Tradhunter - Traditional Archery Bow Hunting Forums

I know that there are some of you like myself that use a climber often. I use some ladder stands and hunt from the ground a little but most of the season I'll be shimming up trees. With all the devolopers striving to come up with that new can't do without item you got to know that it's more about selling than it is your safety. I have owned and used so many different ones through the years that they should pay me to tell them what works and what doesn't. Lets talk about feeling safe in a treestand beyond the safety harness which should be a no-brainer. When sitting above I love the view and peaceful feel of being out there looking down over it all, can't do that if you are afraid to move! What climber do you have?

My latest investment was in one of the new lighter and cheaper models with the fold in arms that you will see in most hunting sites or magazines. This seems to be an overseas made price point stand. Mine bears the name API but I see them now that look like they rolled down the same assembly line bearing different names. X Stand has one as well as Muddy, though I do see some improvement on the Muddy. The positive thing on these stands are the weight, only 16 pounds. Then you have the folding arms that takes a little getting use too. It does let the stand fold together nicely and is a concept that the Old Man treestand's Perfected and made popular. Another positive is that I bought mine for less than $150.00.

I know what you are saying CD. A number of years ago I aquired an old style Grand Slam. It was regular arm use climber... that thing wears an old fat man plumb out getting up, and once up, was one of the most spooky stands ive been in. There was no way i could figure out how to make it solid without moving and rocking about as I shifted weight. I chucked it to the curb on trash day a couple years ago, as my concern wouldn't allow me give it to anybody. Some unlucky person stopped and picked it up anyway!

In my aging, dealing with stenosis in my lower back, and being larger then life, I had to go to a sit and climb. I done enough research to choke an elephant for my price range. Of course like always, I ended up on the high side of my budget. I settled on a Summit Viper, in the aluminum frame model with sound dampening system. It weighs in around 22 lbs. I think if im not mistaken. Like most sit and climb, the rail does impede me a little, but ive learned to deal with it. Its so comfy and secure, I prefer it even to my hang ons. I can stay all day in it, if I have plenty of pee bottles! Lol! Seriously, its such a nice secure stand, I am so at peace and enjoy being in it tremendously. One of these days, Id like to drop some dough on a lone wolf, because the climbing bar can be swung down out of the way. But they are so much money, I just cant right now.

If you also jumped on the wagon as I did you were probably as excited as I was to give it a try. My first issue came when I put it together and read the instructions on how the foot stirrups were to be attached, if you have one throw these instructions down and use your experience to get creative. Hey devolopers; nobody wants foot straps that you have to try and reach down when you get on it and have the top portion around you that you have to try and reach down to put the straps on your feet! Thankfully I saw this before going to the woods and experience said that wasn't right, I modified it. The next issue I dealt with was the cable snaps. If I hadn't been too saved and Christian this one would have made me get out of the book (cuss)! The cable only comes out on one side which is okay but who makes a pull out faster that you have to hold the pin part out while sliding the cable in. Either you have three hands (one to hold the stand up, one to hold the pin out, and one to slide the cable in. And maybe a forth to hold the arms from flopping outward) or you again must get creative. I made a hard rubber spacer and attached one to each section to hold the pin out until you can get the cable in. When I run into things like this I know for sure that the creators of this stand have never used one! More later.

Hahaha! Wow..... Way ta let em have it Tony! They dont know it, but for coming from you, they just got the reaming of a lifetime! Ive always admired your ingenuity.

Actually those are minor and fixable issues, the light weight, low price, and folding together make up for those little aggravating issues that I fixed. If I can climb safe and feel secure while in my stand I'm willing to let these things slide. I think that anything deserves a good chance and I used this stand all of last season and up to yesterday this season. Here's a picture I posted last fall some might remember...

I was told by a Old Man treestand fan how to securely tighten the arms once I'm up to where I want to sit. An extra step but that's okay if it makes me more secure. After a season of use I noticed a few things that I can't fix. The first one being that you have to be very selective in what size and what type of tree you climb. Those of you old enough to remember the Baker stand V bar days can relate to how they would move under you if you shifted any weight to either side. If your not on the perfect tree this stand shares some of those same characteristics. Sorry manufacturers but trees grow in many sizes, shapes, and soft or hardness. I have climbed enough trees with Bakers, Summit, Loggy, etc. to know this is not right. My major problem arose while sitting in a hard barked Chestnut Oak last week in Ohio, I had to stand to rest my legs after a long sit and when I sat back down the upper portion dropped about an inch under me! Not a good feeling when your 20ft up. This has continued to haunt me and caused me to begin looking into what the difference was. Then yesterday I decided to pull my old Loggy Bayou mega transformer off the wall hook, dust it off, and give it some use. Wow, I had about forgot what it was like to climb and feel totally secure in a tree. I could have taken a nap in that thing if them ole deer would have left me alone. The question is why, what's the difference?

So here is what I found in my experience, nothing bites into the bark of a tree as well as a Summit, that's my opinion anyhow. I've even had a friend to complain about having to jerk or twist it loose when going up and down the tree. This seems to be due to the deep v shape to the part that claws itself into the bark. My Loggy ranks high in this department also as well as most any other large manufacturer. The key is in the V and teeth, take a look at my Loggy...

Now compare that to my new stand with the shallow V that is made for a ladder stand only in my opinion.

As you can see if it's a smaller tree your in trouble with the new stand! I have climbed Hickory, Red Oak, and even Sycamore (not recommended) with Loggy and Summits with no issue. And I don't have to be so selective with the sizes either. I climbed a hard barked Red Oak yesterday with my Loggy and felt secure, I would not try this from the new stand.