Best Tree Saddles

Saddle hunting is exploding in popularity among whitetail bowhunters.

And for good reason, it works!

Keeping you much more mobile than a traditional tree stand and helping you stay quieter...

It's no surprise more and more hunters are making the switch.

As manufacturers try to catch up, there's a flood of options hitting the market.

Here's a summary of the best of the best.

What Are The Advantages Of Saddle Hunting?

Lighter To Carry In

​The first thing that really makes tree saddles stand out is that they are significantly lighter to carry in than most of the other options.

Obviously there's just your standard tree stand which is pretty heavy and for the most part you can only really use these if you own the land in a lot of places you can't leave true stand on public land

so it's the next option after that you're looking in that climber stands which do work the people are successful with them but they are notably heavier than a saddle with a saddle is way lighter to get in and usually quieter

With it being lighter you can go further in to public spots and get away from the crowds…

Which leads into this next point…

Mobile

Saddles are extremely mobile to hunt out of part of this is because of how light they are…

The other part is the way they're set up

If you really take your time you can get set up in a saddle from the base of the tree to up where you're ready to hunt 10 maybe 20 minutes if you’re really taking your sweet time.

Now what that also means is the opposite it only takes 10 or 20 minutes take it down and move to the next spot if where setting up isn't working out

And because like we said earlier it's so light this isn't like a super tiring thing to just get everything pulled down and move to a different spot

With a tree stand after One or two hunts in the stand the deer know where the stand is and there's multiple GPS studies that show that deer just start avoiding the tree stands

Most people that are used in traditional tree stands they aren't moving those every single season so they're pretty easy to pattern and deer just avoid those areas

With the tree saddle hunting you get to move around to where the deer actually are so that you can hunt the big ones

More Shooting Angles Than A Tree Stand

Because of the ways Saddles are set up and how the platform works with your tree tether you can shoot 360° around the tree which gives you way more shooting angles than a regular tree stand wood

Is it going to take some time to get comfortable enough to do that?

Yes

Do you still have to move slowly?

Yes

But that gives you shot opportunities that you wouldn't have otherwise

Customizable

This one really stands out to me because everyone's hunting style is just a little bit different right?

You can really customize your saddle setup to fit your personal style whether that's how you have your actual physical saddle setup with the different bags you like to run on it

If you're running ascenders to make your rope management easier

How you hang your sticks off your saddle all of that

Also what size of sticks you use

How many sticks you use

Do you have two sticks with 3 ft raiders or are you just going to run four climbing sticks straight up

Do you want to be as lightweight as possible and one stick it?

That’s also an option

how they even platform do you want to run

Do you want to run the smallest, lightest platform you can find?

Or do you want to run an XL platform to have a little more wiggle room for your feet?

All that is customizable to fit exactly how you want to hunt

More Setup Options

​Because of the way Saddles are set up you are able to hang them out of slightly crooked trees or trees that have a fork which is something you can't necessarily do in most latter stands or climber stands

That gives you more tree options to get set up in and lets you pick the perfect tree for what you think that big bucks will come by

What Are The Disadvantages Of Saddle Hunting?

Now it can't be all sunshine and rainbows right?

There has to be some drawbacks to saddle hunting so what are they?

Steeper Learning Curve

The first most obvious drawback is that there's a steeper learning curve than setting up a tree stand

Tree stands are extremely straightforward

You find a tree and you lean the stand against it and then ratchet it up climb the ladder get down

With saddles first you have to learn how to get your sticks on there correctly and make sure that they're biting into the trees they don't fall out from under you

then you have to learn how to use the lineman's rope which isn't the most difficult thing but it's not something that's necessarily second nature to everybody

After that you learn how to set your platform up correctly let it is firm against the tree but also at the right angle for you to lean off of

Finally, managing your line man’s rope and your tree tether to make sure that you don't have a slack in there and that it's going to work appropriately the way it needs to work

Is this that difficult no practice it by 5 maybe 10 times if you're really worried about it in your backyard you have it down

The first time you do it hunting maybe do it in the afternoon so you can do it with daylight but other than that you can figure it out it just takes more practice

Not Much Concealment

This downside is really going to depend what you're comparing it to but you don't have a ton of concealment

When you're in a saddle it's about the same as being in a tree stand the big difference is you have a lot more freedom of movement in the saddle so you can move around a lot more and draw more attention to yourself

In most tree stands you're just there, yeah you can move your arms and legs a little bit but there's not a whole lot of movement you can make

With a saddle you can stand up and sit down lean left right do all the movements to be able to shoot around a tree and you can forget that you're out wide in the open and they can see you

To me that's the same kind of thing where it falls under the learning curve…

It's something you're going to get used to the more you do it and be able to move slowly to make it work.

