What is mobile hunting gear? Mobile hunting gear is lightweight and functional hunting equipment that is versatile and enables the hunter to be on the move. Mobile hunting gear prioritizes being efficient and stealthy, and the only way to accomplish this is having lightweight functional gear. There are a few ways to accomplish this but the main two are hunting saddle setups and tree stand setups. 

In this article, we will dive in the pros and cons for both setups. Then we will determine what is best for public land hunting. Here are key questions you should ask yourself to help determine what you want to go with.

• Do you care for being lightweight and stealthy or being extremely comfortable
• Are you willing to go through a learning curve or do something that comes naturally
• Are you scared of heights or are you fearless

There are more things to consider, but those 3 really help determine what is best for you.

At the top of the list of mobile hunting gear for public land, hunting saddles are a great option. Majority of all hunting saddles and the corresponding kits are lightweight, metal free (Besides the belt and leg straps), and extremely versatile. Once you get past the learning curve and nail down your own system, you become a machine in the woods. Let's go over the pros and cons for this mobile hunting gear setup.

Pros

Lightweight

What makes hunting saddles the best option for mobile hunting gear on public land? Let's go over the fact that a hunting saddle kit is lightweight. Being lightweight in the woods is paramount when it comes to getting away from hunting pressure and big buck patterns. We all know that we have to get away from everyone else, which in return makes us go deep into the woods. Carrying around a heavy and bulky climber or tree stand may persuade us from walking 3 miles to where we need to be. 

Depending on if you one stick or use climbing sticks to ascend the tree, your entire saddle hunting kit will range from 4-10 pounds. A climber will weigh 20-30 pounds. A lightweight stand will weigh 7 pounds with only the stand, not including your harness and ropes to stay safe.

Mobility

Mobile hunting gear should do one thing very well, and that is having the ability to be mobile. The biggest advantage of a hunting saddle setup is ease of transport. Since saddles weigh next to nothing and has to be worn to use it, you can wear your saddle while traversing the woods and never notice that it is there. And when you are at your tree to hunt out of, you just set up your climbing sticks and platform, and you are ready to hunt.

If you are not feeling that spot or want to make a move on a buck that's off in the distance, you can easily gather all your saddle hunting gear, climb down, and repeat the process within a timely manner. Thats the point of mobile hunting gear, to be on the move and to be ready to adjust at all times.

Stealth

With saddle hunting, there is virtually no metal when it comes to the saddle system itself. The hunting saddle and pouches will have no metal (except the belt and the leg straps). You can go with carbon fiber sticks to climb trees if you need something with no metal, and the platform as well. Or if you one stick, you will not need any climbing sticks or platform, so there is no chance of metal-on-metal contact with just a one stick platform. Thats what makes this mobile hunting gear setup so deadly, you can go multiple different routes in the world of saddle hunting and become extremely quiet.

Last thing, how many times have you had a doe or a target buck of yours come up behind you in a tree stand? With a tree stand, you are sort of shit out of luck if the deer doesn't give you a solid shot opportunity without running the risk of falling off the stand. With saddles, you can maneuver around the tree with ease. We call this " shooting 360". You can shoot all the way around the tree and even behind you with little to no effort. Also, with the stealth aspect, you can position yourself to where the tree is between you and the deer. This gives you the capability at all times to remain hidden before you make your planned next move. This is why saddles are king in the mobile hunting gear space. 

Cons

Costly

The cost of getting into saddle hunting can be very pricey for most people. It is tough to stomach the high price for something you don't know if you will end up liking. Good thing is, we offer a 30-day money back guarantee if you do not end up liking hunting saddles. Just cover the cost of shipping back the gear. The best way to see if you would like to get into mobile hunting gear such as a saddle, is buy a used saddle from a friend, use Facebook marketplace, or give us a call to meet up in person if you are in Ohio.

Learning Curve

The learning curve just to enter the world of mobile hunting gear like saddles, can be very overwhelming and confusing. On top of that, just learning how to use the gear and getting use to the weird feeling at first is overwhelming as well. A simple way to solve this is to talk to people that have been there and done that, such as myself, or visit our YouTube channel to learn everything. There is a plethora of forums and videos to do your own research on what to buy and how to get started.

Saddle hunting is one of the best options for mobile hunting gear. There is a learning curve and a cost to it, but you will not regret the choice.

• Saddle hunting offers extreme mobility
• Being lightweight gives you the ability to go wherever you want with ease
• Stealth and versatility are God tier with saddle hunting

The second-best option for a mobile hunting gear setup for public land will be tree stands. Tree stands have come a long way since its inception. They have become extremely light and versatile, to be an actual amazing option for a mobile hunting gear setup. With many advantages and options to choose from, you can harvest big bucks with ease on public ground.

Pros

Longevity

Whatever tree stand you purchase, if its quality, it will last a lifetime. Mobile hunting gear gets abused big time. From all the walking, scouting, being on the move, you are bound to bang up your mobile hunting gear. With a quality made stand, it will not degrade in anyway. If you take care of your tree stands, they will last you the rest of your life.

