Thanks for posting this. I love climbers and this peaked my interest. I was in a Bass Pro a few days ago and they had a ton of them out and I noticed a few days later they were out of stock. I couldn't figure out how they sold so many so quickly.
Unless you're only carrying that thing 100 yards off the road into the woods, I don't know why anyone would want those things.
I think it's all relative. I'll take extra weight on my back for ease in other areas, like comfort. I also like that with a climber I get to the tree and the only thing I do is attach top and bottom and then my wingman strap/tether. I put my bow on the bowholder attached to the climber and climb up. When I hit hunting height I sit down and tighten my 3rd hand straps and set my back pack down on the platform or just hang it by a caribiner on the stand itself. I'm done. I can feasibly shoot at any time on the way up or down. I tried a hangon and 1) I hate hanging sticks 2) I hate fooling with hanging the stand at height and lugging it up 3) I find them very uncomfortable and 4) Don't care to pull the bow up by a rope. I've got caught a few times half way up or down and bow is on the ground or about to leave and just lowered my bow or just got hung and hadn't pulled the bow up. I tried a saddle 1) I hate hanging sticks 2) Hanging a platform isn't actually too bad at height 3) More comfortable than a hangon but not as comfortable as a climber 4) Same as #4 for a hangon and 5) Biggest gripe - I hate having to strap things everywhere to hold things and getting my knee cushion set up and me and a hook to hang my bow don't gel. So my way isn't the right or best way for everyone. All three methods have pluses and minuses it's just a matter of which ones are most important to you compared to the things that bug you the most. I know people that live in mansions and drive a rattle trap and people that live in roach infested crap holes and drive an $80k truck or have a 100" big screen TV. LOL! It's all about priorities. I know my whole shebang including the backpack my climber is strapped to and its contents are just under 22lbs. People would be surprised if they added all the weight of sticks, 3 different ropes, platform, etc of a saddle. However, saddle stuff does pack and carry better.
I will add one thing about a saddle. I spent 2020 halved between a saddle and hangon, all of 2021 in a saddle and all of 2022 in a saddle until about 1 1/2-2 weeks ago went back to climber. A saddle is stealthy and I rarely if ever got picked off. I don't actually remember getting picked off but once and that's when deer sneaked up behind me and I was fidgeting without knowing they were there. They were probably about to hit me over the head and take my wallet. Here was my problem - I spent countless hours practicing shooting from the saddle and could not make it un-awkward. I passed on SO many sure thing chip shots because I did not feel comfortable. I'm the Treasurer at our ASA 3D club and have unlimited access to climb all those trees and shoot at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 & 80 yd bale targets. The club is also close to my office so in non tax season my bow goes to the office and I sneak out and practice 3D and saddle shots. It did me no good to see 50 deer combined on all my hunts this year if I couldn't take a shot. I'd rather be picked off by 49 of them and eat one of them. I do realize this is a problem on MY end and countless people make a saddle work and work well for them, but apparently this is my cross to bear. I prefer to hunt with my bino harness on. I RARELY use binos hunting more for 3D but I do keep my rf'er and release in my harness and it's second nature to me for them to be there as opposed to hanging on a strap on a tree. I hunt with a hinge (I spend all Jan-Aug competing with a hinge and prefer to play like I practice) so I can't hang it on a dloop. Having my bino harness and bridge all jumbled together in front of me messed with my head drawing and shooting. But my wife says I'm weird anyway.
Since there is no shortage of climbable trees where I hunt I’m the exact opposite. I can scoot up a tree quickly and quietly and then sit in comfort with the security of a sit and climb rail to prevent accidents. My Vipers weigh just under 20 pounds with the Hazmore seat and I carry them in up to a mile. Everyone is different I guess. I used sticks and a lock-on two seasons and didn’t care for it at all. The real reason I ditched it, though, was because I had put it up in Kentucky. When I came back to hunt it a few days later squirrels had chewed almost every strap almost in two. They had even chewed almost all the way through my lifeline. I’d like to see the little bastages chew through a steel Summit cable.
Sounds like I'm similar to you in that we have a ton of hardwoods here that are telephone pole straight and no limbs. I definitely understand your position on the climber. I rocked a Summit for a few years before I switched to a lone wolf Sit and Climb. Love that climber with the Hazmore seat. That said, the one issue I always ran into with a climber was finding a good tree to get into that offered even a little cover in the exact spot I needed to be in. I found myself constantly looking for a "double tree, or a tree up against a pine, etc. More often than not, it was in a spot that didn't get me exactly where I wanted to be. I was getting picked at some point every season by deer that came in from directions that I was not positioned for because of the tree I had to get into. But, I still killed plenty out of the ol wolf. Aside from weight, being able to hide in a tree better was a huge factor for me moving into a saddle and so far, its payed off enormously. I have found myself, numerous times this year, not having to climb high at all, but just into cover. I killed my best PA bow buck at 16ft in a tree this year. I also now have the ability to rotate around the tree and keep it between myself and the deer when needed so if I do have to get into a less preferable tree, I at least have a fighting chance of staying hidden. Something I felt I didn't have with a climber.
