and I tested it yesterday afternoon.

The poster in the linked thread is NOT me.  I just copied his instructions.

http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/TF/lw/thread2.cfm?threadid=197004&category=88#2527080

It is similar to the trophyline tree saddle,  in how it works in the tree, but it's a hard seat instead of their method.

I used a boat ratchet strap from Gander Mountain, because it's on my way home, $10.

1 climbing rated Carabiner bought at an outdoors store that specializes in climbing gear, $5.50.

1 Sheet of 3/4" plywood, $22.  there's enough wood to make 4-6 of these seats depending on how you plan your cuts.

20' of kernmantle static line from the previously mentioned climbing store @ $.97/foot.  Don't really need that much rope but I'm experimenting with a couple of different hitches to the tree right now.

Results are excellent.  I will climb to hunting height using 4 Gorilla brand strap on climbing sticks. I've only tested the setup with ONE so far for safety purposes and to practice hooking the set up to the tree.

I also add for additional safety  a lineman's strap attached to my HSS vest with 2 of the previously mentioned carabiners and hook the vest's strap to the anchor line with one of those carabiners when I get to set height.

As noted in the linked thread I attached the seat's straps to the plywood using screws with washers.  4 in each strap and it is very secure.

For the adventurous tree hunter who doesn't want to spend $200 + on the tree saddle I highly recommend giving this set up a try.

I will try and get some pictures of my setup this weekend, but it looks exactly like the one linked here.   My total investment for new purchased items in this set up is less than $60.

***********UPDATE***************


 

This is how the seat is connected to the tree.  I use a climbing rated 10mm static line with a carabiner and an 8mm prusik loop attached to the seat by another carabiner.



This is how the "tongue" on the seat rests against the tree.  Quite comfortable.



View down the tree.  I use the top rung on my climbing sticks to rest my feet on or push away from the tree to stand.  I can cover around 320 degrees easily by pushing off to the side with only one foot.

The seat is very secure at height, I'm confident in the safety of it, even if I feel asleep I wouldn't fall out of the tree because I loop my linemans belt around the straps of the seat when I'm done climbing.

I sat in the seat for 3.5 hours Saturday and was very comfortable the entire time.

Very Cool.  I have been wanting to try this system, but didn't want to drop the $200.

Do you plan on using a full body harness with it?

If so, what if you made a seat and attached it to the lineman's belt loops on the body harness?  Do you think that would work the same way?

My HSS vest is a full body harness, it has leg loops.

I don't know if a seat attached in that way would work as well.  The key to this seat is the high connection on the tree gives you the ability to move around the tree, I would think the seat attached in the manner you suggest would limit that.

I think you're right.

I'm thinking that you attach the seat to the lineman's loops at 3 & 9 o'clock, and then attach lines from the lineman's loops higher in the tree than the traditional position of a lineman's belt.

Does that sound plausible?

That would probably work, however you could get uncomfortable from the straps squeezing you if the harness is holding the weight.  This seat spreads the straps away from your body so you don't get compression, should be more comfortable for longer.

Good observation.  I didn't think about that.

Thanks for the insight.

Is there a light weight easy to carry way to get up the tree?

I like the idea of a saddle, but I am tired of carrying all kids of stuff, which is why I bow hunted exclusively from the ground last season.

This tree saddle is going to be one of the very lightest solutions... especially if you use a fabric seat ( mfr'd as a "Tree Saddle" ) instead of 3/4" plywood.

Next best things are light-weight climbers.  ( Easy to change locations. )Lone Wolf makes one that's close to 15lbs.  And Summit makes one that's close to 16lbs.  I have had both and I liked the Summit OpenShot the best, but that's only because I had it and used it for a couple of years before I bought the Lone Wolf hand climber.

The other solution I've used, and still do, is the Lone Wolf Assault fixed stand (8.5lbs) and their three climbing sticks (7.5lbs).  My Assault is a few years old and I think the newer models added a few pounds.
I like this set up when I am confident I can leave it in the woods w/o getting stolen, because there isn't any sweating before you're ready to hunt.  Faster too.  Climb the sticks.  Snap my harness to the teather.  Hunt.

This past Spring, I killed a nice 3yr old Gobbler from a ground blind that weighs 11lbs.  It's just a simple Doghouse style.  I've never set up a ground blind to bow hunt deer, but I'm sure it would yeild good results if set in the right spot .
( I remember you posting some excellent hunts from your Ghost Blind, so you can school me on that easily.   )

Even though it is an excellent rush to kill a deer from the ground, ( I whacked my first with a Muzzle Loader while slipping through the woods. ), I have a hard time leaving the advantages of being elevated in a tree.

