Best Hunting Treestand Safety Harness

Treestand harnesses are very important to safety as you don’t want to be just another statistic. No matter how experienced, you always want to keep safety first as not only is getting injured annoying but can be deadly. With that said, let’s get into the best treestand safety harness reviews.

Buyer’s Guide

Comfort

Comfort is pretty much the most important feature of a harness for most hunters. Just like hunting boots, you want something that fits you well and doesn’t cause any discomfort with prolonged use.
Treestand harnesses are typically, in most cases, worn over the base layer, under the shell. It is important to always test it out in different positions for some time to make sure it fits you right. A small annoyance a few minutes in may mean something big later.
The right harness is both light and well built. You want it light as extra weight will drag you down and make it uncomfortable to wear. But if it’s light to a point where you’re sacrificing some safety features then the tradeoff is not worth it.
Another thing to consider is how snug it fits and its effect on your range of motion. You don’t want something that is loose as that’s not particularly safe in the case that you fall off but you also don’t want the harness to constrict your movements in any way.

Usability

You also want to make sure that the harness that you get is easy to put on and off. The less of a hassle it is, the better.

Other Things

TMA certification – you don’t want some cheap unreliable made in China item that will break when you need it most.
Scent – if you’re hunting from a treestand that is not particularly high, then you might want to look at some of the scent killing treestand harness variants made by Hunter Safety Systems. But you’re fine if you just wear the harness underneath and have some sort of scent blocker on your outer layer.

Tips

On average, harnesses have a 3 to 5 years lifetime, after which you might want to consider replacing them for safety sake. You can, of course, use them after expiry but then you run the risk of the cables or the buckles potentially not being able to do its job well in a scenario where it is most needed.
Another important point to consider is that fall restrains place incredible amounts of pressure around the hamstring and quadriceps. If you make the mistake of not releasing that pressure quickly you can result in permanent damage to the lower extremities in as little as 10 to 12 minutes.
After the initial fall and “scare”, you’ll be surprised how quickly those 10 minutes can pass by. To add further, you better have some sort of a tension release mechanism/system if you are caught in that situation. In the worst case scenario if you find yourself hanging below a stand for 15 to 30 whole minutes without any way to release tension, you’re in serious trouble.

Best Hunting Treestand Safety Harness Reviews

Hunter Safety System UltraLite Flex Harness – Best Treestand Safety Harness for Comfort

If you liked the features and the sound of the Hunter Safety System hybrid flex but don’t want a full vest harness and something lighter, then the UltraLite harness may be what you’re looking for.

Let’s get right into one of its best points – and that’s its weight. It weighs a mere 2.0 lb., much less than many other treestand safety harnesses. In addition to that, you can easily wear it under you outer layer as it adds virtually no bulk and you won’t feel encumbered while you’re wearing it.

Another thing that I like about this harness is even though it’s lighter than its Hybrid Flex cousin, it still works well and doesn’t sacrifice comfort.

Its design is well made and manages to have a snug fit without restricting your movements. That’s important for me as a snug fit is important for safety but if the harness starts to interfere with hunting and aiming, then it’s a problem.

In addition to its light weight and solid design, it’s also easy to put on and off. No needing to adjust repeatedly to fit your legs correctly. No repeat adjustments to get over your boots and hunting pants. No more stepping through the leg straps with small holes. You just put it on, quickly adjust it and you’re good to go.Now, let’s get into the cons. The harness doesn’t come with a lineman’s strap that was bundled with older models of HSS harnesses in the past. There’s also no included carabiner.

The waist adjustment on this buckle uses a buckle that is made from metal. Because of this, if you are wearing your harness while carrying your tree stand, you might experience some clanking noises when they bang against each other. Not a fan of that.

But apart from those cons, everything else works well and as intended. Finally, like most Hunter Safety System harnesses, this one comes with a 5 year warranty included.

In conclusion, this is one of the best treestand safety harnesses if you care about light weight and comfort and don’t mind purchasing some additional things like a carabiner or a lineman’s strap.

