Both have a use but I can be more comfortable in my climber and feel safer. So I will be in my Tree Lounge or my M100 off of sticks.

 

I don’t think you’ll ever beat the comfort of a climber. But I love my saddle for the tree variety I could get in. I felt like I was a lot faster and quieter getting to hunting height in the saddle too.

 

I saddle and climber hunted for 3 seasons. I sold my saddle stuff. All too often I had difficulty or simply couldn't get into a good shooting position,do it quickly enough and/or do it without a lot of movement. The saddle was too limiting to suit me and my hunting environment.

If you hunt predominantly areas where you can see very well and typically have time to prepare for shot opportunities the saddle may work for you. I use an open front climber (Summit Open shot) with a rock climbing harness and can shoot anywhere almost immediately. Of course, a climber limits the trees you can even climb. But the saddle limits your ability to get in a shooting position in a timely manner AND adjust as needed easily. I can be in my climber for over 12 hours multiple days in a row. I couldn't do more than 5 or 6 hours in my saddle on a good day.

The big thing for me was how restrictive the saddle set up is compared to a wide open platform where I can move efficiently. For climber hunting the rock climbing harness and the Summit Open Shot seat and bigger Summit platform is the key for me. I've shot a lot of deer inside of 20 yards while just 12-13' up a tree in my climber. I don't know if I would have been able to get in position for a shot if I had been in a saddle, too much movement would have been necessary in a short amount of time.

Saddle hunting has been around for I know 40 years. It's not for everyone but it's definitely right for some. My favorite part of saddle hunting was rappelling down! If you don't "one stick" climb and rappell down you are missing out.

 

This is pretty much me, I gave it four seasons and tried four completely different saddle setups and it just wasn't for me. I hate hanging sticks and do NOT feel safe during the hanging process and a lineman rope is almost useless in a fall. Other than hating sticks I just really had a hard time getting comfortable and I constantly moved and fidgeted trying to get comfortable.

The Tethrd guys, the Cruzr guys and the Trophyline guys came out to our club for demos. Being an officer/board member I was privy to a lot of time with them one on one the day before the rest of the public came out. They set up my equipment how they thought would be perfect for me. The first 15 minutes was fine but I rarely only hunt 15 minutes.

I don't get many "run out and get a quick hunt" in situations. When I get a day to hunt I take that whole day because I'm not sure when the next will be. I had a really hard time doing an all day hunt in a saddle. The mobile thing was taken out of the equation for me because if I climbed a tree and wished I was in another I wasn't climbing down and re hanging due to my disdain for sticks. So there wasn't much benefit to me to give up the comfort.

I can be up and down a tree in a climber in no time.

 

I tried a sit and climb style stand and got rid of it and stuck to my saddle. I'm not limited as to what trees I can climb with my saddle, less bulk to pack in, and I can climb a lot quieter. I feel safer in my saddle that I did in the climber.

 

I don’t think it which is better, it’s what each bring to the table, then you have personal preference. Check out reviews and dismiss any review that their choice is the only option.
Just like hang ons and ground seats, they are different tools for different tasks.
Climbers are much less involved with extra gear and technique, often a good choice for beginners.

 

I’ve never tried saddle hunting, I have used a climber before and it’s not bad. But my preferred stand is my lone wolf hang on stand. I can take that thing anywhere

 

Both have their pros and cons. With a saddle, I love the freedom and ability to use almost any tree, It's also lighter and easier to carry, but it takes some practice to get the hang of it. On the other hand, a climber is generally more comfortable for longer sits, and I feel a bit more secure in it. It's also quicker to set up in some cases, but you're limited to straight trees. For me, it's situational, I use the saddle for mobility and the climber for comfort and convenience

 

I use both depending on the situation. If I have a straight perfect tree I am going to hunt I will use my climber any other tree or going in blind I will take the saddle for being able to climb any tree makes this easier.

 

I have some back issues and much prefer the saddle to my summit viper. In the summit I can't sit or stand for long periods of time. My saddle takes pressure off of the right spots and gives me way more comfort and makes all day sits a breeze.

 

To each their own style.

I tried saddle hunting but gave it up and sold it on marketplace. The main reason I gave it up is the strain it puts on my knees, thighs, and calves. I have jumped out of airplanes, with a parachute of course, and still I didn't feel comfortable in a saddle, cruzr Archon, with linesman rope and tether. Just getting up the tree hanging the steps was enough to raise a sweat even on cold days. Another thing is if you have to do a number 2, while up a tree, you have to decend down, remove the saddle and ropes, do your business, then re-attach everything and start climbing again.

At least with a climber you can use wheels to roll it in and then climb feeling more secure when you tether off and have the platform set on the tree. Yes you can accidently drop the platform but with ropes on it to you seat it will not go far.

And my choice is a ground blind. Easy to pack in, camouflage, and have the ability to move around to get the old butt comfortable from time to time.

 

I use a lone wolf hand climber seat as a base and a saddle to climb. Move tether up and sit and climb. It's worked good for the few guys that hunt with us.

 

Saddle for me.

 

Honestly, it depends on the type of ride. For climbing, I love the climber. But if I’m doing a long-distance ride, the saddle is the way to go.

 

The saddle wins the versatility battle hands down. I got tired of spending too much time searching for the right tree with the climber.

 

Depends on how thick the walk is, how far, if I’ve been there before and know what tree I’m going to use. If it’s a relatively easy walk and good trees I’ll use the climber for longer sits, outside of that I’m saddle which is probably 90% of the time