Monkey Beaver Saddle

A rope is a rope , you trust it or you don't. I do inspect my bridge and climbline as well.


Don't some ropes break down rather quickly with the short bend radius' involved in bridges AND that those bends are consistently in same place or close to it?

Thought I have heard of mfg recall because they chose wrong rope to start with.
 
I bought my Cougar about 4 years ago and didn't use it for a year or so. By then I had 2 recalls on it and really didn't want to use it. I Took it to the arborist store here and they said the recalls didn't affect my particular saddle. The bridge was ok. I replaced my bridge this summer. The old one was not too bad. The new one is the same thing and I don't want to have it in the back of my mind.

I just saw the liger vid. I might try that. Any recommendations on rope to use?
 
I've been climbing weaver's newer version of the cougar, I forget what model number or name is on it. It comes with a rope bridge, which is doubled (and the associated rigging plates) and had some orange webbing here and there, otherwise looks just like the cougar. It works ok for me, but I knew was just to get me by till I found the saddle that really clicked for me. The MB is the answer for me personally. It's super comfortable, moves with me, it's low profile, and super light.
Even with the bulky waistbelt on the cougar, it bothered my hips. The MB does not seem to bother my hips even with a much slimmer belt in it. I haven't spent much time aloft in it yet, but the time I have spent in it has been magical. I'll be up in a large poplar (large for my area, maybe 100' at most to the tippy tips) for a few hours tomorrow, I'll chime in again with my experiences on that job.
I absolutely love the gear D's on the left side. They are so easy to clip to and I don't have to feel around for webbing loops anymore. I put the dmm metal caritool looking thingy on the right, clip my saw lanyard to the ring below that, and my silky scabbard good on the hook next to that. Everything has its place, just the way I like it.
It's also very easy to adjust, so after you're in it for a while and notice something doesn't feel right, it only takes a minute to tweak it (or re tweak it, it can take some patience to get it just right. I still have to dial mine a bit to keep the waistbelt from riding up - it only does it rarely, But I don't like it when it does. I have, however, been almost horizontal with my feet braced about a foot below the crotch my rope was running through (lots of downward pull on the saddle) and it did not try to slide off my hips.
The leg straps (more like slings) are the cat's ass, I don't know why no one seems to be copying the new tribe leg straps. The extra pads haven't shown up yet, but the saddle feels fantastic without them.
I really can't say enough about how much I love this saddle. I recommend it, but saddles are all personal preference. I loved the new tribe movement and leg straps when I tried out the onyx, but it killed my pointy hip bones. The MB saddle has everything I loved about the onyx, fixed the hip issue, and made more improvements I wouldn't have though of!
I am going to put an adjustable bridge on it at some point, just haven't gotten around to fiddling with that yet.
August, what mechanical were you using for a bridge adjuster?
 
Omg, I F'ing LOVE this saddle. I was aloft for about 3hrs with it, ascending my climb line, on spurs & lanyard, hanging from an overhead TIP, etc, I love it. I had no discomfort whatsoever. I didn't even adjust anything from the other day and it didn't ride up, it just worked! I feel that's one the best compliments a piece of gear can receive, it just works, you don't notice it and you're more able to focus on the task at hand.
 
He is using the yoke. I have not used mine at all but demoing it is one of the best I have ever used. Well thought out and setup. Only thing I have found to be missing is a handsaw snap. That simply fixed with a small acc biner and the use of one of the slots in the belt.
 
Woodslinger, is that the Monkey Beaver saddle you're talking about? It looks like an awesome saddle. I haven't found a place to purchase it yet. I looked at New Tribes site and didn't see where to order it. I think I'm going to do the Liger conversion to my Cougar for now and see how that works.
 
If I were to get rid of my spliced bridge for the moment and add a piece of new rope through my existing rings as I've seen done, would it be best to run the rope through the rings and tie a double fishermans knot to keep the rope from slipping through the ring or tie a cinching anchor knot to the ring itself?
 
Either or... I have done both. Inspection with use is the key. You will see flat spots develope on the rope either way. I usually retire the bridge once I see the knot edge or where it goes around the ring in the bight pancake out. You have to hang in something you can trust. Inspect your gear day to day and go with how you feel safe or not.
 
I have a small, there's a medium and large, not sure if that covers the ludicrous range or not. . .
The jump between small and medium was noticeable, but not huge, so I would guess the large is a bit bigger than average but not monstrous
 
That's another question I had. I wear 36 waist in pants. New Tribe has 33" to 35" for medium and 36" to 40" for large. My Cougar is large and I think it's 36" to 40". I'm in the next to tightest hole in the belt. And I can use the smallest if I want to. Its a little big for me but the medium was going to be a little tight especially in winter with extra clothes. And forget coveralls under the medium. I wish there was a saddle where 36" was in the middle of the range. Anyone else have this problem or am I just an odd size? I am in the process of easing back down to 34" but it might take a little bit.
 
I think I'm going to go forward with getting on the waiting list for the Monkey Beaver. I think from what I've been reading that might be the one for me.
 
That's another question I had. I wear 36 waist in pants. New Tribe has 33" to 35" for medium and 36" to 40" for large. My Cougar is large and I think it's 36" to 40". I'm in the next to tightest hole in the belt. And I can use the smallest if I want to. Its a little big for me but the medium was going to be a little tight especially in winter with extra clothes. And forget coveralls under the medium. I wish there was a saddle where 36" was in the middle of the range. Anyone else have this problem or am I just an odd size? I am in the process of easing back down to 34" but it might take a little bit.

Call me tomorrow if you get this message. I will talk to them specifically about your sizing. There are times where when someone is right between two sizes...adjustments can be made that are more specific. I happen to know because I am one of those people. That's why a belt with belt holes never works for me. My monkey beaver belt is custom, more custom than even the versatility sizing that New Tribe does so well, will accommodate.
541-659-9560, I'll talk to you on the phone. It doesn't really help the cause much for me to suggest that customizations can happen, rampant customizations tend to hurt profit, but hey! this doesn't seem rampant.
 
That's another question I had. I wear 36 waist in pants. New Tribe has 33" to 35" for medium and 36" to 40" for large. My Cougar is large and I think it's 36" to 40". I'm in the next to tightest hole in the belt. And I can use the smallest if I want to. Its a little big for me but the medium was going to be a little tight especially in winter with extra clothes. And forget coveralls under the medium. I wish there was a saddle where 36" was in the middle of the range. Anyone else have this problem or am I just an odd size? I am in the process of easing back down to 34" but it might take a little bit.

I wear a 36" pant too and they are a bit loose. I bought large because I did not want to risk not being able to fit a thing underneath it. I feel the side Ds are a bit too far forward but this shoulder surgery has me laid up so I can't demo it. If you would like I would send you mine to try on and see how it fits. I am little concerned but not too I have paid attention to where August's land on his. Just shoot me a PM and I will throw it in a box headed your way.
 
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