My wife has decided she wants to get me a knew tree stand for my birthday. I’ve always used summit vipers or api climbers anyone have any ideas on lighter climbers than those to be more mobile or should I go with a lock on. I have one lock on now bi leave it up during the season just never have got good at putting it up and taking it down in a timely fashion. Any thoughts would be great. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
XOP has a new climber but it won't be available until November. It sells for around $350 amd weighs in at 20lbs. Then if you are really looking for ways to overspend you could go with the Lone Wolf custom gear. It only weighs 11lbs but sells for $1,000. Yikes! Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
Yeah the Lone Wolf maybe a little out of the price but I was thinking about the XOP. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Lone Wolf does make high quality products and they are quiet, but personally I found them more difficult to climb with because the “cables/straps/whatever they’re called” weren’t as rigid as Summit cables and they kept snagging on the bark of a good size tree. Maybe I was just doing it wrong, but it didn’t want to work for me. Summit stands aren’t as quiet but I think you would be hard pressed to find a stand that is easier to climb with or a stand that is more bullet proof. The Summit Viper weighs 20 pounds. If you’re still using the Summit seat I’d recommend replacing it with a Hazmore Silent Seat. You’ll lose some weight, gain some comfort, make it quick and easy to stand up for a shot and you’ll be amazed at how quickly and quietly you can nest the stand together for packing.
Lone Wolf calls them "traction belts", but they do tend to grab the bark on certain trees. Shagbark Hickory, forget about it. Every deer within two hundred yards will hear you. They work best on smoother barked trees, for sure. I think I recall my LW sit and climb only weighing about 19 lbs, which isn't too bad.
Yeah I really like my summit viper I have the only thing I don’t like is it seems to hang a lot of stuff packing it in and out wasn’t sure of anything any better than the summit viper I have a Hazmore seat on my api I have I do need to get one for my Viper Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
It doesn’t matter what you use on a shagbark hickory. It’s NOISY. I’ve climbed them and if the deer didn’t hear the stand crunching I’m quite sure they heard me cussing.
I always preferred the old lone wolf sit and climb over the summit, and I did own both. I liked the summit for comfort but the lone wolf folded flat for packing, was lighter, and climbed a bit easier. They don't make them anymore but you can occasionally go on archerytalk classifieds and find a used one. But even used they are fetching $400 Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
Hard to find a better stand than an original Lone Wolf. Sold my Assault on eBay for $400, bought a sit n climb with new belts on facebook for $150. Look around, you can find them out there.
Just looked on Ebay. There are a bunch of the older lone wolf sit n climb on there, but man they got some crazy prices on them. Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
Great deal on the sit and climb! I used to have an Assault hang-on with sticks. What a great, light weight combo, especially if you can leave it set up without worry.
I predominantly use an API Bowhunter or Summit Viper SD. I have a blind that hasn't been out of its bag in maybe 10-15 years. I have a full saddle set up and a hang on with double mini sticks. I also have full length sticks. I go for comfort over saving a pound or two. It does me no good to walk X miles back into the woods saving a pound if I get in the tree and 15 minutes later I'm so uncomfortable I want to go home. My saddle has its place but by the time you add up the platform, sticks, 67 different ropes and gear hangers you're not far off from a good, comfortable 18-20lb climber. Not to mention hanging all that stuff just to hang your gear. A hang on weighing 7# plus 4 sticks weighing 8# plus things to hang your gear I think is a bit worse than the saddle. With the saddle and hang on you still have to hang sticks. Higher you want to go the more sticks you have to carry. People talk about being mobile - there is no way on earth I'd hang 4 sticks and a platform and take it all down to move to a different spot in one day. If I pick the wrong spot in the morning, we're riding this puppy out today, we just may not see anything. In my climber I ride my tether all the way up with my backpack on. My bow is in a bowholder on the stand. When I get to hunting height I set the backpack under the seat on the platform and I sit down - I'm hunting. I don't like pulling my bow up or letting it down on a rope. I can't tell you how many times deer have come in on me with my bow half up or down or laying on the ground. I rarely use my saddle anymore or my saddle platform. I have a hybrid saddle/harness. I do like taking shots from a saddle and the constant tension. If a climber won't work in an area I saddle hunt out of a hang on. When it's down time I sit on the hang on seat backwards. MUCH more comfortable and takes away hip pinch. You can also flip the seat cushion over for your knees without hauling an extra cushion or wearing knee pads. Even when I hunt from a climber I wear my hybrid saddle/harness. When it's prime time I stand in the climber wearing it like a saddle. Nothing going on I switch over to harness and hook up to my Wingman.
There's a great addition for saddle hunters out now. It is called the Panther quick climb. It is a self climbing platform for saddle hunting. It completely eliminates the need for sticks. I bought one and it is awesome. Here's a couple of pics of mine. The thing hanging down on the front is a 3 step aider which I do not plan to use. The center post you see in the first pic is for camming it down once you reach your desired height Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
I've looked at those but if it was straight and limbless enough for that platform I'd rather have my whole climber so I could sit down and be comfortable.
Well that is interesting, it wouldn't completely eliminate using sticks for me, but it could certainly make some hunts easier.
Moving around limbs is really not a problem. You just sit off to the side in your saddle like you would do if you were one sticking and move the platform around the limb. The platform is so light it really doesn't take much effort. Of course if you happened to accidentally drop the platform while you were doing that, it would be a whole different set of problems! Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
I short rope tied to your belt or saddle, much like tying to pieces of the climber together would avoid that problem. Call me really intrigued now, what is the website?
