totally agree!! The summit is a GREAT GREAT climber, but packs so dang heavy and awkward!! I own a LW assault with 4 lw sticks, the weigh about the same total, but the LW feels so much lighter on my back compared to the summit. I bought the game plan gear treestand transport system (the nice back pack type attachment) to make it more comfy and distribute the weight making it a non-issue for me. funny, I bought the LW because when I was in Illinois the first week of November, I could only find 3-4 straight trees to climb on the farm I was hunting!! good luck either way!
I have a Summit Viper and love it. It is a very quiet stand once you are at the tree. They are all bulky. it's hard to go through the brush quietly.
I just got the Summit Open Shot. It is super light weight at 15 lbs and packs very easy with the shoulder straps. The Open Shot is very compact with the platform while the seat is in the down position. With the seat in the raised position there is plenty of standing room. If your a big man this stand may be a little tricky to maneuver I'm 5'7 and 185lbs and the safety harness kept catching on the sides of the hand climber if they had a wide version it would be the perfect stand. I like that there are no elbows on the seat portion for me to bump my bow on if I need to turn to the left or right to make a shot.You pretty much have about a 350 degree shooting lane with this stand, minus of course other trees, shrubs, bushes , limbs, squirrels and other hunters.
I'm going with the Xstand next season there the lightest stand on the market. Ike's outdoors has some good reviews you YouTube
Do you have experience with treestands? You say you want your first climber but to me that depends on what your treestand experience is. If you've hunted a lot of hang-on's you will be fine with my favorite stand, LoneWolf handclimber. If you are totally new to stands in general, I would recommend a stand with a front bar as many people feel safer in them. I despise front bars but I have been using stands for a long time. I've owned API, Summit, Loggy Bayou, Ol'Man, and this Lonewolf. The Lonewolf will be around a long time while the others have all been sold or given away.