But it comes with a cost, technology and mobile hunting gear is always evolving. Always being pushed to the boundaries of making tree stands lighter, stronger, and compact. Your tree stand will last the test of time but will fall short to technological advances and will become outdated. But if its good enough for you, you are set for life.

Comfort

Tree stands are the pinnacle of comfort in the mobile hunting gear space. With hunting saddles, it is unnatural to be suspended from a tree in the position you sit in. Although there are things to improve comfort to the way you want it for saddle hunting, you will never get as close to the comfort of a good tree stand. Thats because you are sitting down in a natural position on top of a cushioned seat. There are no external factors such as webbing that can cause hotspots or pinch points over time like a saddle does. You just sit nice and comfortable with your back against the tree.

Ease of Setup

Mobile hunting gear such as tree stands, are very simple and easy to setup. Unlike saddle hunting setups where you have to manage ropes, pouches, gear straps, etc, tree stands have 3 basic elements when it comes to climbing a tree and setting up. You have your tree stand, climbing sticks, and a safety harness.

Once you get to your hunting height, you simply attach your lightweight tree stand to the tree, and you are ready to rock-n-roll. Saddle hunting is a little bit more involved, where you deploy a platform, attach yourself to the tree with a tether, then break out the gear strap and attach it to the tree, then put your pack and bow to the tree. After all said is done, you then adjust your saddle for a minute or so to find the sweet spot for comfortability. Tree stands are very straightforward and much easier to setup than saddles. 

Cons

Can't Shoot 360 Around Tree

We all have been in a situation where you are up in a tree stand, and you hear a crack behind you. Then you hear foot steps and rustling in the leaves. And when you try to look behind you, you either can't see what is going on or you do see what's going on but can't do anything. 

Thats a major downfall to tree stands, although you are comfortable and more stable, you can't do anything if a big buck shows up behind you and walks away. Mobile hunting gear setups such as hunting saddles, gives you the edge to be able to shoot or maneuver around the entire tree without risking safety or comfort.

Bulky

Although mobile hunting gear tree stand setups give you a ton of comfort and mobility, they are still a big hunk of metal at the end of the day. They cannot compete against something that you wear like shorts into the woods (Tree Saddles).

Majority of the time, you haul around a tree stand on your back when hunting on public land. The majority of hunters use hunting packs, so trying to figure out how to attach the hunting pack to a tree stand can be a challenge. But once you get your mobile hunting gear setup down, you will be happy with it.

Tree stands are one of the best mobile hunting gear setups you can use as well. But it comes with a price, bulk and not being able to shoot around the tree may be discouraging. With that said, here is a breakdown of the pros.

• Tree stands offer top notch comfort and stability
• Setting up a tree stand is very straight forward and easy
• Tree stands will last you a lifetime if you take care of them

Which mobile hunting gear option is best? Both are amazing options. We choose saddle hunting for serious mobile hunting. If you are not willing to take the risk and you already love tree stand hunting but want to be mobile as well, then tree stand hunt.

Saddle Hunting - For mobility and being lightweight

Saddle mobile hunting gear gives you the ability to be extremely light weight, be very mobile, gives you different options on how to ascend the tree such as one sticking, and can be a huge payoff once you get your mobile hunting gear down to the tee. We 100% recommended saddle hunting if you hunt public land and do a lot of traversing.

The downfall? It's expensive, there is a learning curve, and it takes time to be 100% comfortable in a saddle.

Tree Stand Hunting - For comfort and stability

Tree stand mobile hunting gear is king for comfort and familiarity. I would say 99% of hunters have hunted from a tree stand and are comfortable hunting from one. If you are not interested in learning something new or have no desire to be more mobile than what you currently do, then a quality light weight tree stand is the way to go. The downfall? Any tree stand will be bulkier and heavier than any saddle system on the market. You sacrifice weight and mobility for true comfort and stability.

Want the best of both worlds for mobile hunting gear? Hybrid hunting is just that, where you incorporate a hunting saddle and a mobile tree stand to your arsenal. You utilize both while hunting. 

Why hybrid hunt? Some people prefer the safety of a hunting saddle over a traditional tree stand harness. Alos, using a saddle while hunting from a tree stand gives you the ability to sit down comfortably on your tree stand, and hunt from a saddle position to give you the ability to shoot 360 degrees. Thats the best of both worlds for mobile hunting gear.

Hybrid hunting is extremely versatile. Why hybrid hunt?

• Can sit comfortably in your stand and hunt from a saddle at any given moment
• Best of both worlds for mobile hunting gear
• Hunting saddles are a safer alternative compared to a tree stand harness
• Can shoot 360 degrees while in a tree stand

Mobile hunting gear gives you an advantage over nature and other hunters. Whatever you choose, invest in high quality gear such as BullPath and hit the ground running. Pick an option and learn the game. There are stand hunters that can out hunt you and there is saddle hunters that can do the same. At the end of the day, just pick one (A saddle setup is my preference) and go all in.