Looking for a little input about Mantis Tree Saddles the good ,bad or neutral

[Terry Lightle]

Like it says in title

[PistolPete]

Haven’t tried that one, but I made my own saddle system for much less, and I’ve spent several dark-to-dark sits in it. I use a rock climbing harness, rope lanyard,  and a Lone Wolf hand climber seat for my foot platform, and I sit in a SitDrag once I get to height. The whole system weighs under 8 lbs but it does require some dexterity to climb with. However, no other tree steps or sticks needed! It’s not ideal for backyard hunts, but when I’m hiking a couple hours before light through laurel thickets and up mountains, I haven’t found anything better.

[South MS Bowhunter]

There’s  a lot of good information on the main Saddle hunter forum. The guys are very open on what they like/dislike about it and other competitors I have a New Tribe Areo Krestrel and have no complaints with mine.

[Burly]

My son's just came yesterday, he was playing around with it in his yard. Looks pretty slick.

[steve helstowski]

Played around with one this season.. super portable, quiet set up and takedown,I found it alittle harder to shoot out of it at certain heights and angles . Maybe a shorter bow length would have fixed that.definately worth looking into when hunting further in

[10essee]

I bought one when they first launched. I’ll just say after two sits I ditched it for my kestrel saddle. It’s a very well made product and is extremely light but the shape of it is not made for comfort. It’s a very minimalistic sling. To me the kestrel is far and away more comfortable. The shape of the kestrel has a element of cupping built into it that prevents the saddle from riding up when leaning into it and is extremely comfortable for sitting. Coupled with a back band and it’s very easy to relax and enjoy the hunt. The Tetherd guys are extremely knowledgeable about saddle gear and are geared towards hardcore saddle hunters. Now on the other hand their predator platform is the cats a** for saddle hunting. Far and away the best piece of saddle gear I’ve bought. This is just my opinion on the Mantis. I feel there’s better options for comfort that don’t weigh to much more than the Mantis. Aero hunter makes the kestrel and a mesh version called the kite. They actually manufacture their own product so you can get very accurate time frame for delivery. It’s no secret that the Mantis producers have not hit the mark on the deliveries and communication front. Take it for what it is.

[bear mike]

I am very interested in a saddle but I would love to see some videos of people shooting trad bows from them I shoot a pretty heavy cant and have been wondering if its possible for me to be able to shoot from one

[South MS Bowhunter]

I shoot a 60” long bow and feel I have better control over it during the shot compared to a tree stand. With the saddle I can’t fall as the tether is already loaded with my weight allowing me to keep the “T” form at any shot angle. I feel a lot more stable in it knowing this. Whereas with a stand I was alway limited on how far I could lean out without falling.

There’s a lot of Trad guys using the saddle now and will tell you the same thing. Once you spend a little time learning it it will become second nature. 

[10essee]

I shoot a 60” long bow and feel I have better control over it during the shot compared to a tree stand. With the saddle I can’t fall as the tether is already loaded with my weight allowing me to keep the “T” form at any shot angle. I feel a lot more stable in it knowing this. Whereas with a stand I was alway limited on how far I could lean out without falling.

There’s a lot of Trad guys using the saddle now and will tell you the same thing. Once you spend a little time learning it it will become second nature.

I totally agree. I shoot a 62” longbow with moderate cant and there are some shots that aren’t possible from the simple length and angle of the bow but set up accordingly and all is good. The stability is unlike any other stand out there.

[Jasper2]

I like the Mantis saddle quite a bit however, I also like the Kestrel just as much.  My plan was to keep whichever I liked more and sell the other one.  Problem is that I can't decide.  There are just enough differences between them for me to justify keeping them both so that's what I plan on doing.  Shoot, I may even order a Kite and try all of them :-)  Sorry, Terry I'm not much help!

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with any of the current offerings.   When using a saddle, I believe a lot of the comfort issues that people have are directly related to how are bodies are shaped rather than how one sets up their bridge and/or tether.

