Cool, and the 3'' you have on me goes pretty solid on the math of these sticks. I would bet you average around 21'' distance between steps, which gives you an extra foot on me. I average around 18' 3'' with five setps. So if you want to SAFELY see how far you can get with these steps. Just figure how far you are going to spread them apart. Remember the sticks are 20'' long, the distance between the setps is 18''.
I'll chip in my review here too. I went out this weekend and tested my Muddy stand and sticks and have some observations. First let me note that I purposely picked a difficult tree to do my test in as I like to account for all scenarios when testing so that I know what to expect. The tree I picked had a very thick trunk on the bottom and a triple split on the way up (meaning I had to detach and reattach my lineman's belt twice while ascending). The tree also had a lot of briars and branches growing into it making getting the ropes around the tree more challenging than normal. All this was to present a worst case scenario for a hunting situation. My time to get the stand set up was not impressive at all compared to others, but I was in the stand in less than 30 minutes. Considering the extra effort I had with that tree, the fact that it was my first time using this set up, and I'm not the most nimble person when it comes to heights, I found this time to be pretty good all things considered. The equipment performed well and I then the sticks are great. I only used 5 of the 6 that I had because using the 6th would have required another detachment of my belt due to a split. One thing I will say is that either wearing work gloves or taking a file to the edges of all the aluminum pieces is recommended as my hands were pretty cut up by the end of the day by the sharp edges from the machining. Other than that, they are great. They are very solid and having steps on both sides is awesome. I am considering ordering a second strap with a cam lock instead of a ratchet for the stand as it is loud and I think you can get the stand just as tight with the cam locks without some of the pull to one side that a a ratchet causes. It is also quiter to use the cam lock. Another adjustment I may make is to put a loop on the seat area and screw in a bow hook to hang the stand from while getting the first loop on to free up both hands. This would be similar to the set up LW uses on their hang ons. This would save some time and help align the stand the way I want it a little easier. I did away with the velcro on the seat and put six zip ties through the material and there is absolutely no play or noise in the seat pad at all now. Also, someone mentioned that they could not put their seat up with the thick seat pad. I tested this and had no problems putting the seat up. Once set the stand was solid and very comfortable. With this tree the leveling feature came in very handy and I was able to get the platform just how I wanted it. While I probably won't use it for an all day sit I think this stand could accomodate it without any undue discomfort. The way I set up the stand I was 16' 8" from the platform to the ground. That was stepping onto the stand from the bottom rung of my 5th stick. I could easily get to 18' if I stepped off of the top rung and well over 20' with the 6th stick. My whole goal for this set up is to not need to go too high because using a hang on allows to surround yourself with more natural cover so these heights should be ideal. All in all I'm very pleased with the set up. I will need to practice more and get a routine down with using it. Once this is accomplished and climbing a more "normal" tree I should be able to get set up in 15-20 minutes which is what it takes with my climber. I'm definitely excited about this season because I think I'll be able to hunt trees that last year I wanted to be in, but was limited by my climber.
