The New Tribe Nikosi

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Oh, I don't disagree, Cary...I'm riding a Sequoia these days myself. The place where the NT shines brightest is long SRT ascents...that's really what they were designed for from the start. It's still my first choice for that duty. Not only because of the comfort when suspended, but even more for the low central tie-in point...ideal for most SRT systems, far better than bridge saddles generally.

And that is going to be the case with the Nikosi...that is, it will be a poor SRT saddle imo, no matter how fine it may work out for DRT.

As wiley p so accurately said, no saddle is perfect for everything or everybody.
 
What about the SRT Sequoia? I like it, and it has a nice low SRT attachment; even lower than the Treeflex SRT point, i found it too high really.
 
Not having actually climbed in the Sequoia SRT model, I can only go on my impessions from looking at it, but I think it appears like it would be fine.

I chose to go with the standard Sequoia, soley because I've been so happy with my NT saddle for SRT. I switch back and forth between them as a particular climb characteristics dictate.

It may bear pointing out that the requirements of my position with the USFS tree climbing program as a trainer and evaluating facilitator are quite different than they were when I was soley a production climber. I do not have a single climbing setup that I use to the exclusion of others. I need to be able train climbers to a wide range of techniques, using quite a few different types of equipment.

For example, I currently may demo from any of 4 different saddles, three different sets of spurs, 8 types of lanyard ( I think that's the current fleet :)), 3 different SRT ropes, 4 different DRT ropes, I don't know how many different carabiners, 8 or 9 mechanical descenders, 6 or 7 mechanical ascenders, etc. etc.

So it is rather more possible for me to tune my equipment to the climb rather than pick something that is the best for general use, as most climbers tend to need to do just because of the prohibitive expense of keeping a full stable of equipment on hand.

In different circumstances, I'd have been very likely to have chosen the Sequoia SRT.
 
I use the SRT Sequoia and really like it a lot. Having the Croll permanently attached is a bit bothersome once in a while, but having it fixed on the suspenders works great for SRT. Best SRT saddle I've ever owned.
 
I've got a trick for mounting a croll on the SRT without having it permanently attached to the Petzl 'top' style suspenders. I've been meaning to post a pic for Cary....I'll see if I can get the pic up tonight.
 
I use the croll, with a DMM biner thru the SRT loop, and a short small bungee/keychain biner to my helmet chinstrap to keep it in place :) easy to take off once I'm up into position to switch over to my DdRT.

but I would like to see the pic Greg.
 
OK, it was a rainy weekend and I had too many things on my plate to devote more time to comparing harnesses than hanging from the eye screw I have mounted on the front porch ceiling...

But as I now have a Nikosi in hand, I can report a few things.

I hung in the Nikosi after fitting and adjusting everything. I'm using a hitchclimber pulley and a shortish VT. The axle of the sheave of the hitchclimber rides just at my chin. With my Sequoia, the axle is just the tiniest smidge lower, not more that 1/2 inch. With my NT ProGear, the axle is 2 inches lower.

So the bridge of the Nikosi doesn't set my hitch radically higher than either one, and is nearly identical to the Sequoia.

It turns out that you can't really use the riser straps from the bridge rings to the leg loops to alter the height of the bridge...those have to be set to equalize the load between the leg strap (lower bridge) and the upper bridge. That balance point is totally dependent on your personal COG, and there is one length that fits right, all others are out of balance and/or uncomfortable.

One real downside for me to the Nikosi is that it is awkward as heck to walk around with it on...both the upper bridge and the lower leg strap/bridge drop down halfway to your knees, letting the leg pads fall as well. Might be no problem if you put it on to climb and take it off as soon as you hit the ground. But I am primarily an instructor these days...I'm in and out of the tree frequently doing demos, and it would be a time-consuming hassle to get in and out of the saddle over and over. And even more to the point, I wonder if climbing when you're not on an overhead rope with some tension on it is going to mean awkward movement in the tree. The waist belt stays in proper position.

Overall comfort, much as it disappoints me to say it...I'd have to rate it lower than my older NT models, and maybe not quite as good as my Sequoia. But I must echo wiley p...saddle fit and comfort is such a strongly personal thing that my impressions should not be taken to say that everyone will agree with me.

Of course, there is that big caveat, which I stated before and want to remind y'all of...I have not climbed in it actively, only hung on my porch :). The Nikosi seems stiffer than my other NT saddles, but I know the Progear took a bit of break-in to hit peak comfort, so that could well be the case with the Nikosi.

Other items I note:
The side D's are not tiny, but are on the smaller side, a little smaller than the Sequoia. My first choice would be bigger ones, but I double lanyard a lot...for someone who doesn't they will be fine.
I'm not a fan of snaphooks on saddles...I'm forever hanging them up on small branches...I'll probably cut those off.
Good set of gear slings, and tight webbing slots to take some of those big wiregate plastic gear biners Petzl makes.
There is a stout webbing loop at the center of the back of the belt that is identified as a "rescue loop"...but how that might be utilized for rescue is neither described, nor apparent to me.

Looking forward to getting it in a tree...that's where the real worth shows or fails.
 
