im sure this may be on here somewhere, but what i am wondering is what is the most comfortable, lightest, and user frendly tree stand you have ever used? It does not have to mach all 3 but im going to end up buying at least 6 more stands next year. Lets face it doing all day sits is hard enough as it is but doing it in a uncomfortable stand makes it just that much harder.
Kinda depends on if you can leave the stands up or they gotta be removed each night in your situation.
I'll be honest, I hate hanging them because they're huge...but if hung way before season these things are breeze to sit in. They do stick out like sore thumb unless you're smart about tree choice and possibly adding cover to the trees. I've done well over a dozen all day sits this year and I believe all but one has been in one of the following two. If I remember right the one is a Big Boss XL stand and the other is a huge Guide Gear deluxe stand with side arm rails. Both have the footrest which I scoffed at till I did an all day sit. I still prefer smaller tighter set ups...but it takes these big boys for my father to last possibly a few more hours and squeeze a few all day sits in at his age...and I'll be honest it makes the All Day hunts a breeze for me.
Hands down the millennium M100. Now, I know the down side is the price...6 of them would be quite a bill. I only have one but have 8 sets for it. They sell extra brackets for only $30 each and the stand slides right into Tue bracket. so I leave the brackets out, pack the stand in (only 14lbs if I remember right), climb up the sticks that I leave set up, slide the stand on the bracket and its ready to go. Only stand more comfortable was the old tree lounges, these things feel great, especially with the footrest. Pretty sure you'll thank me if you get one.
I bout my first hang on this year and I decided to go with the Muddy Outfitter - it's a really slick design and ease of use is excellent. It also has a really nice sized platform and comes with the foot rest which is a great feature. Although I give the stand a pretty high rating the seat it's self is really not that comfortable - after a few sits that seat gets a little uncomfortable and I find myself moving around more than I'd like. I also have a Summit Open Shot SD - once you get comfortable with getting up and down the tree with this stand you come to appreciate it a little more. It's probably one of the lighter climbers on the market - the seat is really comfortable and folds up and down. I will say that the platform doesn't have much foot room once the seat is down. That said, it's an open shot so in most situations you won't need to stand up to shoot. I have another Summit climber that is older that is also pretty nice. In the future I will only be buying hang on stands. Might try my hand at a Millennium next go-around. But I really like Muddy products - great customer service and a quality product.
Millenium M100 is the only way to do a lock-on these days. One person on here already hit the nail on the head with the description of them. Just buy 1 platform (it is pricy but you dont have to buy any more platforms) and then get the brackets to place on different trees you wanna use. Realistically all you need is one set of climbing sticks, 1 M100 platform, and 5 or 6 brackets (or however many for your own hunting setup). This entire package will only run you the equivalent of around less expensive platforms. Plust the M100 chair alone is worth the $250 price tag.
Another vote for the millennium 100. As far as comfort goes IMO it cant be beat. One stand and multiple brackets and your good to go. Its tough to sit in any other hang on after sitting in that stand. Its big and you do need to have it in the right type of tree or it will stick out. The back rest and seat is a little on the wide side and if its in a thin tree it prevents you from shooting behind you close to the tree. Other than that I love it. Its the only stand I can sit in all day. Good luck staying awake though. As far as climbers go the Lone Wolf hand climber is by far my favorite. Coupled with the comfort seat it is IMO the best climber for bow hunting. Absolutely rock soild, deadly quiet, packs flat and over all just a pleasure to sit in. The comfort seat makes a HUGE difference. I like to position it with the seat very close to the platform. I have even used it in a tree with branches by climbing up pulling up the stand and setting it in place. Very versatile. I was always a hang on guy because I hated the big bulky climbers. I decided to bite the bullet and drop the cash on the hand climber and after 2 seasons with it I am more than happy with the purchase.
I've hunted out of Muddy's, Gorilla's, Summits, Big Game Stands, Millennium's, and River's Edge, but I haven't found anything that comes to close to the comfort, ease of use, stealthiness, and stability of a Lone Wolf. Yes, they are pricey, but like anything in life, you get what you invest in.
