ATA 2025 Proved Saddle Hunting Isn't Slowing Down Anytime Soon
If you needed proof that saddle hunting has gone from niche obsession to full-blown industry force, the 2025 Archery Trade Association Show in Indianapolis handed it to you. The saddle and mobile hunting booths were, once again, among the most trafficked on the floor — and the gear manufacturers showed up with real product, not just promises. For anyone running a mobile whitetail setup, it was a good week to be paying attention.
The Floor Was Buzzing — And for Good Reason
Tethrd dropped arguably the most complete lineup of any single brand at the show. Their new Carnivore 2P saddle brought a smart solution to a long-standing comfort debate: the tension between a trim, packable single-panel fit on the walk-in versus the wider, more supportive two-panel feel once you're up the tree. Tethrd's answer is a Dual Panel Construction with RAD Buttons that let you flip from single-panel mode to full two-panel support once you've found your tree — quick, clean, and no fumbling around at elevation. The saddle also includes a single row of MOLLE straps and dual D-rings, giving you the modular attachment options serious mobile hunters expect.
They didn't stop there. The Tethrd CFX platform — made in the USA from a proprietary carbon fiber — is their lightest and strongest platform yet, with the regular size coming in at just 2.3 pounds. That's a significant number for guys covering miles to reach unpressured timber. And the fifth-generation Predator V refined what was already one of the most popular saddle platforms in the whitetail woods: an angled front edge for foot and ankle comfort, improved traction tread, an updated stomp pad for toe-camming, and a leveling knob that actually works with cold-stiff gloves on. Both regular and XL sizes are in the lineup.
The accessory that generated the most floor buzz, though, was the Tethrd Sabr Limb Saw — and it walked away with Best New Accessory honors at the show. It earns that distinction. The Sabr is a folding hand saw that converts to a pole saw in the field by locking onto a cut branch with stainless steel Limb Locks. That means you can reach the limbs and brush that are always just outside arm's length without hauling a dedicated pole saw into the woods. It's the kind of problem-solving accessory that makes you wonder how you dealt without it.
The Rest of the Industry Is Keeping Pace
Trophyline turned heads with their Hyperlite platform, built from a material called Magnite that the team describes as lighter than aluminum and meaningfully stronger. The platform stacks cleanly with Trophyline's Hyperlite climbing sticks via their FlatStack design — a detail that matters when you're running four sticks and a platform out of a tight pack. At 2.1 pounds and made in the USA, it's one of the more compelling platform options for weight-conscious hunters who don't want to sacrifice rigidity.
Latitude Outdoors brought their Method 3 saddle to the show floor, and it generated serious attention. The design packed enough upgraded features and materials into the same price point as its predecessor that it came across as genuine value rather than a cash grab — which isn't always a given in this market. And in a development worth noting for 2025 and beyond, Hunter Safety System — a company long associated with treestand harnesses — officially stepped into the saddle hunting category with a full gear lineup, including their new Legend Platform engineered with a slope-front edge for all-day foot and ankle comfort and 360-degree shooting clearance around the tree.
That last point matters. When established safety-harness brands pivot resources into saddle hunting products, you're looking at an industry that has moved well past the early-adopter phase.
What It Means for Your Setup This Season
The takeaway from Indianapolis isn't just a list of cool gear. It's that competition in the saddle and mobile hunting space is genuinely driving innovation. Brands are solving real problems — comfort at elevation, weight savings on the walk-in, better tool integration — rather than just reshuffling SKUs. Every year the options get sharper, and the gap between entry-level and elite narrows.
If you've been sitting on an upgrade, 2025 is a strong year to pull the trigger. The whitetail woods are getting crowded with mobile hunters, and your setup — from the saddle to the platform to the saw on your hip — is part of what puts you in position when it counts.
