Speaking of saddles and such.
I am in the process of weaning my daughter off her conventional single tie-in-point saddle and into a dual or split tie-in-point type saddle. In the process I have tried a few different things. Some were OK and some were disappointing.

The first thing I tried was the Sherrill Elevation. Nice looking saddle. I think it’s _base_d on the Buckingham ArborLite. At 3 pounds it is light enough for a child. However, I was not happy with the overall fit. Although it is very adjustable, I just couldn’t get it right, so pretty as it was, I considered it unacceptable.

I had a Buckingham Master model 1290 in stock so I gave it a try. A marked improvement in fit and comfort. Better leg pads, lower tie-in points. It was better but still not quite enough to off-set the simple comfort of the current New Tribe unit.

Now I’m tinkering with a Sherrill Classic-Deluxe. The extra padding should take up just enough room in the waist and legs to get the fit just right. Pretty colors too. If all works out, I can hack off a few pounds of steel snaps & rings to lighten things up a bit since I don’t see my 11 year old daughter hauling a chainsaw, dynamite, or jerry-can into the canopy anytime soon. I’ll put up some photos of it if this rain ever stops!

Several years ago, when I first started climbing, my first saddle was a New Tribe (I currently climb in an Arbormaster-Pro which Sherrill no longer sells).
My Son started on a New Tribe, my Daughter too, and whenever I do SRT I always don a New Tribe saddle (that’s cause my Arbormaster-Pro saddle suffers through SRT like an old school bus would handle a Formula-1 race course).

Conclusion. . .
You can’t go wrong with a New Tribe as your first saddle. Even the cheep basic model will do nicely (I own two basics but I’m “itching” to buy a new Tengu). If you later move on to other products, your New Tribe saddle will never get left alone for long. Light, Comfy, Economical, Safe, and easy to transport. You’ll keep going back to it.

EJ, you just have to experience the joys of putting a 36kn swivel on a single point saddle attachment. You can double crotch and spin underneath to shift position in the tree without twist. One of the advantages of a single point harness attachment. Also, have you tried one of the NT work saddles? The extra wide belt and wider leg pads are heavenly.
-moss

Being a gadget junkie, yes, I do have a Petzl swivel. It’s a handy thing but I never considered hooking it to my saddle. Interesting thought.

And yes, I do like my saddle tie-in-points low & wide for double rope work but I sure have been dreaming about that Tengu saddle, (pant, pant).
Even the colors are cool :cool:

Heck, what I really need to do is go up to Massachusetts, bring all my stuff, and rent you for a Saturday afternoon. But uh, no more chasing throw-bags with hand saws, O.K.? <grin>

I feel an off-topic barrage coming on. For the mercy of my fellow message _base_ members, let me finish this in email.
-Ej-

I have an Ultra light Saddle from New Tribe and Compared to my first basic saddle this one is a lot more robust and comfortable and not _meta_l clinging D's. These saddles were sold by Sherrill in some kind of special deal with New Tribe while they were developing the Tengu Saddle. The price was great too! I tried to buy a second one but they are not available anymore so I ordered a new Work Saddle in a smaller size to be more practical for visitors and guest climbers
( my daughter mostly). For the new Climber if you are going to invest in a saddle may as well buy a good one to start with . The extra cost of the work saddle will be worth it after a few years of use. The better saddle will stay with you for a long time so the cost per year is not too bad specially if you use it regularly ( weekly at least).