have a Summit climber and it sooooo Comfy.. Ive dosed of in this thing. BUt hiking in to your spot , carrying a back pack and your bow is such a pain in the arse.. I have to carry my pack in the front of me and hold my bow at the same time.. Ive tried to attach the pack to the stand but i think its worse with all the weight out back. it is also very hard to get into the woods ( at least for me ) when its pitch black out, getting all my crap off and setting up the climber with out making a ruckus... i go so slow, and im still sweatin bullets. Any tips to make this more enjoyable? I almost dont want to use it. I luv just walking in and climbing my ladders to my other stands . Was thinking about finding a spot i like and locking it to the tree so i dont have to carry it in anymore
The more you use the climber, the easier it will become. Just spin your pack around to the back and let the climber rest on it. Go down the bare minimum clothing you need to be warm, but NOT hot. Once you get to your stand, slowly unpack and begin to put on your hunting clothes after you cool down a bit. Then go one step at a time.
If your hunting private land that doesn't get a lot/any foot traffic then just find a place in the woods and leave. It. Carry the seat in and out with you and just strap it on each time. Beats your seat getting wet and carrying your stand to set up each time. A month ago I took my stand out into the woods and left it for opening day, it's basically in a spot where I can pick it up and walk just a little ways to my desired stand location. If you hunt tree A in the morning and plan to hunt tree B in the evening then just take the stand to tree B on your way out of the woods in the morning. One thing to check, make sure that all cables and everything are good before you go up in the tree. I've never heard of it happening but if someone wanted to put a total POS they could cut your cables then you could really be in trouble. This is honestly the only way I will use a climber, I have too long of a walk into the stand and I'm just not going to deal with having to carry a stand in and out each and every time. I will take the chance of it getting stolen. lol Mine aint even locked up.
My summit climber only weighs 14lbs so it's not too bad. And unless I'm carrying in my video camera, I just have a fanny pack. There's really no reason to carry bunches of stuff in with you. Keep your outer layers of clothes tied to your stand and put them on after the walk in. I can easily set up my climber in the dark but I've done it 400 brazillion times. I try to be quiet but honestly on the days when everything seems to go wrong and I sound like a derailed freight train crashing through the woods, I see just as many deer.
What he said^ I carry a my backpack on the back of my climber attached with those bungie balls works great all you have to do is pull the backpack straps tight so it doesnt bounce. This time of year I also walk to my stand in just my under armor shirt or no shirt. When your setting up around the tree be extra cautious of metal on metal contact! Just take your time unpacking and climb slow!
Carry less things. Lol. I try to carry just a fanny pack when using my climber and just take in the necessary things like range finder, tags, hot hands, tp, extra release, and calls. If I shoot something I just go to the truck and get my other pack with the processing gear.
Also, the more you use it, the more efficient you become with it. I can probably set up my climber blindfolded underwater now.
I'm primarily a climber guy. I use hang ons in certain locations, but for my style of hunting, where I sit all day a lot, the climber is more comfy. I strap my pack and all clothing to my climber when going into the woods. Its definitely heavier this way, but way better than wearing those clothes in and getting over heated and then cold by 9am. I picked up a Gameplan Gear Treestand Transport system in the bargian cave at Cabelas this past summer. I tried it out on my climber, fully loaded with my pack and clothing and it makes the whole rig feel significantly lighter and easier to carry. The most important thing is to take it slow and steady into the woods. Leave early. This way you're not getting over heated and will stay much more comfortable and less stinky on stand.
Get a cheap mountain bike. Build you a small trailer and put a bow holder on the handle bars. Peddle close to your stand location and if you stick a deer you can put it on the trailer and peddle out....
When you take off in the morning walking, I would start off being cold (not warm) in the clothes you're wearing. You'll warm up soon enough if you're walking at a good pace. When you get where you're going, like another had said, start getting dressed as you cool down. You could also strap your pack to your climber, or you could wear your pack like a baby bjorn. I would assume you have a headlamp to walk in and out of the woods with, as they free up a hand.
I found a great fanny pack that is large enough to hold what I want but not huge either like a monster pack that I used to have. I go in with what I need and not much extra. The fanny sits in front of me on my stomach when I go in with a climber on my back. Also, I rigged a piece of shock cord with a plastic cinch lock, similar to what comes on a jacket around the waist or hood. I have this on my climber so I can easily attach a jacket to my climber. I carry my bow. Hope this helps. I am totally comfortable going in and sitting.
I need to rethink my decision to use a climber. Last week, I hiked into the woods at 5am, found my tree and up I went. Everything was going fine... except when the sun started to come up, a very large tree that wasnt supposed to be there materialized right in front of me. It was like a slow motion slap to the face. In a rush to get set up, I went up the wrong damn tree, which of course was surrounded by an army of little saplings that allowed for no good shooting lanes. After a whole lot of well-deserved cussin, I had a good laugh and went over to the correct tree.