[Terry Lightle]

Thanks for the info,thinking I will do this next year

[hickstick]

I have the kestrel and have hunted out of it exclusively for a season and a half.  Saddlehunter.com has a ton of info.   I muffed a shot on a nice buck out of it this year but that was my fault not the saddle.  I was shooting a 56" recurve.  its definitely not as easy as shooting one of those new fangeled contraptions out of, but we choose trad not because it is easy....right? 

[bear mike]

I have the kestrel and have hunted out of it exclusively for a season and a half.  Saddlehunter.com has a ton of info.   I muffed a shot on a nice buck out of it this year but that was my fault not the saddle.  I was shooting a 56" recurve.  its definitely not as easy as shooting one of those new fangeled contraptions out of, but we choose trad not because it is easy....right? 

I joined saddlehunter.com but I have yet to see anyone make a video while shooting a trad bow that shows a very close shot and using a lot of cant while shooting from one I really want to buy one but don't want to spend the money if it doesn't fit my shooting style

[hickstick]

try this:

[hickstick]

or this: 

[hickstick]

another

[Sawpilot 75]

That looks like a bunch of movement and easily silhouetted.. I do not use one however. Just a observation.


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[Lakerat007]

I have hunted out of a saddle for the past 5 or 6 seasons, currently have the kestrel and see no reason to get another brand. Couple things I like with a saddle is the ability to draw behind the tree I'm in, comfort and weight. I don't get all gung ho about the shooting 360 degrees. As pointed out that's a lot of dang movement. Personally feel if someone is constantly having to turn completely around to make a shot they need to learn how to pick a better tree. I set up facing where I'm expecting deer to come from with tree infront of me and approaching game. My bow and left arm are why I expect the shot to happen. Very little movement and the bow is always at the ready. I also shoot better from a saddle for some reason.

I hunt some reg hang ons as well and for hanging your stands a saddle definitely can't be beat.

[Tom1958]

I own a Kestrel and my buddy owns a Mantis. I would not trade mine for his. The Kestrel and Mantis are both high quality but I like the leg strap design on the Kestrel better. The Mantis shape is not articulated to the shape of the butt...the Kestrel is.
I used to own an old Trophy Line but I hated it. It was heavy, uncomfortable for walking and gave me bad hip-pinch. The new generation saddles beat the crap out of those old time saddles IMO.
 
I really like my Kestrel, but like most saddle rigs, I've modified a few things. I doubt many saddle guys leave their equipment stock. Most of us change something. I changed my bridge rope to Amsteel and I replaced the prussic hitches with Ropeman1. Other than those mods, mine is stock and it does the job nicely. I've had many dawn to dark sits with great comfort and made 2 perfect hits on the 2 deer I drew-on this year.
There is a bit of a learning curve, but for me, it was a short curve. I shoot fine out of it, and I can hunt from a greater variety of trees than I can with a simple hang-on stand.

Foot placement tends to be one of the bigger issues for newbie saddle guys. It basically comes down to 2 choices...a ring of steps (ROS) or a mini platform of some sort. Tethrd has the Predator platform. It's ultra tiny and weighs about 3 pounds. It's easy to carry thru brush because its so small. I can't carry a traditional hang-on stand nearly as easily. The Predator is super easy to hang or remove and is rock solid on the tree. I much prefer it over a ROS but there are saddlers that love their ROS.

It seems that both Aerohunter (Kestrel) and Tethrd both are a bit challenged to fill orders quickly. They are catching up but there has been some frustrations getting orders filled without a loooong wait (months).
Anyone that's considering ordering saddles or related gear should do so soon. If you wait until next summer, you might not get your stuff in time to get practiced before the season.

And as said in post #17...even if you only hunt from a traditional hang-on style stand, you will love a saddle for hanging them. I can't even begin to exaggerate how much nicer it it to hang stands while suspended from a tether as opposed to being attached with a lineman belt.