Pros	Cons
Super comfortable	Pricey
Light

Tree Spider Speed Harness – Best Ease of Use Harness

The Tree Spider Speed harness, as its name implies, is a good overall harness, and is especially great for those that want an easy to use harness that you can quickly put on or off.

The treestand harness comes with 1 aluminum carabineer, 1 tree strap, 1 suspension relief strap and 1 instructional DVD on how to set it up and use it. You do have to purchase the linesmen belt separately.

Overall, the design of it looks pretty decent although it doesn’t come in a camo variant which can upset the all camo crowd. Although, that shouldn’t be much of an issue if you’re wearing it under your outer layer.

Talking about the layers, it is recommended to put this over your first or second layer and not on the outside. This helps to prevent the leg straps from potentially slipping down. As always, the right size also plays an important role in making sure it fits you right which is why you should always try the different safety harnesses out and return them if they don’t fit well. Most places allow you to return the item if you aren’t happy, and many places, like amazon, will do so happily and no questions asked.

The chest adjustment strap uses a YKK buckle which are known to be durable. The shoulder strap and leg adjustment use 2 venom leg buckles. These leg buckles are machined aluminum and remain quiet no matter how much you bang them. Some people have noted that the shoulder straps are a little bit stiff. Though, there is a lot of padding in this harness so also keep that in mind.

Further adding to its quick setup are 2 large tags which you can easily and quickly tug to set up the harness.

The tether itself has some elasticity which helps with an increased range of movement. However, the tether mechanism begins somewhere from the mid back which can get annoying if you’re using the tree as a back rest. This harness also not only meets but exceeds the ANSI safety standards.

If you don’t like fumbling around putting on your treestand harness or removing it then you might want to seriously consider the Tree Spider.

Pros	Cons
Easy to put on/off	A little heavy
Quiet

 

Hunter Safety System Hybrid Flex– Best Treestand Safety Harness Vest for Comfort

The Hunter Safety System company is well known to make some of the best treestand harnesses that often get recommended around. And to be honest, they do have a wide variety of harnesses that, while a little pricey, deliver on their promises. Let’s take a closer look at the Hybrid Flex harness.

So first things first, as you have noticed by now, this is a vest treestand harness. This means that it is a little bit heavier than other alternatives but when compared to other vest harnesses it’s actually pretty lightweight. The vest itself weighs 2.5 lb.

A new feature that they have put in in the 2017 version of the harness is ElimiShield scent control technology. It produces a strong molecular chain of atoms which is kind of like a bed of nails, so to say. When an odor causing bacteria come near it, they get attracted to the charged atoms and their walls are pierced, effectively killing them. Sounds a little complicated but I won’t complain about any additional features considering it didn’t add to the cost of the vest itself.

You get 6 accessory pockets where you can store your gear if needed. The dedicated cell phone pocket is a little small though as you can only fit in the older iPhone models or something around that size.

The vest itself feels very solid and well-built which gives you the comfort of the mind that it will serve its purpose well and keep you safe when needed. The buckles are also made of metal and not plastic, which I like. Plastic can work well and is usually cheaper but for something that might involve you getting seriously injured, quality trumps all for me personally.

The clips for the front of the vest and the leg straps both do their job well. Even though it’s a little heavier than the non-vest treestand harnesses, it doesn’t lose any points on comfort.

The Hybrid flex harness comes with a tree climbing strap, a tree strap and a life line included. However you do need to supply your own carabiner to connect the tree strap to the harness.

Like all things however, there are also some cons that I’ll mention about this harness. While the built in pockets are good, it does make it an issue to use your jacket pockets. In essence, you’re trading pockets basically.

Additionally, attaching and removing the straps from the vest could use some improvements. I’d have preferred if they used a quick attach/detach clip of some sort. Now don’t get me wrong, the current system works well enough, but it is something that they can revise in the next iteration.

All in all if you’re looking for a premium safety harness vest that is very comfortable, the Hybrid flex might be the best choice for you.