I enjoyed my Muddy's this season. I currently have 3 of the outfitter steel version. I have the luxury of hanging a bunch of sets on private ground early in the summer and leaving them up all year with sticks on the tree. The muddys are great for that type of hunting. Theyre easy to hang, adjust to be level on most trees, have a waterproof comfortable seat, and have a very roomy platform with footrest. I plan on adding a few more to my arsenal in the off season for hunting the main ranch. I do plan on going mobile this season and hunt some family ground that is detached from the main ranch. For this I'm debating between the muddy aluminum stand with muddy sticks or a Lone wolf Alpha II with Lone Wolf sticks. From what I've read on here and reviews from retailers its hard to beat either setup for a mobile hunter.
Depends on what you're doing with it. If you're looking for a hang on and don't plan on moving it a lot, then weight shouldn't be an issue. Just buy the most comfortable hang on you can afford. As for climbers, I've used several over the years and all of them have pro's and cons. I currently am using what I think is the best stand for my purposes, a Lone Wolf WIDE sit and climb. It's quiet, light, super packable and with a little modification, pretty comfortable. The draw back is the expense of the stand and having to buy additional items to get it comfortable enough for all day sits. You'll easily have close to 500 in that stand. The Summit stands are very good as well. Very comfortable right out of the box, light and pack pretty well. They don't pack nearly as well as a Lone Wolf however and are still fairly bulky. All in all, the Summits are a very good stand for the money.
Thanks for all the input!! All of my stand set ups have two stands, one for camera and one for hunter. With just putting one stand and a bracket up might be the way to go. I remember sitting in a buddy’s millennium one time and thought it was really comfortable, but that was also 5 maybe more years ago. I was actually really looking into the M100 before I posted this. Now when you guys just put a bracket up in the tree and carry it in and out how is it for being mobile? Are they light enough where it’s not too bad to hang it every time? Are they pretty quite to hang every time? How sturdy are they when you mount them with the bracket? (I like to put 2 tie downs on my stands when i hang one). As far as climbers go pretty much every one I have sat in has been really comfortable with a hammock style seat. But I would prefer a hang on. The thing I have with the lone wolf is it just seems like another tree stand just lighter????
I have a summit open shot and i love it! packs pretty well and its perfect for bowhunting cause it doesnt have the bar infront of you!
I mainly use a LoneWolf handclimber because I only hunt public land here in Pa. I am considering buying a hang-on because a couple spots this year looked great but didn't have trees I could use my climber on. I think the Assault II and LoneWolf sticks are getting the nod. The only thing stopping form buying Muddy is that they are made in China. That kind of bums me out because I like the rope and cam/cleat setup. I know it shouldn't matter where it's made but I have been trying to support companies that make their products here in the USA when I can. Some things like harnesses or rubber boots are about impossible to find made in the USA, but things I can buy American like arrows, broadheads, stands, etc., I do.
Of the hang-ons I've hunted from, nothing compares to a Lone Wolf. Light weight, easy to hang, both platform and seat are adjustable (which makes a huge difference in comfort), big platform, rock solid, silent, and IMO pretty comfortable. For my needs it's the perfect stand.
The M100 only weights 14 lbs. Very light and easy to pack. I'm lazy, wouldnt do it if it wasnt easy lol. And I'm scared of heights, but feel fine in that stand for the most part (20+ feet I get scared, but 10 feet I'm scared in any other stand so that's saying something). I don't have an extra strap, just the one, and feel just fine in it. Slides right in, super quote and easy to do. And even if u bought 2 and had 2 brackets in each tree so your camera man is comfy too, it will still be simple. I love my millennium...I really don't think there's a better stand out there. Lone Wolfs are great for what many use them for...packing them and their climbing sticks in and out every sit. But, I would not sit in one of them for more then a few hours. There is no comfort at all in them. Sure, they are light, made in America, and sturdy, but so is the M100. So they have no advantage in my opinion.