Being in a tree certainly has advantages.

You  have a  good memory.

I have a Summit Viper and a bunch of hang on stands and sticks. I just don't use them anymore.

I'm looking into ditching my 4 ladder sticks and going to a SRT (single rope technique) setup.  I have to set aside some money for it though, it's not free.  Requires 2 different ascenders @ $80 each, a good length of static line around $150, and maybe a climbing seat $130.  Not cheap, but it will be really light and should be quite quick to get up in the tree.  

That looks pretty sweet !!

How do you get the rope up in the tree before you start climbing it with those climbing aids?

You use a cord with a throw bag.  Throw it or sling shot it depending on how high up you want it.  Have enough cord to go up over the limb and back down then tie it to the rope and haul through.  There's several ways to hitch it after that.

This vid shows several techniques.

Oh yea...  I've used that method in the past.  Just didn't connect it to deer hunting applications.

That s not easy to do over a branch 25-30 feet high.

I'm planning on using a "wrist rocket" style slingshot with the bag.  I don't think it will be difficult at all.

Getting set up during the daylight wouldn't be bad, but I find myself setting up and climbing a lot before daylight.

ETA:  All in all, this thread has been pretty enlightening.

How does that work?

Extra points for carrying a few marbles in your pocket to deal with barking squirrels.

& how long are you going to be able to sit in that seat comfortably?  Definately need some sort of back rest.

Attach one of these.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-Stadium-Chair/20594226

I don't see this as a perfect solution for an all day sit, but this has serious potential for someone packing their stuff way back there - and back again - without the help of trucks or 4 wheelers.

I know a couple guys who used these Tree Saddles for one afternoon hunt and they absolutely loved them.

These two were physically fit and I can see how it would be more difficult for someone who is " stocky ".
( I mention that because darn near every person who gave the idea a 'thunbs down' was pretty darn over-weight.  No offense intended, only demonstrating how "consider the source" can help analize various opinions... )

I see this ply-wood board as having more comfort than the Tree Saddle's fabric sling because of the padding you can add, as well as the design of the piece of wood that sticks out between your legs.
That gives your legs a break by letting the board rest against the tree.

I have been scouting some areas that have excellent sign, but None of the trees are thick enough for a climber / hang on.  I am liking this variation of the Tree Saddle more and more...

I didn't get a chance to take pics this weekend.  But it actually is pretty comfortable without a backrest.  

After I saw your question I did some research online and a "backrest" can be as simple as adding one more strap to the seat , I plan to adjust my lineman's belt, since it is already attached to my HSS vest, so that it makes my vest a sort of backrest.

The angle that you stand in the seat is not stressful, you are more or less leaning back anyway.  I could see it getting tiring after an hour or so though, and needing some back support once I let the seat rest against the tree instead of "standing".

Hopefully this rain will soon pass and I will be able to hook up and get some pics to go with this post.

If I can't throw the bag high enough to reach an appropriate branch, I'll shoot it over with the sling shot.

I made a throw bag this weekend.  I cut the buckshot out of one 12 ga shell and tied it tightly in a sock then cut off the excess.  It's heavy enough to throw,  I should be able to easily toss it over a branch 25 feet up. However the sock is an unsuitable material because it easily snags.  I'll either coat the bag in duct tape or put it inside of a nylon bag.

I've seen people mention doing this in the dark.  Unlike other folks, I don't really sweat using a white light when I'm going to the stand early.  I believe any deer that would spook from the light will spook without it, the only difference is you'll never see their eyes with no light.  My headlight will give me enough illumination to find a suitable branch.  Nevertheless, I'm not set on using the single rope/throw bag technique this year.  Just considering it as a possibility later in the season.  It would save me some weight, but the necessary equipment is by no means cheap.  I'm a fairly cheap bastard, but the upside of the SRT method is, the high equipment cost is because the equipment is long lasting.  Real climbing gear is very well built and I won't wear it out with even a minimum of maintenance and care.

Challenge ACCEPTED!

Check out this: EZ Hang

My uncle has one for rigging his HAM Radio antennas from trees.

I think that the consept has potential.  Just needs to be tweeked/perfected.

https://www.climbpaws.com/productcart/pc/climbpaws-default.asp?



