# Tree Saddle



## ArrowFlinger (Sep 18, 2000)

About how many strap on steps would I need to get up about 25-30 ft. I usually take my Summit climber between 20-25, then the trees start to narrow and the angle of the platform is off. I would like to cosistantly get to 30ft., so the saddle sounds like a great option.


----------



## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

I agree with John that the Cranford steps are the best on the market, but hanging 12 or 13 of their rope-on steps, although quiet, takes a considerable amount of time. I have found that with the Lone Wolf sticks you only have to attatch 5 straps (instead of 14 ropes) to get 25 feet up.....you are basically hanging 3 steps in the same amount of time as hanging one of the Cranford steps.

The Lone Wolf sticks are quiet, lightweight, very solid on the tree, and also fasten very easily to my Badlands 2200 pack for packing. I gave the rope-ons a chance last year, but from now on I will only be using the Lone Wolf sticks with my Ambush Saddle.

Arrowflinger...to get up 25-30 feet you will need at least 12-14 steps if there are no branches to use. As far as cost, the Cranfords are not a whole lot cheaper than the sticks.....$35 for a four pack from Cabelas. The LW sticks are a great investment....they will last many seasons, and individual replacement parts are also available from Lone Wolf if needed.


----------



## J Eberhart (Jul 27, 2006)

Arrow Flinger

Hunters like to stagger their steps differently. I usually stagger mine about two foot apart, that way it is easy to step up to the next one when it is cold and you have more clothing on yet you do not need a ton of steps. I have seen many people put steps 14 inches apart so that they are like going up a stairs, it makes it easier to climb but uses nearly twice as many steps. The best way is to take 20 steps if you intend on going 25 feet high, and put them in as you go up with a gap that you are comfortable with. Keep in mind that the saddle also has a safety strap which can be used as a climbing strap to keep both hands free while installing steps.

As Ack mentioned some guys like to use sticks or whatever and that is great if you do not mind lugging them around. Since I go into every season with lots of trees ready to hunt I can not use the sticks and leave them in the field. I hunt pressured areas and state land where I rarely know the other hunters and I can not afford to leave sticks on the tree and I surely would not carry them in and set them up every time I was going to hunt. I take out the bottom 4 to 6 steps when I leave and the rest of the steps are left in the tree. That way they steps left in the tree are out of the general line of vision of any other hunters walking through the same area, keeping them from noticing my hunting location. That is another nice thing about the saddle, no stand hanging in the tree for other hunters to see and hunt, or steal.

Everything in hunting is about personal preference that is why so many products are made, you use what is comfortable for you.


----------



## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

J Eberhart said:


> The best steps in every category are made by Cranford.
> 
> Cranford makes the best strap ons for state land and the best screw ins for private land. The best steps for standing on for long periods of time are the Cranford single folds.


JE, you're dead-on here. Just doing a quicky-calculation in my head, I own over 600 Cranford treesteps. Most are rod steps, some are the "single folds", and some are the "ezy" steps. Those Cranford rod steps, with their tapered screws, really are the easiest to screw into a hardwood - even left-handed! They cost more $ than other steps, and they're worth more $.


----------



## buktruk (Jan 15, 2004)

I have the treesuit and the ambush saddle, both have there advantages and disadvantages, but I prefer the Saddle. I have posted in depth on this topic on other threads. If anyone would like to try out and or compare the two, let me know, I would be more than happy to let you check them out etc. I live in Plainwell, between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.


----------