Pros	Cons
Comfortable	Pricey
Solidly built	Attachment/detachment system can use a revision

 

 

Big Game Ez-On Basic Safety Harness – Best Treestand Safety Harness on a Budget

If you’re looking at purchasing a treestand harness without spending much money then the Big Game Ez-On is a good choice. Let’s see why.

Overall, the harness itself feels pretty sturdy, which I like. While wearing it, the comfort is pretty decent and won’t be an issue if you wear it for long periods of time.

It is also pretty quiet while worn which is another thing that I like.

The rated weight of this harness is 300 lb. which should be enough for most of us. However, on the topic of weight, one of the biggest cons of this treestand harness is the fact that it is heavy. On the store it is advertised as 2 pounds but in reality it’s closer to 5 pounds. I’m not too sure why they would choose to straight up misinform the buyer, so that’s a red flag for me. But then again, it does cost a fraction of other treestand harnesses, so not much to complain about. At least you now know this as opposed to people who just purchase it without looking much at reviews.

Another big thing that I don’t like about this harness is the leg strap buckle. There have been quite a number of people that had issues with the buckle with some having the buckles just coming undone while wearing bulkier overalls and others had it permanently stuck closed. The leg buckle also makes a loud click when you put it in. A way to avoid that is to press the sides of the buckle in while putting it in.

Considering how the buckle is important to the overall safety of the harness, I would strongly suggest you try to test it out under a lot of stress to make sure you don’t get a defective one.

And if it is defective, don’t expect much in terms of customer support as they take a long time to answer back. I might be a little bit harsh here in this review but I want you guys to know exactly what you’re getting yourselves into to make the right choice. There is a reason why some items cost less than others and some corners have to be cut to stay competitive.

So overall, if you don’t mind the few cons mentioned here, then the Big Game Ez-On is one of the best treestand safety harnesses for its price.

Pros	Cons
Cheap	Heavy
Quiet	Leg strap buckle questionable quality
	Bad customer support

 

Hunter Safety System Women’s Contour Harness – Best Treestand Safety Harness for Women

Trying to find good hunting clothing as a female hunter leaves much to be desired most of the time. Fortunately the folks over at Hunter Safety System saw this as an opportunity to design a safety harness that is made with women in mind.

Like other Hunter Safety System harnesses, this harness is very comfortable to wear, and even though it’s a vest you can easily put it under your outer layer. The way it’s designed causes it to add little bulk when worn underneath. It’s also nice and light considering it’s a vest harness, coming in at only 2.5 lb.

If you’re wondering whether you need to consider your body proportions while wearing this, such as bust size, the stretchy material that it is made of will accommodate pretty much everyone as long as you fall within its specified weight range.

Putting it on and off is nice and easy, just like the other HSS harnesses. You get 2 nice and deep pockets that are 2 lined and zippered which you can use to either store gear or keep your hands warm.

New for the 2017 line is the addition of the ElimiShield scent technology, similar to the Hybrid Flex harness. Basically, what this does is create a wall of atoms that are strongly chained to together. These atoms are arranged in a shape that resembles a “bed of nails”, so to say, which causes any bacteria that comes close to be punctured and effectively killed. These atoms are also charged, meaning that not only do they kill any bacteria that touch it, but they also attract the bacteria towards it, kind of like a light for a firefly. It’s a simplification but you should get the jist of it.

The harness comes with a tree strap, suspension relief/deer drag, a lineman’s climbing strap and a DVD on how to set it up and use it properly. You do need to supply your own carabiner though, so keep that in mind if you’re planning on ordering this product.

In the end, this is a great safety harness to use for any female hunter which, if you don’t mind its price, will give you comfort and security knowing that you’re safe on top of the treestand.

Pros	Cons
Better fit for women over other harnesses	Pricey
Comfortable

In Conclusion

So there you have it, the best hunting treestand safety harness reviews, all pitted up against one another so you can see which one is the best for you. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, so make sure to take a close look when you are deciding on what you want out of your harness.