Ill stick with these, but certainly agree with this^^^^Nice rig i have two of these but in my honest opinion for me Tree hopper has an even better ocb strap and and buckle. The handlr is long and is very easy to lock down.
gives you better leverage. Check them out at Treehopper.com
I can't help with any of the other options out there, but I can tell you I am still using the boat buckle and have been very happy with them.So I have been reading through this thread for the past couple weeks....and readily admit I learned a LOT in the process. While new to saddle hunting, I'm far from new to bowhunting and treestands and such. From days past, I have 8-9 of the Ameristep strap on steps with the metal clasp that attaches to the cam device. Taking Red's cue, I carefully cut the stitching from a few so the main 1" nylon strap is ready for reapplication and the steps are loose to create a ROS. All I seem to need is an OCB buckle......but which one? EWO offers a stand-alone OCB plus the same boat buckle Red posted in the OP years ago. Which would be the better option? The EWO buckle would be cheaper than buying the boat rig and cutting away whan I don't need....but is the buckle better for the exta money? How about the Treehopper version? If I had the buckle, I would be ready to test out an ROS this afternoon.....thus opions would be welcome.
So I have been reading through this thread for the past couple weeks....and readily admit I learned a LOT in the process. While new to saddle hunting, I'm far from new to bowhunting and treestands and such. From days past, I have 8-9 of the Ameristep strap on steps with the metal clasp that attaches to the cam device. Taking Red's cue, I carefully cut the stitching from a few so the main 1" nylon strap is ready for reapplication and the steps are loose to create a ROS. All I seem to need is an OCB buckle......but which one? EWO offers a stand-alone OCB plus the same boat buckle Red posted in the OP years ago. Which would be the better option? The EWO buckle would be cheaper than buying the boat rig and cutting away whan I don't need....but is the buckle better for the exta money? How about the Treehopper version? If I had the buckle, I would be ready to test out an ROS this afternoon.....thus opions would be welcome.
Good point. I have heard of a few OCB's breaking but most of the time it seems the user is trying to cam them over too hard. You need to get it tight, then give it enough wiggle room so that you can cam it over. It's an art lol.I’ve used the one @redsquirrel posted and the all metal one from EWO. In my mind the boat buckle has the potential to be quieter. It was the first I owned and I had it on some ameristeps. When I added two more ring of steps to my collection I bought a couple from EWO just because Dan was a super nice guy and why not try something new, save some money, and support a nice guy who at the time was starting a side business as a hobby. I haven’t used the ameristeps in years and while I think the boat buckle brand is slightly better built I haven’t thought it was enough of a difference to swap them around. I did have a rivet fail on one of the metal ocb but I was on an aggravating tree and tightened it way more than makes sense trying to make the steps more solid. Probably 100 percent my fault. Either one will serve you well. The ameristeps are probably the Cadillac of steps but they don’t pack the best. I would definitely use them until you decide for sure if a ROS is for you.
I was on a tree that had a dip in it so I’m had one loose step and it was one I was going to be spending most of my time on. I guess I was trying to squeeze the tree back round lol. I kept a spare buckle in my pack for a while after that but I’m pretty sure it’s been thrown in the spare saddle gear box.Good point. I have heard of a few OCB's breaking but most of the time it seems the user is trying to cam them over too hard. You need to get it tight, then give it enough wiggle room so that you can cam it over. It's an art lol.
Has anyone found a good source for a 1.5" OCB? I'd like to get a wider strap for my steps.