I love this setup. Man, I will take the handclimber over the Sit/Climb (Lone Wolf) any day. I still love my Summit for all day sits, but to me, the Lone Wolf Handclimber, where climbers can be used in remote, out of the way places is the cats azz. I did not even realize the conveniences of the handclimber section until recently. Being able to fold the seat out of the way/or move it around to the side of the tree if standing a while, is a real plus to me. I like that because it makes it almost like a hangon.
How is the attachment system? If you had to guess, what's the total time from the stand packed on your pack until you're attached to the tree?
I would say from pulling off my back and attaching to tree, and climbing to hunting height, getting settled = 8 to 10 minutes. That is taking my time, being careful.
My girlfriend just learned today on mine, she had very little problem using it and she felt safe she said, and she is not a huge fan of heights. They are the ultimate climber IMO too. I had a Summit Viper and it went down the road; BULKY, VERY NOISEY cable installation, rails in the way, sling seat that is cumbersome to exit quietly and smoothly.... The traction belt system on the LW is noiseless and very easy to use. The compactness of which this folds is 2nd to none, and there is no railing or sling seat to inhibit a bow hunter...plus the open seat platform allows for unlimited leg position and movement for a tall 6'3" guy like me. The LW was designed for the bow hunter.***** 5 stars
Matt - I can honestly get up and into a tree at 20-25' in way less than 10 minutes, probably more like 5. And that's with the sit and climb. It is THE quietest climber I've ever seen or owned (I've owned 4 - Warren/Sweat, Summit, Ameristep, LW) and it packs SO much better than any of the others. It's heavier than the Warren/Sweat stand I used to have, but because it folds flat (silently I must stay) it keep the weight closer to your body and doesn't feel like it weighs as much. Because it's closer to your body, you also make much less noise walking through timber with it on your back, your not banging off trees, etc. The traction belts are the quietest system I've seen personally to connect to the tree as well. Nothing is worse than that hollow metal clang from adjusting the cable on a Summit or similar type of stand, despite the coating it's still noisy on a cold crisp still morning. The LW is silent, the belt is similar to a belt on a car motor, so there is no trying to be careful/quiet with it.......you can't make a mistake and be loud when adjusting it. I can't say enough about the LW. I was skeptical until I got one. I used to hunt with the climber maybe a half dozen times a year before I got the LW, but now more than half my sits are mobile with this stand, it's so much easier than hanging preset lockons in multiple places. It's certainly not any louder than climbing into a preset lock on either. My only suggestion is to NOT buy the wolf jaws or whatever they call that thing to make the platform bow holder work for parallel bows. It's a piece of crap. The Gray Wolf Woolens backpack straps on the other hand are worth their weight in gold. Hope this helps!!
I have never been a fan of the Lone Wolf Hand Climber. My buddy purchased one several years ago and while the stand is quiet, light, and packs easy.... it is also very uncomfortable. That little seat doesn't leave much room, and it doesn't give you enough padding. I love the platform, but the seat is terrible IMO. The traction belts for climbing are quiet... and I am sure they are strong... but they just don't "look" strong to me... and he had to do some mods to the teeth on the seat section to get them to bite into some of the trees with harder bark. To me... I see that Lone Wolf as a great stand... but the pro's just don't justify the price. I don't really think there is anything that special about the stand... many companies are coming out with light/packable stands that are much more comfortable. The one-piece platform is great... but I have never had my Summit climber, my LocOn ladder stand, my Ameristep and Rivers Edge hang ons make any noticeable noise while using them.
Dude, you are skinnin' it! I am not trying to be smart either. I just like to take my time getting set up unless I am in a hurry. That is generally true of most of the stands I have sat in. I still will always prefer my Viper for all day comfort, but with the newer style seat on this handclimber, I really don't find it all that uncomfortable. Most of my hunts with this stand will be standing anyway. Sitting down will just be to rest my legs. While I agree with this on my older bottom portion, the new top portion came with alot sharper teeth. Seems someone got the message on that and corrected it. I have a total of $220 in my Lonewolf (with the added feet rests).:D While I agree, there are many out there, these stands were built with the bowhunter in mind. jmho
Once you put several dozen sits in with it, you learn a good system that you can do blindfolded. I use just a bungee cord now (aftermarket one) to hold to top/bottom together, so it's just one bungee cord and the two are seperated. The top/bottom is usually attached to the tree in less than a minute or two, and I'm usually at hunting height in another minute or so. If you have pretty good upperbody strength, and can pull your bodyweight up, along with the weight of the platform, you can really cover some distance every "step". Typically the top part of my climber goes up to about armpit height, and I then pull myself up so that the platform is within 12-18" from the top section with each step, covering a good 3'+ every "step". You can really scurry up a tree this way pretty quickly.
Are you not using the stabilizer straps when you climb and get set at hunting height? Just curious cause I am thinking about using a different method for those. This is what I do as well. I just have short legs.:D Still get up plenty fast enough. And quiet to boot. As you said though, practice makes you faster.
Thanks, guys. That information is great. If there's one thing I don't like about my API, is the noise. It's still fairly quiet, but I still get creaking, and the attachment system leaves a little to be desired (poly-coated chain).
Nope, I use them, I use them climbing too, I just let them out the whole way when climbing so I can use longer "steps". I believe Ameristep actually came out with those first, and they do an AWESOME job at locking the top part down so it can't be bumped and knocked loose when hunting.
Mine will stay "let out" and folded up under my bungee cord from now own. That is another thing I love about the Handclimber upper. There ia no breaking down to do. Nothing but fold it over and connect to the tree. I love it. So simple even a caveman could do it.
