Sold my other stands (6 total), had some extra cash....so WTH I went for it.... Been a Summit guy my whole life but have recently spent a wad of cash on Alpha's, sticks, and the new comfort seat. I love the stands they make, and the fact that they listened to us and came back to America!!!! I spoke to them in person last year about this whole China thing and they shared a lot of information with me. I told him, if they come back to the USA, I would for sure support them. Nothing against Summit in any way as they have great stands and I have zero complaints with the ones I have owned. Just wanted a change Ordered and received, from SouthShoreArcherySupply (thanks Jerry), my 2011: 1) Lone Wolf Wide (wanted the room) sit and climb. 2) Lone Wolf Foot rests 3) Summit replacement seat 4) Lone Wolf - Wolf Pack carrying system 5) Added API 19" padded zipper bar for my butt when climbing I cannot wait to see how this thing fairs in comparison to my Summit stands. I will try and do this comparing the Summit Goliath to the Lone Wolf Wide Sit and Climb. You have to keep in mind this is my first time ever in a LW climber...been a Summit guy my whole life. I will try to be as non-biased as possible but hard to compare 100% when my butt only knows how it likes the Summit. Packing up - the LW packs up way flatter but I would say the Summit packs faster (could be I am not used to the LW yet). Both are solid and quiet when packed properly but the Summit has more potential for noise to me Profile when packed - The LW sports a much lower profile and has little to nothing sticking out to hit things, or get caught, or make noise Unpacking - Both unpack pretty fast, but the Summit is faster for me. However, the Summit makes way more noise in this area than the LW Connecting to the tree - I would say that while the cables are nice, the belts are awesome. There is no risk in hitting the stand and getting a "clang". In addition the teeth system gives you a crazy amount of adjust-ability that the Summit cannot even come close to touching. And it does it with ZERO noise or effort Climbing - the movable bar on the LW felt awkward to me compared to the solid rail on the Summit. I also felt that I could get more height per motion on the Summit than the LW but the LW seems to require less physical effort to climb. You also have to pay more attention to the angle of the belts...something I never worried about with the Summit Locking in - the LW felt sloppy....that was until I pulled the black side straps tight.. WHOA do they make all the difference and lock this thing in tight. I would have NO FEAR about leaning out on any side or the front, at any angle Comfort - hard to say here since I never gave the LW seat a chance and went straight with a Summit seat out of the box....so needles to say it was comfortable Leg Room - the Summit with a foot rest has more stretch out room to me....the LW felt a lot more compact. I need to sit all day to see how this affect me long term...I like leg room Front bar - Clearly on the Summit the bar is always in the way and provides a safer feel. However, the bar on the LW offers a TON of flexibility and can offer you almost limitless options of what to do with it. I added an API pad to mine as an added measure. Also, the summit bar makes seated bow shots a no-go where the LW is not an issue Coming down - this is where I saw a huge difference, the Summit teeth BITE in so hard that you have to really work to release it from the tree, this is on every step down. The LW just comes down as smooth and quiet as one would imagine All in all, being so used to the Summit, right now the LW seems like a lot more work but has some added benefits in the noise and flexibility department. It will not be until I can put in an all day sit that I can honestly say that one is better than the other. Wolf Pack My Stand: After looking at the new stand, I decided that the "brown" on the finish was too shinny to me. So, I went to the store and got me some textured spray paint. I then taped off or removed everything that does not need painting, and let her rip..... Looks MUCH better to me now. I have used this same color on my Lone Wolf stick (mainly for the GRIP) and it all but blends in with most trees; such as White Oaks and Poplar. have not tried it yet on Pine or Red Oak but I rarely use those around here anyway. Here, as you can see I am not done, but in one of the pics (pic 3) you can totally get the before and after.
Great review. Summit Vipor has much potential for noise when separating or piecing together. Totally agree with climbing down - the summit grips like crazy. Bulky when pieced together. However, I always feel secure. The LW sounds awesome and worth a look. Thanks for the info.
I just bought the Summit Razor SD. It is my first climber and I am amazed at the ease of getting up a tree. It is very comfortable, and I like the fact you can fold down the front bar when you are done climbing. Makes it very good for bow hunting. So far a very silent climber. The Summit is also very comfortable. I think my Milenium M100 hang on may have it beat for comfort, but the overall setup with the Razor is awesome. I also have a lonewolf hang on that is great for a short hunt, but not super comfortable for staying on the stand for a length of time.
Geez, that thing looks really nice. And it has a harness sys for caring it? Sweet! Thats one thing I wish my summit had. Even the replacement straps suck.
Good Info here, I am in in the market for another climber, I am on the fence...I already have a Summit Viper which has done me me very well over the last 4 years....but there is always room for improvement....
Just curious as to how the harness system attaches to the stand? Think it would work w/ other brands....say a summit?
Nice review. I have owned both brands and currently have 2 Summit climbers. Honestly, I would trade both of them for a LW wide sit and climb. The LW packs and climbs so much easier and is so much quieter. The only thing the Suumits have over the LW is it's more comfortable for long sits. Thanks again for a great review. Blessings......Pastorjim
Around 100, and I see no reason it would not work...looks to be universal enough for anything Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I just went back to a sit and climb. I bought the same model, the wide version. One thing I found out quickly was that with the design of the wide, you can not push the bar up underneath you and out of the way like you could on the standard. The stabilizer straps get in the way. The whole reason this is an issue for me is because I like to stand quite a bit and also like to lean into the tree while doing so. If you can't get that bar folded back up and underneath the top frame, you can't get close enough to the tree. So... I think I already solved my issue. I found a 1" wide peice of flat steel, just like the original SC climbing bar. I bent it up so that it actually fits inside the frame of the Wide. Works like a charm. I need to get the right length of bolt yet, but I've been playing with it and so far, it been flawless.
Great job on the comparision! I use the LW sticks and hangon and keep thinking about picking up the climber but I just don't think it will be as versitile as I need it. I tend to have a ton of trees that are not climber friendly.
