He's the deal with that......once you get into the saddle and are tethered up, hanging everything is easy, stands, steps, etc.
I don't like to sit in the saddle for hunting unless I'm going way in, I still use a stand. It just adds to the versatility of the stand experience, as you can shoot off edges of platforms, seats, etc.
I do however use the saddle for 100% of my safety harness now, and usually I have a small light stand Millenium M7, and Skeletor steps with it. About 14 pounds total.
I also now have gotten into repelling down as well, with either a figure 8 or other type descender, the easiest is a madrock safeguard, as you can use that like a rope ascender as well, and it never leaves your rope. I back it up with some type of friction hitch into my saddle. But , as you descend, you can just hang there and collect your gear effortlessly.
For those of you that haven't got into these rope gizmos, the Kong duck and Ropeman are really neat as compared to dealing with prussic hitches and the like on your tethers and linesmans ropes.
The newest and best thing I've been doing is using a seat from and old lonewolf climber, and using that as a platform and the saddle as a seat and walking up the tree that way. No sticks, which is nice and the LW platform is only like 6 pounds and that's all you carry in. After your hunt repel down. That is a full saddle method though.....but I like not dealing with carrying sticks and the climb is easy.