Climber set-up
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Rth1229
24-Oct-17
Just curious what some of y'all do for climber set-ups? I hunt public land and can end up walking anywhere from 1-3 miles into my spot where nobody will bother me. I have an old frame pack Im thinking about rigging up so I can get some more comfortable straps on the long hikes an eliminate the nee for carrying a pack also
From: Dave B
24-Oct-17
I use a eberlestock x2, it's small internal frame and many lashing loops make it ideal for the job. I haven't been able to find something I like better.
From: arbe25
24-Oct-17
arbe25's Link
I walk quite a bit on public land also. I just attached a molle hip belt on my lone wolf climber and attach my pack to the stand. I'm sure a frame may work better, just not sure it is necessary.
From: cnelk
24-Oct-17
I put some shoulder straps on my XOP climber, I then put my small daypack on that. Less than 20lbs total
From: WV Mountaineer
24-Oct-17
I have a summit viper decked out with mole shoulder straps and hip belt. And I use my Kifaru frame and pack to pack my other viper with the supplied shoulder straps from the factory. I just sandwich it between the bag and frame.
Both work well. God Blesd
From: elk yinzer
24-Oct-17
I do the molle straps and waist belt. Only way to go imo. The belt is more important of the two. I tried the frame pack but there were two issues. First it pulls back the center of gravity and doesn't carry all that comfortably. Second, it was a pain and took an additional few minutes to get strapped to the frame securely.
From: Cheesehead Mike
24-Oct-17
Ditto on the molle shoulder straps and hip belt on my Lone Wolf Sit and Climb
From: Cheesehead Mike
24-Oct-17
Cheesehead Mike's Link
Another option is to buy the Molle frame with straps and hip belt. They're cheap and will give you the option of using it to carry other types of stands too.
You can lash the stand to the frame with Arno Straps, they're quick and work really well.
From: APauls
24-Oct-17
I'm a huge fan of using my Kuiu packs in load sling mode for hauling stands. I also transport my stand for each and every sit. Takes about 10-15 seconds to load the stand 100% securely and it will be quiet for transport. I use a LW alpha and 3 sticks, so little different setup but makes for a comfortable and quiet carry. I can also shoot my bow while walking with my gear if need be.
From: Fields
24-Oct-17
I feel for you and the long hikes... I'd come up with a hiding place for that stand nearer to where you hunt. Not on a tree, but hidden near a landmark or gps waypoint... I use gun slings on many of my stands. Way more comfortable..... I also bungee my backpack to my stand for the long walks, just make sure its secure- been there, done that... I really like some of the setups the above posters use. I'll be looking into them in the off season...
From: Pigsticker
24-Oct-17
I should follow some of this advice; I hang my pack on my stand and then put stand on my back with the factory straps. I am sure Mike's would be more comfortable.
From: snapcrackpop
24-Oct-17
I hung my backpack on the climber for years. Last couple I'm hanging it on my chest. WAY better balance, but you get a little warmer with it in front. Here is my Summit OpenShot set up for a morning or evening hunt.....
From: Cheesehead Mike
25-Oct-17
I've been using my Badlands 2200 for carrying my 4 Lone wolf sticks and Assault hang on stand. It works well because I can pack all my other clothes, rattling antler, lunch, etc. in the pack and then strap my stand on. The batwings hold the sticks very nicely.
That being said, I just bought a Kifaru Duplex frame last summer and I'm going to have to give that a try.
From: oldgoat
25-Oct-17
oldgoat's Link
I went the Molle belt and shoulder straps this year and hook a very small pack to stand with a carabineer, works pretty good it seems. There's a guy on YouTube, Seans Outdoor Adventures that has a good video on how to do it. I'll see if I can do a link.
From: Cheesehead Mike
26-Oct-17
oldgoat, the guy in the video you posted has the hip belt mounted upside down. Look at my photos above, the curved side of the hip belt should be on top.
Another thing that works really well for attaching a daypack and extra clothes to the stand is an ATV cargo net. They're very light and it keeps the pack from bouncing around and you can also stuff extra clothes, boots, rattling antlers, etc. between the cargo net and the stand.
Not that it matters, but I did the molle/Lone Wolf conversion years ago and posted it on Bowsite. I wonder how many of these YouTube guys saw that...?
From: oldgoat
26-Oct-17
Yeah, I didn't really pay attention to how he had his other than I did put the V of the stand down like his, couldn't tell you unless I went down and looked how I have mine. I'm only a recent convert to climbing strands, not a lot of trees in the Colorado River bottoms that will work for them.
From: snapcrackpop
26-Oct-17
I tried the lumbar belt in "the correct position" but found my butt & tailbone was better protected from the metal of the treestand in the "wrong position".
From: Cheesehead Mike
27-Oct-17
Maybe I'll have to flip mine over and see if I like it better. I guess I assumed that it wouldn't ride correctly on your hips if it was upside down, but maybe it doesn't matter...