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thanks for the input Burnham ill keep an eyes out for your follow up when you get to do some good climbing in it. the walking around wearing the saddle is a bit of a concern for me seeing as how we do a good bit of commercial work so i walk through big office parks and might climb 10-15 small DBH trees in a day and only take my Sequoia off for lunch.
 
i was wondering too about the whole "slack, sloppy-thing" going on when you are walking around, NT never designed their saddles for tree-work; hence they are not made tight to the body.

I think while limbwalking, in the gap where the leg loops are kinda' sloppy; stuff could get stuck in there maybe?

I'm wondering if it was maybe pushed out a bit fast? and like moosehunter, I leave my Sequoia's on until I'm done for the day, even setting lines in other trees as I go ( if i have more than 1 to do that day).
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #36
Thanks for your review Burnham. As always, you have hit the most important points dead on. Regarding the flipline dee rings, I also asked if they could increase the size a bit, but was told that they could not do this and still have a double-bar dee-ring. Since the double-bar aspect is what keeps the dees pointed forward at all times, I thought this would be a poor trade off. Regarding the rescue loop in the back, this is necessary for the saddle to be used in a ISA climbing competition, and probably should have been called the TCC belay loop, or some such. Personally, I liked how the leg loops fell farther down my legs when I stood up. I have found that most leg loops saddles have a tendency to creep up my leg until the webbing is jammed firmly in my crotch, but with the Nikosi the leg straps were automatically reset to the height I prefer just by standing up, rather than me having to wrestle them back down every so often as I did in my Sequoia.
 
Hmmm...now I'm gonna have to take a re-look at the side D's. Seems to me they laid back as easy as laid forward. Not all the way back flat, but not always forward, either.

Oh, and to Cary's post...the Nikosi takes sloppy to a whole new level over any of the previous New Tribe saddles. You are not quite right to say no NT saddle was made for tree work...the ProGear is, just not with a sliding D. Not the only specifically designed arborist work saddle on the market over the years to lack that feature, I'll point out. I wear mine around all the time, it's no trouble...whereas the Nikosi shouted "bother to wear on the ground" with the first few steps.

Anyway, I've seldom had trouble with hanging up the leg pads/straps, but it sure can happen.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #38
I just took a look at the ones in my office Burnham and see that you are correct. They are no longer a double-bar dee. I'll have to call Sophia and see what happened. I know they were having problems getting the dee-rings they wanted in the time frame they had to work with. Maybe they had to switch in order to avoid a long delay or something.
 
I expect, like with any of their other saddles, if one wanted big D's they would custom make a Nikosi for you that way.
 
Bounce said:
Thanks for your review Burnham. As always, you have hit the most important points dead on. Regarding the flipline dee rings, I also asked if they could increase the size a bit, but was told that they could not do this and still have a double-bar dee-ring. Since the double-bar aspect is what keeps the dees pointed forward at all times, I thought this would be a poor trade off. Regarding the rescue loop in the back, this is necessary for the saddle to be used in a ISA climbing competition, and probably should have been called the TCC belay loop, or some such. Personally, I liked how the leg loops fell farther down my legs when I stood up. I have found that most leg loops saddles have a tendency to creep up my leg until the webbing is jammed firmly in my crotch, but with the Nikosi the leg straps were automatically reset to the height I prefer just by standing up, rather than me having to wrestle them back down every so often as I did in my Sequoia.
Click to expand...

i like the crotch wrestling stuff Sean :) let's you know you are alive!
 
Put some slack in your climbing line and fall into the leg loops, it won't be long until you know that snug a properly fitted is best! I don't know where the pics I had went, but sliding leg loops are not what they instruct at fall arrest schools up here.
 
I beg to differ, from an ISA TCC point of view! The belay loop on the back (if indeed it was put there to comform with a ISA TCC) would be used in the footlock competition. It would indeed be a FA in that application. Up here you can not have a FA that isn't permenatly attached to the belt.

Back to the issue of floppy leg loops, a lot of climbers have had a bit of slack and slipped. I have had 3 different legloop saddles, all will pinch the twins, except the Sequoia. The reason being it is snug and doesn't move! Poppin' 'em out of the container (so to be politically correct) usually only happens when the leg loops move around!
 
Here's the vid if you want to see the review I did.

In HD!!!

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #47
It's still not a fall arrest saddle Brent. Fall arrest saddles have a chest harness to help distribute the shock impact of a fall throughout the entire body, so it isn't all focused on the hips resulting in a broken pelvis. They also have a shock-absorbing decelerator lanyard built into the line. The Nikosi is a work positioning saddle. The belay loop on the back does not make it a fall arrest.
 
OK! Say in a TCC footlock event, the climber is belayed, they fall the distance of the slack in the belay line, what is going to happen to the climber and belay point? I am betting his jewels are gonna be in his body cavity!:O
 
I would just like to point out, that in the ISA TCC foot lock event, they require a full body, fall arrest harness. You can't use something like this new NT saddle.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #50
That is interesting Adrian. I did not know that. Do they use a shock-absorbing decelerator lanyard in the connection to the saddle then?
 
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