Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Harnesses


Ron Burgundy

Recommended Posts

Is there a simple harness out there that doesn't cost a million dollars? The one that came with my ladder stand looks impossible to put on, let alone in the dark. I don't want to spend a 1/2 hr cussing and swearing trying to put the darn thing on and scare all the deer away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with you 100% with the ones that come with the stands you buy.I have not found one that I like but I am sure they are out there.I stumble with the one I have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just purchased the Ameristep four point harness. $25 at Gander Mtn. Yes it looks like a head-ache, but practice once or twice before going out. Also consider whatever you get cheap insurance. Prior to this model I had the Ameristep vest-like harness. I thought this was OK, but after reading articles, it concerned me. Many recommended getting the four point style (straps going through crotch area). I took a ladder in back yard and tried my old and new one out (neighbors probably thought I was committing suicide) and literally hung from the tree. After trying them out, I chucked the non-four point and am now using the four-point. You can put the thing on at your vehicle and even put a coat over the top of it. I also like that I can climb up the tree using it. I fell out of a tree 5 yrs ago while setting up my stand and broke my back. Praise the Lord I’m still walking/ hunting. I always used a strap, but now I use one that can come up and down the tree w/ me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only cheap ones that I know of for around $24.99 are pretty much the same thing that you get with the stand. You'll have to spend around $70 to get a Hunter Safety systems harness. I'd say they're definately worth it, the only straps on them are the leg straps, otherwise its' just a vest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your life is worth it to buy a good one. we spend a ton of money on arrows and broad heads and a bow, cammo ect.. but then cring at spending $100 on something that will save your life?

I have one that is very easy to put on.. step in the leg holes, put on the vest.

Get a good one, and hope you never have to use it for what its intended for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't spend $ on arrows. Maybe next year I'll bow hunt. I just don't have the $100 to spend on a harness. That's more than the stand cost. It's like the kid driving down the road in a rusted out Escort with the trunk lid vibrating from the $5000 stereo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Deitz, your life is worth it. I don't argue that a lot of things are necessary but having a safe, comfortable, easy to put on harness is. I too have a vest style (note, it's full body harness with a vest attached over it). It is a breeze to put on and it should not have to be replaced anytime soon unless you fall, which in that case, you'd be elated you were wearing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm hot on the trail of a vest that my harness can be zipped into to make things easier. Yes my life is worth at least $100. I just don't have the $100. If I bought the vest for $100 I wouldn't need it. My wife would kill me before I got to put it on! I've already spent to much for this season. She keeps asking "Don't You have enough hunting stuff?" No disrespect but quite possibly the silliest question ever. What's next? "Don't You have enough fishing stuff?" Oh yeah, I get that too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If there isn't, you might be on to a new product. Otherwise, maybe you or your wife could sew a vest onto it. Might detract from the integrity of the harness, though? Or you could sew loops in the inside of the vest that attach over the harness straps some way. In the past, I've also hung my harnesses on vests until I get out of the car or truck and then put them on. They stay pretty neat that way too. Just not as convenient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have seen the vest ones go for a little as 69.99 or even less.. so just keep your eyes open.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also bought a $60 stand last year and the harness seems like a cluster-F, but its probably not as hard as you may think. Is you're labeled so you know which end is up and which side is to the front? If not mark it on there yourself.

On mine I'm supposed to pull the strap around my legs and then run it through the slides. Instead I leave it in the first slide, but just barely. This leaves a large loop for each leg. Now I just step into the leg loops and pull the rest of the harness over my head. It on in a snap and I tighten it up. It actaully takes less time to get in the harnes then it does to tighten it to the tree.

One way to avoid putting them on in the dark is to put it on at the car. Most of them are designed so that it can still be effective if you put a coat on over the harness. I put mine at at the car and then attach it to the tree when I get in my stand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be able to use the thing, I just don't have the patience lately. I just think there's got to be an easier way to do things without compromising safety. You shouldn't need a class on how to put a harness on. There is a good chance I'm over reacting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i've read what you guys had to say about harnesses. i had one for my daughter to use,( but i guess she never did!! grr!!) she told me she never did figure out how to put it on. so i spent some time and finally figured it out. then i tried it tonight. this is the first time i have ever used one.( also the first time i have hunted from a ladder stand for years! always ground hunt)now that i have it figured out, it's not to bad. i put it on before i went out. worked ok. my $.02 grin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought the Hunter Safety System 4pt. vest harness last year for 65 bucks. I wouldn't go any other way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ron,

Take the time to put it on a few times every day. On most harnesses if you hold them by the top tether (your line to the tree) and shake it out. Then slip each arm in and then the legs. It will take some practice. Some of the harnesses are difficult. But you will get the hang of it. I use a Seat of the Pants harness. It is easy. But each has its quirks. Do it in the dark with some layers of clothing as well.

Have a great hunt. Good Luck and Be SAFE

Steve Sorgenfrei

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ron ask your wife if she has enough shoes and clothes. It works with my wife. LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One low cost way to keep the inexpensive full body harnesses from getting tangled and hard to put on is to use a coat hanger that has the slots to keep shoulder straps from falling off. Keep the buckles closed till you are putting the harness on. Most vehicles have a coat hook in them that will allow you to hang the harness tangle free, then put the harness on while next to your vehicle using the dome light for light. Use some tape to mark all of the same side straps and this will make putting on the harness a two minute deal with no bad words being uttered. ooo.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the Seat O the pants harness that I bought about 10 years ago, its not to bad if you practice it a few times, I can put it on in the dark when I get to my stand and the security is great, compared to the chest type that I used before that. So this year i bought a Seat o the pants Supreme Harness for my wife and frankly I'm dispointed in it and its going back. The harness itself is ok and easy to put on but the tether system has been changed, it has a prusic knot system that has to be taken off the harness and wrapped around the tree and then reattached to the harness. The tether behind your neck is very short and I can see that in the dark it would be hard to twist around and get it attached. Its going back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chucker, what kind do you have? And other guys, if you like your vest type, what kind is it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got the FallGuy safety vest system (and the 20 foot retractor). I like it a lot. Easy to put on and very comfortable. The full body harness snaps out of the vest so you can wash the vest as needed. And the vest has enough pockets that you really don't even need a gear bag.

You can buy it from the Integrated Safety web site for $70 or in most stores. For an extra $30 you can get the vest and the 20 foot retractor as a package. I did this and love it but the retractor part is really only suitable for usage at one stand at a time from a safety standpoint.

Still, you can buy extra retractors for $70 if you had a few favorite stands and the $$. For gun hunters planning on only one or two stands this is a perfect set-up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      Nope not me.  May want to go nextdoor and ask around?  
    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.