Last Updated on January 30, 2025 by Jason Tome
I’ve been saddle hunting for almost a decade, one of my first blog posts ever was on the O.G. Aero Hunter Tree Saddle in 2018. I used that Aero Hunter for two years before writing that post. In my decade of using saddles, I’ve tried many different brands. You can read my reviews of them here: (Aero Hunter, JX3 Hybrid, Tethrd ESS, Drayad Drey, and Cruzr XC). I say this to illustrate that I believe I have the experience to give you a quality review of how the Lone Wolf Custom Gear .75 (LWCG .75 or .75) works as a hybrid saddle platform.
Saddles are great in many aspects which is why I have been exclusively hunting in them for 10 years. However, in my experience, they aren’t perfect. Their comfort for all-day hunts is lacking – hip pinch is a common problem for me. Next, shooting weak side is tough, and hunting from awkward trees can be difficult because you are subject to the pull of gravity since you’re suspended.
I bought the LWCG .75 primarily for a hybrid saddle-hunting platform. I was looking for something to add more comfort for all-day hunts. I also wanted a large platform so I could stand on it and more easily shoot on my weak side. Below I explain my thoughts on the LWCG .75 as a hybrid saddle platform.
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Table of Contents
Pros of The LWCG .75 as a Hybrid Saddle Platform
Can Maneuver Completely Around The Tree
Just like with a ring of steps or another saddle platform, you can still move completely around the tree by using your steps in conjunction with the .75 saddle platform. I attach my Bullman ring of steps using the silent EWO OCB to the bottom of the LWCG .75. The OCB gets surprisingly just as tight as a rachet strap which allows you to put side pressure on the LWCG .75 without it kicking out. This will enable you to shoot in all directions and keep the tree between you and the deer for extra concealment.



Easier To Shoot Weak Side Shots
Weak side shots are also much easier with the hybrid approach because if a deer comes in on the weak side you can just stand up on the .75 platform and spin around with minimal movement, and thus your weak side shot becomes your strong side shot. If you’re just using a saddle, weak side shots are tricky because they involve a lot of movement, strain, and practice to get the shot off accurately.
Sit, Stand, or Lean
Another huge advantage of using the hybrid approach is that you can stay comfortable longer. This is because you have the option to stand and completely take the weight off your saddle. For example, I do get some leg/hip pinch in my saddle and for all-day sits, I can get fidgety when I get uncomfortable. But with the .75 I could completely remove the hip pinch by standing for a while.
Also, if I wanted to I could turn around, flip the LWCG .75 seat down, and sit in it like a regular hang-on treestand. In this scenario, my saddle would be acting as my safety harness.



You Need A Harness Anyway, Why Not Use A Saddle?
Another point for the hybrid approach is that when you’re using a hang-on stand you need to be harnessed in for safety anyway, so you might as well use a saddle as your harness so that you can take advantage of the benefits of a saddle and a hang-on.
Big Trees
I did find that it was harder to shoot 360º when in larger trees with the .75. In these scenarios it was nice also having a saddle so that I could use it if needed to maneuver around the tree for more shooting options.
No Knee Fatigue
Another big comfort upgrade with the hybrid approach is that you can use the flipped-up .75 seat as your knee cushion instead of grinding your knees into the tree bark. You’ll want to add a cushion to the backside of the seat but when you do your knees will be fatigue-free (unlike the photo below) but you get the idea.

Cons of the LWCG .75 as a Hyrbid Saddle Platform
Takes Time and Noise To Setup Extra Gear
The biggest con for me is the time and noise of setting up the saddle gear. I found once I got the .75 setup in the tree, I was ready to hunt and I didn’t want to spend the extra time and noise it took to also get the saddle setup in the tree, especially in the dark during morning hunts.
Heavier and Bulkier To Pack In
The next biggest con for me was the heavier and bulkier gear to pack in. Since I was using the saddle gear less and less, the extra saddle gear felt unnecessary, especially the bulky ring of steps. I found the advantages of the saddle did not usually outweigh the extra work of carrying it in. As a long-time saddle hunter, I was even surprised at my decision to use the saddle equipment less and less.
Looking The Wrong Way In A Saddle When Sitting
If you get fatigued in your saddle and you want to sit down and use the .75 as a regular hang-on treestand, you will face the exact opposite way of how you set up in the saddle. Most of the time this is an issue because that means it is the least likely place you expect deer to be coming from. I found that using my .75 as a regular hang-on treestand was not that feasible in almost all situations. When I did, I felt like I could easily miss an opportunity at a deer.
Platform Cables Are In The Way
On the .75 there are cables that attach from the platform to the post to keep the stand safe. These cables are a little in the way when you’re trying to maneuver around the ring of steps and get back onto the platform. Although not the best, it wasn’t too bad I was still able to maneuver quite well with practice.

Awkward Trees and Fighting Gravity
If you setup in a tree that is leaning then it can be hard to use the .75 with saddle equipment because it can be hard to get back onto the platform depending on how gravity is acting on the leaning tree. It’s also just uncomfortable when one knee is fighting gravity all day in an uneven tree. In these situations, it was just easier to just use the .75 by itself so I didn’t have to worry about fighting gravity like in a saddle.
Small Trees
I’m often hunting swamps where there are normally small awkward trees. In these scenarios, it doesn’t make sense to use a saddle. Saddle movement is more easily noticed in small trees compared to a hang-on. When hunting in these situations I’m also somewhat skylined, the least amount of movement is most valuable to me. Additionally, in small trees, I can shoot 360º just using the .75 so the saddle becomes irrelevant when hunting in smaller trees. In my opinion, the .75 by itself is the superior choice for hunting in areas that have small and even medium-sized trees.
Side Pressure and Kick-out
When running the LWCG .75 as a saddle platform I found that it did not have great side-pressure resistance with just one strap (like it is most popularly used). For example, when you’re trying to go around the tree on your ring of steps the side pressure on the platform will lift and kick-out off the tree.
However, as I mentioned above, a solution for this is using an EWO OCB strap at the bottom of the stand which my Bullman ring of steps are attached to. This OCB strap did a good job of tightening the bottom of the stand, allowing for side pressure. The OCB is silent and tightens just about as well as a ratchet strap.

Final Thoughts
My purpose in buying the LWCG .75 was to determine if using it in conjunction with my saddle equipment, as a hybrid approach, would provide me with the ultimate hunting setup by having the best of both worlds. What I found even surprised me. Not only did I not prefer the hybrid approach, but I didn’t even prefer my saddle equipment anymore. My conclusion with this experiment was that the LWCG .75 on its own was what I found myself gravitating to for its simplicity in setup, versatility in awkward trees, and comfort for all-day hunts.
If you’re a saddle hunter who is looking for a hybrid method, I recommend trying the .75. The cons of using the .75 as a saddle platform are not much different than any other saddle platform or ring of steps. You may be surprised, like me, to find that you actually might prefer using the .75 by itself like I did.