Elevation VS New Tribe

Any thoughts on these or any of the newer harnesses?
In particular, what do people think about the multiple soft suspension points Vs. floating suspension bridge.
I don't want a working harness. I'm only climbing-and occasionally sleeping in the tree.
Thanks

I climb on a Butterfly II and like it. I modified the bridge (again) to match my climbing style. It has very good back support. The leg straps are not as comfortable as a New Tribe saddle for long hang times. Some climbers find the BII uncomfortable. With any arborist saddle you're not going to know for sure until you hang in it. If you like to limbwalk facing away from your tie-in point or like to hang sideways then floating bridge saddles are great.

For rec climbing and treeboating the New Tribe work style saddles (wide support belt) including the new Tengu saddle, and some of their other variations are tops in comfort and support. The Tengu model with all soft connection points should be great for sleeping in treeboats. No danger of waking up with D-ring bruises.

I only mention the NT work saddles because of their better back support, I understand that you're not looking for a work saddle.

I'm not familiar with the Elevation, do you have a link to information?

Moss,
My New tribe Ness saddle is comfortable. But the the bridge doesn't satisfy me. It uses two sewn loops and a D-ring on the leg straps that is all held together with the metal link of my choice. I use a large pear that just slops around with all the safety beaners I need to stay tied in during transistions. That's why I think the multiple soft suspension points of the Elevation would be nice. Here's a link from the WT Sherrill catalog. (item 30941M)
http://gear.sherrilltree.com/iwwidb.pvx?;multi_item_submit
Thanks for any and all input.

Here's a pic.
At the Sherrill link, you can enter the part number to see the whole description. 30941M
www.wtsherrill.com

by looking at the picture I see this is definitely a "working" saddle. Many tying points. light back padding BUT the main concern for me is the low leg support. It will cause a lot of pain in the legs because lack of support. The typical Recreational Climber goes fairly slow, stays in one place, looks around and observes the surroundings in other words a lot of "seating" on your legs. The Professional Climber on the other hand has targets to get to, moves very fast around the tree is mostly standing on his legs while using his arms to handle his cutting and pruning tools.
This saddle is mostly designed for that type of climbing. In an ideal world and with unlimited supply of cash I would have many saddles for every occasion but I am happy with my two New Tribe saddles ( the Basic and the Ultralight). They have done the job for 3 years now and I highly recommend them. Hope to be able to try some other saddles at the Rendezvous this year to open my horizons a bit.

Originally posted by 3CLIMBR
Moss,
My New tribe Ness saddle is comfortable. But the the bridge doesn't satisfy me. It uses two sewn loops and a D-ring on the leg straps that is all held together with the metal link of my choice. I use a large pear that just slops around with all the safety beaners I need to stay tied in during transistions....

I hear you, on my NT saddle I use a pear. Once you get more than 3 biners in there it can be tough to work with. I agree with Oldtimers comments about arborist work saddles vs. the NT saddles, the leg straps are a comfort issue. So the Elevation could help but might cause other problems.

To make you happier for the moment with your NT saddle here are two things to consider:
1. I put a Petzl Swivel on my pear (the swivel sold by NT for example). You can fit 3 biners on that and it's great when you're double crotched, you can pivot under the ropes, no twisting. That opens up the pear to add more biner connections when you need it.

2. Peter Jenkins has a Petzl Bear Paw custom sewn by NT into his Ness saddle, solves the problem straight up:

From the front page of Tree Climbing Mississippi

Originally posted by spiderman
I tryed the NT ultralite and the problem I had was it rode up under my rib cage...

When the Ultralight grabs your ribs it usually means you have a size too small.

Good to hear that the Elevation works for you.

Moss, got a closeup of that Petzl Paw rigging palte setup? i have one i use for rescue stretchers and other rigging, but thats an interesitng way to setup your harness...

Much will depend on what you get used to. The Elevation does indeed pack well. If you take lots of gear up, you might want more support with more padding, like a New Tribe. Try to try different models. Better yet, come to Mississipppi in Oct. and try out all kinds of stuff.

Peter,
What do you think of the Petzl PAW as a bridge?
Thanks

Neat idea, having a paw as bridge.

Surely something more streamlined could be made?

A while ago on some site, there was a discussion of making a tiny daisy chain to use as a bridge. Would that serve the same purpose as a PAW bridge?

love
nick

Make sure the daisy chain is rated 5000 pounds or more. I know yoiu can easily buy ones that are not made for life support. I must admit it is a good idea, but I have never tried it yet. Probably best to attach it to a saddle using screw links. What do you think?

Definately screw links. Let me rev up the ol' sewing machine....

Here we go....!!!!

New Tribe can't make that saddle that Peter has-unless you can supply the PAW. Petzl doesn't sell it anymore-though it can be found.
Anyway, without a sewing machine ( Holy sewn bridges Batman!), I plan to buy the Elevation II.
Thanks for all the input.