(Morrisville, N.C.) Collaborative product design and development firm Montie Design has released the Tree Rest, another product in its innovative line of portable hunting and recreational shooting equipment. Following in the footsteps of the popular X-Rest and AR-Rest portable shooting rests, the Tree Rest is lightweight and easy to pack, assemble, and set up. Designed to aid hunters by stabilizing their shot, the Tree Rest allows hunters to prop their guns on a stable shooting rest instead of a knee or just holding it in their hands.

“Even though the two-piece design weighs just 8.5 ounces, it’s sturdy enough to hold up in any conditions,” Montie Roland, president of Montie Design and shooting enthusiast, said. According to Roland, initial field testing revealed easy setup and breakdown in less than a minute.

The aluminum Tree Rest attaches quietly to trees up to 17 inches in diameter via a lightweight fabric strap. Rubber strips on the Tree Rest protect rifle stocks from damage while providing sturdy support.

The Tree Rest is the third shooting equipment product from Montie Design, which released the X-Rest portable shooting rest in the Spring of 2009, and its follow-up, the AR-Rest, earlier this year. Roland and his staff developed the products as a way to experience first-hand the various stages of product development, from initial concept to design to manufacturing, marketing and distribution. The firm has been using its experiences to enhance best practices used in product design for their clients across a myriad of industries including data center equipment, solar power generation, covert surveillance, bicycle rental stations and consumer products.

“The idea of making a product related to the firearms industry made sense to me, since I’m a competitive shooter and outdoor enthusiast familiar with the needs of my peers,” Roland said, adding, “It didn’t hurt that firearms is a $2 billion industry in the U.S., which partly explains the popularity of our products.”

Customer feedback and increased demand for the X-Rest drove design enhancements resulting in the AR-Rest. Similarly, feedback garnered from customers, hunters in the field, and customer feedback led to the development of the Tree Rest.

Field testing of the Tree Rest is currently ongoing, with full production of the product expected in mid-March. For more information, on all Montie Design products and services, visit www.montie.com.

Montie Design is a collaborative product design and development firm with core competencies in industrial design, mechanical design and fuzzy front end services. Implementing a client-centric approach in taking products from concept to marketplace, Montie Design balances vision with usability in realizing products that are economical to manufacture, elegant and robust. The firm operates out of the Research Triangle Park region of North Carolina with access to industry-leading technology, resources and innovative thought. For more information, visit www.montie.com.