The battle for lightweight, mobile hunting gear has set its sights on the elevated hunting market. Anyone wanting to explore an aggressive hunting style will want to shed some setup weight. A tree saddle is a popular method.

As the availability of private land by permission has continually decreased and the price of leased land increases, more hunters are turning to public land where, in many cases, a stand must be set up and taken down every hunt. Many of these hunters are turning to tree saddles. With the popularity has stemmed better, more functional and simplified products. If you’re looking for a different mobile solution in your hunting setup, here are three reasons to consider a tree saddle.

1. Lightweight

There’s plenty of competition out there, and hunters are walking farther and looking for untouched, rugged spots to hunt, making a lighter pack load top priority. Saddles offer a functional solution to the weight a mobile hunter takes in the woods. Some of the lightest treestands weigh around 10 pounds where a saddle like Tethrd’s Mantis (below) weighs in at just 15 ounces. Stack on 10 more pounds for climbing sticks and a saddle system is easily half the weight.

2. Convenience

Another benefit to trees saddles is being able to put the saddle on at the truck and go, or easily store it inside a pack. If your hunting style is scouting your way into a spot to set up, all you need to do is find where you want to hunt and start climbing. Another benefit is a tree saddle and safety harness are an all-in-one system while keeping you connected from the ground to your desired hunting height.

3. Versatility

No matter the tree diameter, straightness or number of branches, it’s a matter of climbing the tree and positioning to whichever direction you want to face. Once set up in position, a saddle provides true 360-degree shooting capability by slightly pivoting around either side of the tree.

It takes a little practice and adjusting to find the right tree saddle fit. After you get comfortable with its use, however, you’ll never hunt the same way again.