It's definitely worth dealing with for all of the upsides of that your Mobility you're going to have to move around and get into spots that most people can't

What To Look For In A Saddle Set Up

Overall Weight

This is going to vary from person to person on kind of what they're looking for but most Saddles are going to be light they are obviously Saddles that are lighter than others and it's going to come down to balancing the overall weight with a couple other things on this list

If you're the guy that wants the bare bones, lightest setup, you're going to only run one stick with an aider and you're going to keep this as light as humanly possible

…you're going to want to look for the light saddle specifically designed to be extra lightweight, like the Trophyline Covert Ultra

Now usually you’ve got to balance that with things like price and comfort but that's something to keep in mind when you're looking for Saddles.

Comfort

This one's a little tougher to look for because it is going to come down to personal preference a little bit and you can't really try most of these things out unless you have a buddy that has one

That being said between online reviews and what the manufacturers say most of the manufacturers have a saddle that they designate as their comfort series however they choose to word that

But they'll generally have one saddle that is maybe not as light maybe not as many features but it's more comfortable and more adjustable for anyone that prioritizes Comfort a little bit more

Budget

At the end of the day this is really what it all comes down to

Not everyone has a bottomless bank account that can buy as much stuff as they want to test out everything

If you aren't buying a saddle kit I would look at putting more of your budget towards the actual saddle itself to make sure you're getting one that fits that hopefully going to be more comfortable and then saving money on the climbing sticks and the platform

Really what that is going to come down to is your climbing sticks and your platform might be a little bit heavier, slightly bulkier…

Which if you have a tighter budget it's easier to put up with that then paying sometimes twice as much for the lightest sticks that are out there

But there's always a way to work the saddle stuff around to make it work in your budget

Best Tree Saddle For The Money

Tethrd Workhorse Saddle Kit

Tethrd designed the Workhorse line to be exactly that: a Workhorse!

It’s streamlined to stay budget friendly for the newer saddle hunters

They really wanted to emphasize function, not the extra bells and whistles

What makes this set up nice for beginners is the integrated pockets so you don't have to add those on.

The downside to that is you aren’t able to customize your set up as much.

But these pockets are oversized so they hold all of the gear you need, giving you quick access.

On the back there are oversized loops to help carry any extras up the tree, these work great for attaching your platform and climbing sticks as you’re going up.

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Best Lightweight Tree Saddle

Trophyline Covert Ultra Hunting Saddle Kit

This saddle is for the hunters that want to save ounces for those long walks in, far from the competition

Trophyline really focused on cutting down weight on this one.

It’s 40% lighter than its predecessor, coming in at 23 Oz for saddle and bridge

Where they were able to save a lot of weight was using lighter materials and downsizing the buckles.

To keep it comfortable, they extended the back of the saddle up a little to give you more low back support.

One thing I really like is the 2 rows of MOLLE webbing on the back of the saddle so you can add different attachments for your hunting style or for attaching your platform & climbing sticks as you get in the tree.

You can get the Covert Ultra as a stand alone saddle or as a kit.

With the kit you also get your ropes and 2 pouches.

Like the pouches on Trophyline’s other kits, the pouches are fleece lined which helps to cut down on noise

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Best Tree Saddle for Hunting

Tethrd Ultralock Saddle

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How long can you sit in a saddle?

As long as you can stay comfortable…

Whether that's an all day sit or on the extreme end I've heard of people adding in some extra safety ropes so they can sleep in their saddle to make sure they're on the right spot bright and early

It really comes down to personal preference as long as you're comfortable

How to stay comfortable saddle hunting?

​First and foremost, is just making sure you're moving your positions every once in awhile

That might mean standing up and bracing a knee against the tree or something like that

You can also adjust your saddle to put the the pressure in different spots to keep it from resting at the same spot all day

Also most saddle brands have accessories that are called back bands, it's basically an extra support band that you can put around your back to help move where the pressure is.

Do you wear a harness while saddle hunting?

​No, the saddle itself is what supports you.

But saddles are not meant to stop your fall, so always make sure you don’t have any slack in your tree tether or lineman's belt.

What is the most comfortable saddle to hunt out of?

This really comes down to personal preference.

Everyone is built different, so saddles will fit them differently with varying levels of comfort.

That being said, the Nimbus from Trophyline is designed specifically to be a more comfortable saddle for most hunters.