Saddle hunting has been around for decades. However with ultra light weight, and comfortable tree stands now widely available, the practice of hanging from a tree by a waist harness was quickly abandoned by several bowhunters. That is up until just a few years ago, it seems, and now saddle hunting is making a comeback in a major way! Below is a brief story about how my hunting season has turned out so far, why it’s lead me to seek new options, and a list of the best tree saddle kits currently available on the market.

My hunting season hasn’t quite gone the way I hoped this year. About halfway through the month of October, I began to grow frustrated with a hunting spot I had high hopes for all summer long, and knew I had to make a play to hunt some new ground. I began doing some e-scouting one morning during another slow sit in my tree stand spot, but my options on the public land in my area are pretty limited without having a solid hang-and-hunt setup.

Determined to find a spot with fresh sign or at least a palpable sense of deer in the immediate area, I went out scouting that afternoon. I found sign in the form of four scrapes along the edge of an ag field, and setup shop in a ground blind later that evening. No luck. And the only thing on my mind the entire hunt was, ‘I wish I was at least up in a tree..’

I was right back to square one.

So the next morning, I started doing some serious homework on tree saddles. I had heard about them in some videos years ago, and read a handful of articles with people raving about saddles being the ultimate light weight, mobile hunting solution. Especially for public land hunters, like myself.

This style of hunting has seen a huge spike in popularity in recent years. So if you’re looking to upgrade your hang-and-hunt game, these are the best tree saddle kits on the market I was able to find. However, if you know of others I should look into, please drop a suggestion in the comments below! I plan to add one of these saddle kits to my lineup in the near future, so look back here for a full review later on.

Stay safe, and good luck out there!

From what I gathered, Tethrd currently seems to offer the most options for prospective saddle hunters. Plus, you also have the option of building and customizing your own kit to fit your personal preferences.

Hunters can choose between the Mantis Starter Kit, the Phantom Starter Kit, or explore other saddle options Tethrd offers on their website.

Ambush Lite Tree Saddle Kit

Trophyline appears to offer the best bang for your buck saddle kit options. Their saddles are lightweight, comfortable, and easily pack into a day pack or may be worn right into your hunting area. The Tree Saddle is distributed around your body making it virtually unnoticeable as you move through the woods.

Features:

• Patented Hammock style design
• Separate Lineman loops
• 24” Web Bridge
• Two rows of Molle attachment system. Some like to hang their accessories high on saddle and others like to hang them low. We give you the choice!

Includes:

• Trophyline Ambush Lite Tree Saddle
• Square Trophyline Tree Tether Accessory Pouch
• Round Trophyline Lineman’s  Accessory Pouch
• Trophyline Custom Tree Tether Rope  with 5” Sewn eye
• Trophyline Custom Lineman’s Rope  with sewn tight eye
• Black Diamond Rocklock Screwgate Carabiner
• Two Black Diamond Positron Screwgate Carabiners.
• Trophyline Cinch Bag to carry it all.

Ambush Pro Tree Saddle Kit

Trophyline partnered with Mossy Oak to bring you the new Ambush Pro Tree Saddle in Mossy Oak Bottomland. It features a lightweight brushed tricot fabric with great stability and comfort. The Mossy Oak fabric has just enough stretch and is super quiet. It’s ideal for long walks into your hunting area and meant to be totally mobile.

Features:

• Patented design
• Separate Lineman loops
• 24” Web Bridge
• Two rows of Molle attachment system. Some like to hang their
• Accessories high on saddle and others like to hang them low. We give you the choice.

Includes:

• Ambush Pro Saddle.
• Square Mossy Oak Bottomland Tree Tether Accessory Pouch.
• Round  Mossy Oak Bottomland Lineman’s  Accessory Pouch.
• Custom Lineman’s rope with sewn tight eye with prusik.
• Custom Tree Tether with 5” Sewn eye with prusik.
• 2 Black Diamond Positron Screwgate Carabiners.
• 1 Black Diamond Rocklock Screwgate Carabiner.
• Cinch Bag to carry it all.

