I've got 2 nice hang on stands, 4 home made hang on stands, one climber, and 6 ladders... The ladders are so much easier to put up, and I just feel more comfortable in them. I haven't used a hang on in 5 years, and I use the climber from time to time each year, mostly as a scouting tool.
The OP mentioned he his hiking in a ways. Is this public or private. If public you might not be able to trim branches.
A climber is totally worthless where I hunt. Mostly Hedge and Locust trees and all crooked. With a hang on and sticks I can hunt just about anything. I have a Lone Wolf Alpha II and a set up 4 sticks. That will get my platform to about 20 feet in just about any tree I can find. Once you have practiced that hang on and sticks, It's just as easy and quick as a climber.
If your going to spend that much coin on a stand, I would go with a quality lightweight hang on and some lightweight climbing sticks. This set up is compatible any where in the country and depending what brand or model of hang on you buy, it will be about the same weight as a climber. I gave up on climbers years ago for all the reasons already listed. It's your money though, do what you want.
If i had to choose 1 stand it would be a light weight hang on and lone wolf sticks. Climbers can be more convienient in the perfect conditions but as others have already stated: You can hunt a lot more spots with a hangon and you can hunt deer instead of trees. The real key is to have a good linemans belt and a harness with a tree strap. Staying hooked up at all times and you can climb around limbs and hang a stand about anywhere you want. When I first started using a hangon it was a steep learning curve but with practice I prefer a Millenium M-100 U and 4 lone wolf sticks to anything else I've tried. Versatile, comfortable and easy to hang.
Until recently I had a Lone Wolf (LW) Handclimber, LW Sit & Climb Wide top for the Handclimber base, and LW Assault and 4 sticks. I found I almost never used the stand and sticks so I sold them. I honestly prefer the Handclimber over the Sit & Climb. But due to two back surgeries and now a second bicep surgery I may not be able to use it as much as I'd like.
I prefer hang on stands because, as stated previously, climbers are only good on straight trees with few branches. Regardless of the stand you go with invest in a good safety harness and make sure you're strapped in securely!
This ^^^. I have had a high end climber that I absolutely love for about 8 years. The last 3 years I've watched big deer 50 yards away in trees I can't use a climber in. I bought the lone wolf combo this year to make the adjustment. Buy a good one the first time or you will in a year or two.
