was trying to teach my 17 year old how to climb with one stick over the weekend and he was struggling.To me,it's easier than hanging multiple sticks.

 

For me, it was almost completely about mobility. If I hunted flat farm land only, I'd probably hunt exclusively from a climber. Just nothing compares to my Summit climber comfort wise. But I hunt almost totally in the mountains, and sometimes have some long walks. My pack with sticks and platform weight less than half that of my climber and gear. I can walk all day with this setup. And I actually feel safer and more secure in a saddle, than I do in a lock on with traditional harness. I sometimes use a hybrid setup of my saddle WITH the lock on for that reason, on the long sits. Because I will admit, it's not real comfortable after 4 hours or so. So the option of sitting on the actual seat is much better. Early season, shorter hunts, I'll just take the saddle platform. I don't wear knee pads, but I do have a pad that fits in my pack that I strap on the tree for my knees.

 

A few things I forgot.

Gun hunting, a saddle makes a little more sense. For one you can lean the rifle against the tree as mentioned, and I have, its a great rest.

#2, you can shoot them before they are in your lap, so movement isn't as critical.

And #3 , they are nice in the regard that most of the stuff fits in a GOOD backpack so you eliminate metallic clanks in brush.

Also, I have experimented with using a loc on and a saddle and it is kind if nice. The saddle will catch you in a fall, but you can turn and lean if needed for comfort or shot opportunity. My windwalker is like 6 or 7 lbs so about the same as my assassin or 2x my predator for weight, but you can sit.

The windwalker is almost too small to sit very long is as a standard hang on.

My 1.0 lwcg and a saddle would be a very nice pair , and I may try it out a little more this year.

My point is they have their place, they are about the same as a loc on , 4-5 for comfort and the movement starts. But, I get busted WAY more out of the saddle, 2 or 3 to 1.

 

I bought a tethrd mantis. I use one stick and RR platform. It definitely doesn’t make climbing and lock-ons obsolete. But if im going to a new area i haven’t scouted on ground, I will probably bring the saddle bc I know I can get in virtually any tree. Once I get back there and if I see a good tree to climb; I’m leaving the saddle at home and bringing my climber. They are a bit awkward to get used to shooting out of at first tho. Definitely have to practice out of them

 

They are not more comfortable than a climber
I have both
I do not use a saddle for comfort
Although my back doesn’t bother me in a saddle but it does in a hang on

I use the saddle for convenience
I get get anywhere in the woods without banging around a climber or hang on
Plus its a lot lighter
Also, I feel safer than using a hang on
Climber your plenty safe

 

I think to really get all of the benefits of a saddle you need to take a minimalist approach. If you’re carrying a large platform and sticks you aren’t saving much weight over a small hang on. Most people also carry a pack to carry it all in. It’s kind of comical seeing the large packs that some saddle hunters are carrying. My Windwalker is 7lbs. That’s only like 4lbs heavier than some platforms. It lacks some modern features but I think I’m going to use that paired with my saddle this season. But it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I have an EDP platform and I just ordered a ring of steps to try. I can keep the ROS in my pack or pocket and hang my stand in one spot and use my ROS in another if needed. I’d also like a climber for longer sits. I’ve been keeping an eye on used Summit Vipers .

 

Yes. And in a JX3 Hybrid you can sit dark to dark... comfy.

JX3 Hybrid Hunting Saddle

The JX3 Hybrid hunting saddle is the deer hunter's all-in-one tree stand. The Hybrid hunting saddle keeps you mobile, lightweight and comfortable for all day sits.

jx3outdoors.com

 

My climber is still my #1 but I picked up some land that had been forested so my climber wasn't working unless I wanted to hunt 6' off the ground. I tried a LW hang on for a hot minute and it was the worst experience of my life. I don't know which was worse - hanging it or having to sit in it.

Although not as comfortable as a climber, if you can sit in a hang on for 30 min, you could live in a saddle.

 

I find my saddle very comfortable. I wear knee pads for when I want to sit down instead of lean and put my knees against the tree. You can definitely rifle hunt from one, but you won't really have anything to rest it on or steady it unless you can use the tree for certain shot angles.

I've never hunted out of a tree stand and just started saddle hunting last year. I want to try a climber because we have lots of straight, limb free trees here in SW Georgia.

 

I'll echo what others have said. A hunting buddy has one and the main benefit is that it fits in a backpack. A climber is easier, faster, and more comfortable, but can be a pain to carry long distances.

 

I think saddles are more comfortable and easier to pack if you don’t go crazy with the accessories. The part I can’t get past is the giant blob of tree in front of me. If you’re setting up to where the deer should travel to your strong side no problem, but if your tree is facing where the deer are coming from I feel like a hang on is better there. I just don’t like packing one in as much, even if the weight difference is small.

 

That's the beauty of the saddle, you can set up your platform wherever you want on the tree so that the deer will have the highest likelihood of coming by your strong side, as long as the tree doesn't have a really bad lean or something. I like have the tree in front of me so I can move around it to hide myself if needed as the deer walks by, or draw my bow behind the tree and then slowly come around to shoot.

 

I'll also add - I'm not sure what brand they are, but the strap-on individual steps my buddy has are a colossal PITA. Either use screw-in steps or buy lightweight climbing sticks.

 

Saddle with a small lock on platform with a seat if you want the ultimate set up. 360 shot angles and you can loosen the tether, turn around and sit down if you get tired.

 

Another tool and an effective one at that Definitly not for everyone but has been a great addition for me. Plain and simple makes me super versatile and allows me to go deeper and let’s me hunt just about anywhere I need to be. People look at it like it’s this new fad but people have been saddle hunting since the 80s but it has really boomed in the past few years.

 

I switched to a saddle a couple of seasons ago and have not used a climber or hang on since. I like to switch up the trees I climb and love the low weight of the saddle and the safety of my climbing system. I am tied in before I even leave the ground.
The learning curve was steeper because I had to learn a new climbing method,but the saddle itself was easy.
I am not sure that a climber is faster if you consider the time it takes to climb down as well. I rappel so only falling is faster than that.
The saddle is the perfect tool for me,but everyone is different.
A couple of seasons ago I got into this giant oak tree that I could barely get my platform strap around even after the trunk branched into two trunks. Not many climbing methods would have allowed me to get into that tree.

 

I'm wanting to find a small climber platform or seat to try out for climbing with my saddle instead of sticks. I'd likely still use my Trophyline EDP platform once at height because it's very stable, but I like the idea of climbing without having to hang sticks.

 

Might want to check out the Barren Ridge "treestand". It's a small climber platform made specifically for saddle hunters.

 

A saddle can double as a safety harness in a regular lock on and allows more flexibility in my opinion.

 

Went through 3, wont be back. I wanted to love it but the reality is its just as much bs to get it all setup as a hang on. I could maybe get up the tree 30 seconds faster. I dont know about you but Im not in a race to see how fast I can climb the tree. Never could I get comfortable.

Thought I had a fairly light system when I was using a locon limit and muddy sticks. Figure thats 16lbs probably, never weighed it out. 3 v2 Tetherd one sticks and a lwcg .5 is roughly 9lbs. Cody, Dan and quite a few other hunters have proven time and time again that 20ft is BS. Its about blending in. If I am going to "run and gun" for me a saddle isnt it. Believe my original lw hand climber comes in at 17lbs with a full molle carry system, if i need to be 20' high ill go 30' with it. Trying to save weight to gain height in any stick or step based system is a fools game.

 

Can your hang on or climber do this?

 

i think im just gonna stick to climbers & loc-ons .. To each their own but im 220lbs and im not wearing a set of knee pads.