Hawk Helium Hammock Tree Saddle

The Hawk Helium Hammock Tree Saddle is another preferable option, as this kit includes a back band for additional support. The trade-off, however, is you will have to pickup a platform separately if you don’t already have one on hand. Hawk has two style platform options on their website; the Helium HSP Platform, or the Helium Hammock Apex Platform.

Features:

• Chaos Camo Pattern
• Ultra Packable; entire kit fits into an 8”x 8” x 10” carrying bag
• Padded and removable seat
• Secure Setup; includes climbing grade rope and attachments
• Lightweight; entire kit weighs less than 4lbs.

Kit Includes:

• Saddle
• Removable padded seat
• Reclining belt
• Climbing grade aluminum carabiners
• Climbing grade rope grabber
• Climbing grade tether rope with prusik
• Climbing grade climbing rope with prusik
• And an ultra-durable carry bag.

Merlin Kit

For hunters who are new to tree hunting with a saddle, here is the basic setup to get started with Aero Hunter. If you already have your own tree strap or lineman’s belt, you won’t need this kit. Instead, just order separately the components you want to complete your tree hunting system.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

The Merlin Kit includes the Merlin saddle, a Lineman’s Belt for climbing the tree, a Tree Strap for safely connecting to the tree, and a Back Band to extend your comfort options – The complete kit with all its components weighs only 5 lb.

COMPONENTS:

• Aero Hunter Merlin tree saddle made specifically for fall prevention while tree hunting, rated 5000 lbs
• Saddle bridge is 1″ heavy nylon webbing rated at 6500 lbs.
• Tree strap made of All Gear 24-strand climbing rope rated 6300 lbs, in brown, for adjustable tree anchor, with Fusion double-locking carabiner
• Lineman’s belt made of All Gear 24-strand climbing rope, in green, with Fusion double-locking carabiner
• Eye-and-eye prusik cord is Sterling 8mm Flex Hitch cord, made of Technora/Polyester, strength 29kN (6519 lbs) for secure and adjustable connection to the ropes
• Aero Hunter Back Band for positionable back support if and where you want it.

Focused on creating gear that is high quality, light weight, comfortable, and mobile to enhance your overall hunting experience, Cruzr saddles simply cannot be left off this list. The company offers a wide range of saddle hunting equipment, but also sells two different kits if you prefer to go that route.

CRÜZR S Saddle Kit

If you’re looking for the ideal Saddle Hunting starter kit, look no further than the CRÜZR S kit.

Included with this kit:

• Our CRÜZR S saddle

• Saddle bag

• Back-band

• Tether with Prusik and locking carabiner

• Lineman’s rope with Prusik and locking carabiner

• Optional Adjustable Amsteel Bridge Upgrade

• Optional OpLux Tree Tether & Lineman Upgrade

About this Saddle:

The CRÜZR S is the Standard in comfort for CRÜZR saddles. The S offers a solid mesh seat and is also equipped with quick release buckles, fixed static rope bridge, and two rows of molle loops. The top row of molle loops are loose for ease of clipping in carabiners and other gear. The bottom is a row of flat molle that works with all aftermarket molle accessories.

The S Saddle is rated for 300 lbs.

CRÜZR XC Saddle Kit

If you want Ultimate Comfort in Saddle Hunting, look no further than the the XC Saddle Kit.

Included with this kit:

• Our signature saddle the CRÜZR XC

• Saddlebag

• Back-band

• Tether with Prusik and locking carabiner

• Lineman’s rope with Prusik and locking carabiner

• Optional Adjustable Amsteel Bridge Upgrade

• Optional OpLux Tree Tether & Linemans Upgrade

About this Saddle:

The XC boasts a pleated mesh Xpansion Chamber that when opened adds a whole new level of comfort and cupping for your backside. The XC is also equipped with quick release buckles, fixed static rope bridge, and two rows of molle loops. The top row of molle loops are loose for ease of clipping in carabiners and other gear. The bottom is a row of flat molle loops that work with all aftermarket molle accessories.

The XC is rated for 300lbs.