I will start with the sticks, I have heard some good comments about these sticks online. Aftering reading what WKPTodd posted about them, I decided to give them a try. I bought 5 sticks, you can buy 4 at a time and they are also sold by one also. Here is the breakdown on a stick. They have a strap that holds the sticks together. Each stick has a snap the strap has a snap. Who ever came up with this idea you get two gold stars. The strap and snaps make carrying these sticks easy and no hassle at all. A stick is 20'' long; the distance between the steps is 18''. For me 18'' is a perfect step, so if we do a little math we can find out how many sticks we need. I can tell you if one wants to get above 20ft, 5 sticks is not going to do it safely. If we go 24'' of the ground and space the 5 sticks out 18'' apart, with the stand 18'' from the last stick, we get 17 feet on the nose. Tonight I went up three different trees and setup, I measured each trip up. I average 18' 3'' for the 3 setups. I tried a fourth to get over 20 and I was going to spread each stick 24'' apart. That would have put me at 24 ft, but the bugs won. I will be getting another stick; carry 6 of these is not an issue at all. I just like the distance of 18'' apart and I naturally do it. When I tried to spread them out I tended to go too far. The cam system These are the easiest sticks I have ever set up. This is the simplest system on the market. A couple of tricks be sure to pull down and set the stick before you step on it. DO NOT WEAR A RING, I got mine caught on the end of the foot rest, it seems to be the perfect size to get caught (happen to me twice). I can remove the step with one hand; this is a huge plus in my book. The claw where the stick meets the tree, very solid Here are some more pictures.
The Stand Now for the Muddy stand. The stand is easy to carry and light weight. The platform is solid and once you get it set in a tree, the stand is VERY solid. I find this stand very easy to setup, I like how the strap has a loop and raps around the post. This makes it much easier than trying to clip on to a hook. I also like the strap for the bottom part, really helps to get the stand solid. I also like how the stand level system works; I find the post easy to use and very quiet. There is plenty of room on this stand, no issues with moving to get a shot. Now I come to the seat, and this is where I have a few issues. First if you lay the seat flat you will scratch the platform of the stand. What gets in the way is the leveling system. This is what it does; you can see where it has already taken the paint of the platform. The seat itself uses Velcro to attach to the stand. The Velcro is to long and does not hold the seat down to my satisfaction at all. The leveling system is pretty neat, but IMO needs to go. Well that is all I got
With a belt on in the dark is going to be a snap. As long as the sticks tension remains down, you're good. I stood on one and jump on it. It's locked in solid. If you kick a stick up, I would check it.
Nicely done Germ. I too noticed the knot by the cam... which is good to know that Muddy asks that you do it. So obviously they have thought of the potential problem as well. I'll still wait til after they've been used in in-climate weather this winter before I give them a go though. Nicely done.
I saw the early release of these sticks and have spoken several times to Todd about them, so I've heard about the benefits of the shorter sticks... Still, after seeing this review and hearing about you needing six sticks to get past 20 feet, I wonder if it wouldn't behoove Muddy to at least offer the option of a longer stick that would allow them to place three series of steps on each one... I'm forgetting right now if they were concerned about patent infringement or what the reason was for not making a longer one. Maybe packaging, as crazy as that sounds?
Nice review, thanks. I used my Muddy stand a few times last season (got it for Christmas) and loved it. It will be the one I on my back this fall.
Sticks are too short for my likeing so I bought just one to use at the top with my Lone Wolf sticks. I did this so I could stand with both feet level while hanging stand and gain another foot and a half in height. The single stick snaps right on to the Lone Wolf sticks so nothing extra is noted while packing in. And just to clarify, when you buy one stick it doesn't have the snap strap.
Greg, The main reason was saftey with LW sticks if not careful if you grab the lower part of the stick it will release from the tree so it was for saftey reasons. Walt
Thanks for the review Gary. Like I said earlier, I'll be getting the sticks, but passing on the stand...mostly because I have enough others to use.
Yep, understand that Walt... Like I said, I still wonder if it wouldn't behoove them to offer a longer version... perhaps with TWO ropes to lock down. With that simple rope and cam-action locking system, it's a cinch to hang these so it wouldn't be that big of an addition time-wise to have to throw one extra rope around the tree and snug it up tight in the cam-lock... and by doing so, it would remove the single biggest complaint i've seen from reviewers/actual end users or those like myself who are thinking of purchasing them sometime in the future. Just food for thought... perhaps Todd or the owners can look into it.
Nice review. That stand seems identical to the loggy predator. Here's a tip. Hanging it can be made a little easier with one of those looped bungies with a ball on the end. It holds the stand folded as you hang it. Simple undo it once the strap is around and fold down.
That is actually a really good idea. 4 Lone Wolf sticks along with one Muddy stick will get you to the same height as 6 Muddy sticks. I think my goal with the sticks would be to have a system down so that I could get the sticks put up and in place all in one trip up the tree. I don't want to get down every stick. I'd like if I can get the process down so that I could be in a pre-trimmed tree in 15 minutes. I really like the process this guy uses. I could see myself getting this down well enough to be in the tree in about 15 minutes with the stand hung and everything. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3clPFGAwB3s
Ok, I designed these, and have been through all the issues, concerns, and testing. Once the rope is placed through the cams and tied in the knot as instructed in the instructions - it is physically impossible for the rope to come free. Again, if you do this correctly, the rope can't come out. When loaded to failure, the tube will bend in-half before the cams or rope break - they are the strongest sticks on the market. They are a little heavier than I wanted, but in the end safety and strength are the number one priority! The reason Muddy isn't offering the longer version is for two reasons. Number one - cost. They would have to retail for a higher price point. Number two, stability. The longer the distance between V-Brackets, the more leverage you can put on the bottom of the sticks when pulling yourself up - coming down. They can kick out on you. The shorter the stick the more stabile the set-up. Let me know if anyone has any further questions.
Hey Todd! Knew it wouldn't be long before you jumped on Couple questions for ya: One, What about my thought of adding a second rope and set of cam locks -- one toward the top 1/3 and one at the bottom 2/3 of the stick? Wouldn't this solve the stability issues of a longer stick? Secondly, Obviously a longer stick would incur more costs as you alluded to, but I'd still think four sticks -- while they may be individually priced at a higher price point than the smaller version would compare pretty favorably with the proposition of only having to purchase four of those as opposed to six of the smaller ones. Again... just sorta thinking out loud, but I think a lot of guys would like that option.
Nice review Gary. Pretty spot on with my findings. Good tip on the ring. I'll have to remember that. You said the leveling feature on the seat should go in your opinion. Why is that?
