New Tribe Onyx Saddle discussion in light of the newest saddle releases

B

Butch La Roue

Location
MT & ID
Will we ever see an updated Onyx? Will the Onyx be discontinued eventually? As I understand it, New Tribe still makes MBs? I could be wrong about that. If so, it seems that Monkey Beaver has really infiltrated New Tribe and perhaps are relying on their sales of MBs. Probably for good reason, I rarely have heard poor reviews of the MB and I'm sure the 2.0 is going to have just as big of fans. With the newest Tree Motion out, is it worth updating a less popular lightweight saddle?

I've been running a New Tribe Onyx for more than a few years now and I couldn't be more happy with it. While the bulkiness of the MB makes for a great spur removal and crane saddle, I'm a tall skinny guy and my job calls for a variety of tree work where I might need more maneuverability.

I love that I can support New Tribe as a small US manufacturing business. The craftsmanship is beautiful. I love that its lightweight yet still feels like you're sitting in a hammock when on rope (triangle leg pads are key). I like the diverse options for racking gear and the four accessory biner slots. The longer rear gear loop acting as a great handle for carrying the saddle is so much more important than I ever imagined! I love that its black.

Other than the occasional nut pinch on hot days, I've honestly never been uncomfortable or dissatisfied with my Onyx experience. There are certain things on the saddle that I wish could be added or modded to make it more current with modern saddles. I do doubt we will ever see a new Onyx. But for the sake of discussion, for those that are still running the Onyx, what improvements can you see being done or modifications have you made to your personal saddle?

-My top mod I still would like to make is to create an elastic catch to hold a trauma pack at the back.
-Its a lot, but seeing proprietary lower Dee's like those you see on the Tree Motions (I'm actually surprised not to see these on the new MB, though its probably really expensive)
-smaller side Dees. and not slanted downward.
-leg loop buckles on the inside, like the MBs.

Anyways, perhaps this is just a post for me to soupbox about how much i like the Onyx. Thanks for reading if you made it this far! Hah!
 
I like the size of the d’s and I’ve gotten use to the angle but would certainly like more forward facing.
The lower suspension is a super pain in the ass to adjust, I have scrawny legs and have them as tight as they can go. There’s a solid inch or two of slack even when wearing saw pants. I really dislike that this same adjustment lengthens the rise of the lower suspension.
Only other thought is the bitter ends of all the suspension webbing could have a doubled back slider buckle as a stop instead of a sewn stop. This would allow replacement if the rigging plates with ease. I unstitched and re did mine, as I wanted to run two bridges over lower d rings.
Beyond that it’s my favorite saddle to date, a tree motion is very close second.

The MB 2.0 is appealing, but like the 1.0 I’m at a loss without factory customization. I like the improvements of gear customization, but looks like they are going with a double waist belt like the weaver leather saddle.
 
evo said:
I like the size of the d’s and I’ve gotten use to the angle but would certainly like more forward facing.
The lower suspension is a super pain in the ass to adjust, I have scrawny legs and have them as tight as they can go. There’s a solid inch or two of slack even when wearing saw pants. I really dislike that this same adjustment lengthens the rise of the lower suspension.
Only other thought is the bitter ends of all the suspension webbing could have a doubled back slider buckle as a stop instead of a sewn stop. This would allow replacement if the rigging plates with ease. I unstitched and re did mine, as I wanted to run two bridges over lower d rings.
Beyond that it’s my favorite saddle to date, a tree motion is very close second.

The MB 2.0 is appealing, but like the 1.0 I’m at a loss without factory customization. I like the improvements of gear customization, but looks like they are going with a double waist belt like the weaver leather saddle.
Click to expand...
Still searching for a perfect fit saddle for my skinny ass lol
 
I was actually only checking in on the buzz because I had all these same thoughts going in my head after asking August if new tribe was involved in the 2.0 and he confirmed that this new saddle was all "theirs." I would rather support Casey and new tribe, the onyx may need some innovations but at what cost to the original designs minimalist perfection. A bigger back pad is not an answer. I will give it to MB when it comes to the modular design that allows the gear loops to be moved and I'd also like to try and see how the butt strap works on a seat saddle. Maybe a perfect combination. At the end of the say I hope the onyx remains available.
 
Ive had the onyx for quite a while. The MB 2.0 had my attention until i looked at sizing. I have the opposite problem as you skinny guys. Ill more then likely get another onyx or a new tree motion when then can be found in larger size
 
I have the most recent version of the New tribe onyx and it is certainly and updated version. I have what I think is the first Gen one. There was one where the leg straps were independently attached to the back back (Gen 2?), which they did away with after some onyx fan outcries.
The most current model has the leg straps attached similar to the old style, but what they modified was how much one leg pad can drop when the other leg is lifted. With the original model, when you lifted one leg the other pad dropped super low, which is great for mobility but sometimes the pads would rotate around you leg because they would go so slacked out.
So now when you lift one left, the other still goes slack but doesn't flop around as much, which I like.
Another modification from the original is that the rigging plates they use to connect the bridge, back pad, and leg straps better serves as lower d rings you can use, like a treemotion. The original had these tiny holes and it was a nuisance to try to use as lower ds
 
The new
Simpleiowaguy said:
Ive had the onyx for quite a while. The MB 2.0 had my attention until i looked at sizing. I have the opposite problem as you skinny guys. Ill more then likely get another onyx or a new tree motion when then can be found in larger size
Click to expand...
Treemotions are not one size fits all. They made big ones
 
rico said:
Had a nice talk with August last week about the MB 2.0...Sounds and looks like a very nice harness, and I am gonna pull the trigger on one in the very near future...keep ya posted...
Click to expand...
The only thing keeping me from it is it is not available in XL. Dont know why August isn't making them.
 
rico said:
Had a nice talk with August last week about the MB 2.0...Sounds and looks like a very nice harness, and I am gonna pull the trigger on one in the very near future...keep ya posted...
Click to expand...
Really sounds like most of my hesitancy in the MB has been addressed with the 2.0, but totally down with your opinion before I blow my wad... Let me know how you like it, mostly with the back riser pad thingy...
 
Aerial Traveler said:
The current version of the New Tribe Onyx is pretty darn good. A purpose built quick adjustable bridge would be a nice improvement to the onyx or maybe a second bridge. Also I think they would have success with selling a "light" version for recreational tree climbers. All of this would be gilding the lily. of course.

I hope New Tribe stays in business.
Click to expand...
They're going big on deer hunting tree harnesses right now, it's a huge market. They'll definitely stay in business.
-AJ
 
I have an onyx and a mb 1.0 I’ve been climbing in the mb since I got it from August at tcia 2021 but I haven’t been able to find the sweet spot on the leg straps. I had my onyx dialed in like a lazy boy. I love the suspenders on the mb though as 95% of my climbing is crane work so the suspenders really help when I’ve got a big saw with me. I’ve been considering adding some suspenders to the onyx and going back to it.
 
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