These were designed for a tree saddle hunter.


 

Those are interesting, looks like Schedule 40 or 80 4" PVC with a strap and some camo fur.  Ingenious design.

I was told they were not PVC, but some other plastic.  I know the owner very well, and he has spent a ton of time in developing the steps.

I have had lengthy discussions with him regarding the issues facing many tree stand hunters looking for a good tree, vs a good game trail.  I have not used the steps yet, but only because I have never used a "saddle" style stand.  I may build one like you posted and try them.


 

What keeps them from flipping over when you put your weight on them?

Updated pictures in OP. Sorry it took so long but I didn't get a chance to try the seat out again with a camera available until saturday.

This method isn't too far from what I'm already doing, it uses a single ladder stick which would cut down on my weight considerably.  I'm going to try it this weekend.

That's pretty slick.  I notice he needed that extra strap on the bottom of the stick.  Is that so he can gain that extra 17"-20" for every repositioning of the stick?

For me, it would have to be a bit chilly to go through all that and not work up a sweat.

I think I am seeing he is using a Lone Wolf Stick.  My set of three only weigh 7.5 lbs and I can hang three of them pretty darn quick w/o going through as much work as the guy in the video did.

I realize I start sweating much sooner than most folks...  at least it seams that way at the gym... so you, and others, may not have the same issues I would with this method in warmer temps.

I'll sweat like a hog in august at temps above 45.  Climbing stand or sticks makes no difference.

The way I prevent it is to move like a sloth.  I don't get in any hurry at all to get up the tree. It won't do me any good to get up quick but smell like a sewage treatment plant to everything in the woods.

I don't thing this is really any more work than locking my 4 sticks on.  I have steel gorilla sticks, and 4 of them weighs a ton.  Going in with just one will save me more sweat walking in than I'll ever generate moving slowly up the tree.

I don't think the extra strap is necessary if you are willing to move slower, plus I have short arms and I doubt I would be able to reach high enough for me to even need the strap.  

Is it possible for you to get a buddy to take pic's of you with bow drawn in the multiple positions that make up the 320* of range with your set up?

Maybe. I don't have plans to hunt with anyone this week but I made one for a friend who is coming over soon to learn hpw to set it up.

Will get picks then for sure.

Thx !

I been hunting quite a bit on a mangaed hunt since the 15th from either my Lone Wolf Fixed or my OpenShot.  After this week, I'm gonna get to work on your ideas.

Thanks for the thread !!!!

This year I'm using a Guido's web and a Lone Wolf hand climber top.  Whole set p weighs around 13 lbs.   Feels a lot less tho

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-4TXDBmn1U

No more pictures yet, hoping after this rain blows through I can get my friend over to try his out.  But I found out the hard way using just ONE ladder with this rig is a bit difficult.

1.  It is difficult to get up the tree with only one ladder stick.  Taking my time moving methodically, I didn't get too sweaty but it took much longer than I thought it would, made more noise than I care for, and I still got fairly hot moving at a snails pace.  

2.  As for my plan for getting down, disengaging from the seat and lowering the seat and the ladder down then rappelling, I overlooked a thing or two.  It CAN be done, but it is quite difficult to remove the ladder from the tree with one hand holding the rope in a bind.  Not what I'd call fun.


Walking in with only one ladder stick was very nice.  But the added difficulty and time really don't make it worthwhile.  The seat was very comfortable for the 4 hours I hunted Sat morning and 3 hours Sunday afternoon. I do like hunting from that seat, and come hell or high water I'm going to figure out a safe, lightweight way to get up AND down with it.

I have really liked my Lone Wolf sticks.  When I bought them, they were 7.5lbs per three.

You've just given me my next project.

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time, and my boney butt needs a break from our crappy ladder stands.

I'm looking forward to the pictures.

Does the strap interfere with your Bow draw?  Would this setup work with a harness that has the attachment in the back?  I would like to try this setup.

If I tried to shoot with the seat high on my ass it would.  When I move to the standing position I slide the seat down so the back of the seat is on the very bottom of my butt and that gets it out of the way.

Still waiting on my friend to come get his seat so I can get pics.

I made one recently and am currently working the kinks out.  I think I need to cut down the tongue more.  I the seat "slip" on the tree some.  I also added a locking chain link to the loop for connection to my carabiner/harness.  I think it will work out well.