What are some opinions on the best safest/ease of use climbing stands out? I don't care about price. I want to purchase a good one and take care of it. I have zero experience with climbers.
I like Summit and Lone Wolf. Lone Wolf stands carry nice and are good for short sits. The Summit Viper is the best all around climber in my opinion. It is crazy comfortable and is still fairly easy to carry. I use my Summit the most Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am in same boat. I have summit and lone wolf. Both have plus and minus to them but can't go wrong with either
I use a summit open shot. lightest climber out there (last I checked) and 14 lbs. With the open front it feels like a regular hang on. I also have a summit viper and it is heavier but the seat is the most comfortable I've had but I have broad shoulders and feel cramped in it sometimes.
This is just my opinion, so take it for what it's worth, but if you want a sit and climb (easiest to climb but there is a rail to shoot over) and you want the quietest and easiest to pack get a Lone Wolf Sit and Climb. If you want the most comfortable and the safest, get a Summit Viper. If you want a hand climber then I can't be of much help to you, but I would suspect that the same preferences would apply to the same brands of hand climbers.
2nd for lone wolf sit/climb. The bar lowers it makes no impact on your shot. I've even shot sitting on it. Expensive but worth every penny Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
You'll get a ton of responses. Summit and Lone Wolf seem to always be the front runners and for good reason. Coming from someone thats used various Summit and LW stands, here is my take. What is the absolute most important features to you in a stand? If you're not packing very far, and you sit a lot, comfort being a high on the list feature, I'd say Summit hands down. They're stands are very comfortable to use, stable and a joy to sit in. You can't go wrong with them in that department. Now, if you're more like me, where I stand a good deal, and silence is a very important feature, the Lone Wolf works better for me. There is one caveat on the LW Sit and Climb. Do yourself a favor and buy the Wide version. Also, spend $20 and put a Hazmore net seat on it. Those two things make the Lone Wolf almost as comfortable as a Summit in my opinion. I think many who claim the Sit and Climb isn't comfortable are referring to the standard version, not the wide. I too went with the standard version first and hated it. Just too narrow, even for a guy who is 200lbs like myself. The LW is inherently much quiter, but I will say that will some practice, I was able to climb quietly and quickly with the Summits I owned as well. Its just easier in the LW. Both stands are very stable, but I did find that there is a bit of a learning curve when locking down the Lone Wolf. It just seems more fickle in terms of positioning on the tree. It sometimes just doesn't like where you seated the platform and you have to adjust slightly, even an inch or two before it takes a good hold. The Summit teeth section is wider and doesn't have this problem. Of course a big feature for LW is the packing. It packs well, but if you're like me an tie a backpack to it, you still have weight sticking out behind you, so in my opinion, its sort of a wash when you take that into account. All in all, I love my LW and wouldn't part with it for any stand unless a better mousetrap was designed. It does everything the Summits do, just a bit better IMO. Of course, the price tag for their stands is a bit steep, but its an investment that I think is well worth it.
Thank you for this. Got a promo code off Dan from 9 finger chronicles and got $50 off a sit and climb wide. I like to stand a lot and that sold me on this. Thanks again!
Get the third hand man straps for the top to bottom connection and I use a Mollie waste belt and shoulder straps you can find them on eBay for 40 or so do this with the Hazmore seat and you will have a great setup
I use a old Tree Lounge stand. I can sleep like a baby in that thing. With the bow hunter package it is 34 lbs and kind of wide when packing in. But for a all day sit it is hard to beat. One of my Tree Lounges I bought back in the early nineties and have taken over 50 deer out of that thing. Margret has some cool videos of hunting out of hers.
I use the summit viper sd.. the things i like about it is that is nice and light to carry compared to steel stand.. also its extremly comfortable for all day sits.. i also have not had any issues with noise during the stand.. i have experienced other climbers that make noise say if you had to adjust your feet but this also depends on the type of tree as well... just my input i love summit but have had buddies use lone wolfs and loved them..
