A few of our guys went out of their way to answer my questions / concerns about this stand before I purchased it and asked me to do a review on it once I had a chance to set it up and handle it a bit. So here goes! After arriving home with the new stand, the very first thing I did after opening the box was weigh the stand to see if their advertised weight matched my scale. According to my scale, the stand weighed 19 pounds rather than the 18 they claim. May be my scale.... May not be? To close to tell and not enough difference to worry about anyhow. First impressions.... There was paint finish rubbed raw in a few places straight out of the box on the platforms section... Not excessively bad but ware none-the-less. The factory seat I did not really care for, it just wasn't very comfortable to me. I also did not care for the low back of the seat.... So, before going any further I decided to swap the LW seat out with a new Summit replacement seat. This was a tremendous upgrade in comfort to me. The next upgrade was adding the Lone Wolf foot rests to the stand and padded backpack straps from Gray Wolf Woolens (backpack straps not pictured). This photo shows the stand in the backpack configuration with the modifications I did to it, including a set of Lone Wolf foot rests and the new Summit seat. Side view with the stand folded down into the pack position. It folds down rather nice. I was actually really surprised how well the stand packed and balanced on my back.... I would give the balance and packability of the stand a 10 out of 10! Front view of the stand attached to the tree including the extra Lone Wolf foot rests. The foot rests are a solid addition and definitely worth the $20 and 5-10 minutes to install them. They will really help relieve pressure on the back of your legs. A view of the cam buckles and traction belt on the platform. They are both very silent and easy to use, much more so than the set up on my Summit Cobra XLS. My summit does however have more cable length than the Lone Wolf allowing me to climb larger diameter trees... As pictured this climber has it's traction belts out to the maximum safety zone. Here is a close up of the platforms "teeth" section on a Red Oak. Front view of the climbing portion including the new Summit seat. Looks comfy doesn't it.... That's because it is! A view of the climbing portions framing, cam buckle and traction belt. I will say the folding sections of this stand can be a PITA until you get used to it... They like to bind up if you are not careful while folding the sections flat for backpacking or unfolding for use. After a few uses though it is a piece of cake. Overall impressions... With the modifications the stand is very comfortable for long sits and still lightweight..... The platform is very silent which was one of the key selling features for me. The stock backpack straps are acceptable but as I mentioned earlier, I upgraded to a padded set from Gray Wolf Woolens for the long walks in. The Sit & Climb backpacks and balances like a dream... MUCH better than any climbing stand I have ever used... Reall
Good honest review Scott. It is definitely a morphidite looking creature but you have capitalized on the positives of both Summit and Lone Wolf to create a champion of a stand. You'll have to update us as the season progresses. What do you think of the platform compared to your Summit? Comparable in size?
Yes, thanks for the review Scott. I just emailed Jeff at GWW to have him include a Sit and Climb in my current clothes order along with XL traction belts and his pack straps. I'm thinking I may ebay off my current Ameristep Non-Typical now to help recover some of the cost.
Also, does anyone have first hand experience with the new seat? Should I be buying a replacement for that immediately, or does the new style work OK?
I have no idea, but I don't want to find out at 4:30am and one mile in from camp that I should have gotten them. I'm already almost $400 into this thing, another few bucks isn't gonna hurt just to make sure this doesn't happen.
That's the attitude I like to see - Go Big or Go Home! Great review Scott, this is the type of stuff that makes the Internet such a powerful tool for the consumer. There's nothing better than being able to do your homework online and make the right purcahsing decision the FIRST time. Keep 'em coming buddy!!
I finally got to "touch" the new seat design in person... I may get it and take the summit seat off and replace it with the new Lone Wolf seat.... Looks nice and it isn't bulky like the summit seat. I would say very important if you plan to climb any decent sized trees. I have hunted many trees in the past that I am not so sure the stock traction belts would be able to scale. I am glad this was helpful to you guys, makes the time and effort into making an indepth review worth it
Alright guys, I've gotten mine finally and really like the stand. It's definitely heavier than they say though, I've got an extremely accurate $150 digital certified scale that I put it on and mine with the Gray Wolf straps, and no additional accessories other than what comes with the stand weighs in at 20.4lbs. I'm a little disappointed with that but I can say that this thing is WAY quieter than my other stand. I will likely get the hand climber as well so that I've got an additional option for those really long hikes. The stock seat needs to go. I'll upgrade shortly to the Summit seat, and will also likely add the foot rests soon. I bought the stand from Jeff at Gray Wolf but have the extra grommet/wolf jaws for parallel bows coming today as well as the XL traction belts from the fine folks at Lone Wolf directly. Hopefully I'll have a chance to put it in a tree this weekend to get a better feel for it. It' not as comfortable and weighs the same as my current Ameristep Non Typical Lite, but it's waaaaay quieter and packs much better which is a good thing.
I always packed the Sitnclimb the way Scott does. It just seems to pack better that way for me. By the way, Do you guys like the seat positioned so low? I always liked mine as high as I can get, almost level with the top rails, but thats just me. Great review Scott.
The foot rests and aftermarket seat were in the way a little the first time or two I tried to pack it. As of right now it is packed with the traction belts on opposite ends. Seems to pack well both ways.
I have that seat positioned up as far as it will go now. I am thinking about buying the new LW seat and comparing it to the summit.
I just today got the new style LW seat in the mail.... I hope to find time to put it on the stand and try it out on Sunday, I will check back with my thoughts on it.
Any updates Scott?! BowhuntingFool was kind enough to head over to Sportsman's Warehouse in New Berlin, WI and pick up the last LW Sit and Climb they had left for $259.99. With the money I am saving going with an '07 model, I will be quickly looking for better pack-straps and a new seat. I am still planning on getting a lock-on as well, so I need to get an updated seat purchase right the first time. Coming from a previous Summit owner, I trust your opinion on what is more comfortable, the only quality I truly feel these Lone Wolf stands give up compared to Summit and other companies.
So I packed the climber in today to trim some trees for it while scouting a new property. I packed the stand and my new Badlands Monster fanny pack all day putting in several miles of shoe leather while scouting the new place out. The stand packs and sets up absolutely silent. With the straps from Gray Wolf Woolens, it didn't really fatigue me like my other stand does despite them both weighing about the same. The Lone Wolf simply packs better. I climbed with it as well, and it climbs just as easy as my current stand. I'll need to actually hunt from it a bit before I pass off final judgement, but for now it gets a 9.5 out of 10. With that said, the seat is terrible. I'm really disappointed in it. I'll be adding the Summit replacement ASAP. I actually tore the seat today while climbing. The straps that go under the seat are sewn in place and at that hem, it tore the seat fabric today. This happened by simply pushing the seat back on the top section while climbing. I still think the stand was worth the $$$, but that seat is truly terrible. With the Summit seat, I think this stand will be just about perfect.
Is it me or are the directions a bit hazy at times on the LW Alpha Sit and Climb? I think I am packing it right, but I am unsure. Anyone got a good close-up of their stand packed up the way they explain in the directions, or do you have any tips or tricks to share?
RJ, When you are carrying this stand with your Badlands, do you wear the pack then slide the stand on after? The only reason I am asking is, when I use both the fanny pack and the stand straps at the same time, the stand straps seem to rub deep into my armpits. It kinda gets annoying after a while. Just wondering if you had a trick since you actually were walking for quite some time with the combo on. I was thinking about just putting the stand on my back, then attaching the pack to the stand somehow. Either way, I need to get better straps for that stand.
