I've owned the summit hand climber and currently own the LW hand climber. Lone Wolf's climber takes the victory. imo. Packs down to nothing, very quiet, platform feels bigger to me, and it's very sturdy after tightening the stabilizer straps. I understand that Summit is known for their comfort but that's never been an issue for me. A thick or thin seat is not going to keep me out of the tree.
I like everything about the Drone but the weight. What strait trees we do have usually have a lot of taper. This means I usually have to set the bottom platform at an usually high pitch to get any height out of a climber. I have made adjustments mid-way up the tree however it can be a daunting task and it is sure something I probably wouldn't try in the dark. The 5 inch of adjustment the Drone has may be worth its weight. There needs to be a try before you buy on this stuff!
It depends on what stand you are talking about. If it is the hand climber yes I kneel on the seat with my toe on the platform and pull it up or down and slide the cable in. If it is the sit and climb I sit on the sit bar and do the same as above. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I do not want a hollow tube stand. If I feel like I need comfort I have a tree walker. To me that is the most comfortable Treestand currently made. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
And by the way I hate to call someone's Treestand junk but I am just frustrated with Summit. I've had three problems with them and two of them they were not very helpful Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Owned 2 summits.. Loved both of them. Mine are very quiet, stable and overall very comfortable. I've never tried LW stands, but after looking at the prices of them I'll stick to Summit stands because I've always been happy with them and can't imagine the LW is more of a bag for the buck. I don't hunt areas where I need to walk a long distance so the packability of the Summit is perfectly fine for me. I'm all about all day sits and I can't imagine a treestand being any more comfortable than my Summit Cobra.
I owned a summit climber and I actually liked the stand , climbed real good up the tree and over all it was a good stand , but me being me I wanted to try out something else so I sold the summit and bought a lonewolf sit and climb. Off the bat I noticed I can set up quite a bit quieter wich to me means allot , it packs around on my back a little more comfortably for those long walks through the woods , and as far as comfort I have no complaints the summit allows you to lean back more like a recliner but definitely the lone wolf is not "uncomfortable" ... So 1. It's quieter 2. It is a little easier to pack around and 3. I like how fast I can fold everything back up and strap it onto my back --- I definitely think it's an upgrade from the summit stands for the type of hunting I do it just makes my setup and system go allot smoother ... I liked the summit stand but I'm glad I made this purchase . In the end both stands are a great choice ! I never felt the summit was a pain in the rear and for the price the summit is an excellent stand ! I had great experiences with both but there's just a few small things I like a little better with my new lone wolf !
I've always been a Summit guy. At 6'4" and a size 16 shoe.. I'm all about comfort and large platform. The Summit Goliath is what works the best for me.
This really is a candid post and says a lot for LW. Getting in and set up quietly is the single most important part of my hunt. I pride myself on how quiet I can be and my LW sit and climb makes that happen. It'll be the last stand I'll need to buy!
Summits grip the tree better....period. Well, at least better than the older Sit N Climb...not sure about the new ones
I've owned both Summit and LW. I've since sold all the Summit stands I had. LW is my favorite. If weight doesn't matter my old API climber is the best stand ever. I could sleep in it all day.
You know, I thought the same thing too. It still may be somewhat of a valid point. What I found was that the Lonewolf climbers are a bit more sensitive to positioning on the tree for lack of better words. On mine, if I'm climbing, once in a while the teeth of the platform will engage the tree a bit odd and it just isn't all that stable. It won't fall out of the sky of course, but it will move enough to make it uneasy to stand on. Move it an inch up or down the tree or sideways an inch and it bites the tree great and you can't move it. A long time ago, I sent LW a message about this, commenting on how the teeth section of the platform needed a wider V to get a better bit on a tree. They weren't very help IMO, saying it was user error. Once I figured the part about moving the platform a hair, its never been much of a problem since and I don't have the same issues with the platform moving.
The other thing I hate are the cams.... Gotta break a finger on them to open them to slip the belt out
They can be a bit of a pickle to get loose when its cold and the belts are stiff. They give you some rope to tie on them to help assist and it makes a big different. Sad part is, the stuff they give you last about a season and its frayed. I replaced mine with heavier rope and it makes it much easier to open them. I'd rather them be tight so I don't accidentally disengage one.
I have thought about oiling the belt ... My stand slipped down the tree while the seat stayed up, snapping the plastic clips for the security straps...gotta fix it and I think I'll sell it....its to uncomfortable
Just curious Tony, What stand do you have? If its the standard sit and climb, yeah, I can vouch for how the comfort there. I had one and it was too narrow. I felt like I was sitting in a bird cage. The wide version is as wide as the Summits and works well. I honestly never had mine slip. The issue I had, until I figured it out, was that once at height, if you didn't have the stand in a "good" spot on the tree, the platform would rock back and forth if you had more weight on one side than the other, say if your shifting around and pick one foot up. It scared the piss out of me the first time it happened. Now, I just make sure its not on a weird spot on the tree and can bite properly and never had the issue since. I am certainly not impressed with that aspect, and feel they need to redesign that part of the platform to allow more teeth to contact the tree. I swear they must have designed it with climbing telephone poles in mind. I just can't part with the other features of the stand and have it setup just the way I need it now.
I use both I have a summit cobra and a lone wolf sit and climb I can adjust both goin up and down the tree I replaced the lw seat with a summit replacement seat but it still isn't at comfortable as the summit when I'm setting long hours I use summit if I need stealth I use my lw 5 hours and less lw allday summit little noisy getting it on the tree there really both a excellent choice in climbers Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
So weighing everything that has been said here, Summit is the way to go....at least that's my take...going to buy one tonight
This is like a Chevy, Ram and Ford debate lol.. The guy who buys the lemon hates that make forever, the one who doesn't loves his truck and it's best thing out there. By the reviews I think it's pretty even and both have their advantages and disadvantages. I've always had good luck with Summit stands, don't want to fork out the extra money for a LW, so I'll stick to what I know and trust. It doesn't necessarily mean the Summit is better and the summit is better for everyone, I just don't see a need to change what works so well for me. As far as choosing the Summit, you'll be happy with the product if it works anything like the Summits I use. It will be like sitting in luxury 20" up compared to any stand you've probably sat in before lol.
