Contributors to this thread:
What's a lightweight climber that won't break the bank that you folks have used? Leaning towards a summit but haven't made a determination as of yet,, thanks.
Just buy a Lone Wolf. Cry once but love it forever. Summits are comfortable but extremely bulky (and noisy) for carrying through the woods.
I use the summit viper. As far as climbing stands, it’s going to be hard to beat a summit.
Never would buy any summit and after owning a LW for years(which are great) I would never own another climber. A set of sticks and a super light hang on and I am not limited to a telephone pole for a tree. I can get up and sitting almost as fast and definitely quieter. You can get a set of 4 good sticks and a light stand for under 400 bucks. Shawn
For the western hunter a lightweight climber packs much easier and are adequate for soft bark trees.If hunting the east a heavier climber simply bites better in oak teees.
As I’ve gotten older 75% of my whitetail hunting is out of climbers
Question was about climbers -- Summit Viper is the answer. Comfort. I backpack in a mountain mile with no problem. Others may be smaller, but I wouldn't sacrifice comfort and the stability offered by the Summit.
Summit Viper with the Hazemore net style seat...can’t be beat! Can’t speak for that stick-n-string feller, but most of us PA boys are pretty tough and don’t mind lugging around a little extra weight. I guess if you’re used to carrying around your wife’s purse and shopping bags at the mall, those LW’s might be more suited for the more dainty men here. :)
S&S thinks tater tots are better then fried taters too. What else needs to be said about the sanity of the man?
Overland x2. You will have a "silent partner'.
Summit has been rock solid for me and very user friendly.
I agree with Shawn. Lone Wolf or xop light weight stand plus climbing sticks greatly expands your options on what trees you can use. I have used both and the light weight stand & sticks are the best option.
Now hold on a minute, WV....you and I may agree on Summit Vipers being the ultimate climber, but be careful what hate speech you start spewing when it comes to tots....tots are king. Nuff said. ;-)
It figures. Only Yanks are that confused. :^)
TreeWalker for comfort and shorter walks. Sits the tree like it is part of it. LW for longer walks. Not as solid or as comfortable but packs flat and a good compromise. Summit if I was going to only have one and did not want to spend much.
I leave my Summit for a back-up and the other two are used as mentioned.
No confusion just smarter than most. I have hunted out west, the mid west and Canada. There is without a doubt times for a climber but they are rare because as I said a light stand and sticks will do everything and 10 times more than a climber. I will agree if you are getting old and somewhat feeble than a climber may be better but if you can get a good system and are in fairly good shape no need to use one and limit yourself. By the way used a climber quite a bit and finally realized how it limited my stand sites. Shawn
Shawn, my prior comment wasn't addressing you. It was meant for my PA buddies that would rather smile and laugh instead of taking things too seriously. Stand preferences by individuals are a choice of where and how you hunt. Brand choice is just personal.
Sometimes one has to think unconventionally to get more application from climbers ,I’ll stay the course.
Shawn,
LOL,
You may be correct, at 76, I must be getting older and "more" feeble :^)
I currently use a Summit Climber, a Lone Wolfe, lock on, a Muddy, lock on. Whatever stand fits the sit. I haven't used my Tree Saddle in about 8 or 10 years now. Tree steps hurt the bottom's of my tender feet.
I guess I must have started to get feeble around the mid-70's when I first started using a "home made" climber :^)
Whatever type of stand or saddle/sling a hunter uses is his or her choice. "Kinda" like their choice of bow, broad head, arrow, quiver, sight, grip, string, clothing, boots, socks, underwear etc.
OH OH, there I go getting more feeble again :^)
LAMOS
I agree, just making lite of some odd comments. To each their own! Shawn
Shawn,
Good to see someone making some lite humor around here.
Take care be safe
I’ve toyed with the sticks/stand method and realize it is more versatile as far as tree selection. However, I just can’t see how it could be more quiet and quicker than a climber. Maybe I’ll revisit it this season.
Agree with the statement that you should buy a Lone Wolf and deal with the high initial cost. I have a Summit Viper and would trade it in a heartbeat for a LW. No doubt the Summit is a good stand and is very comfy, but bulky and noisy to carry and put up. But all in all, I'm with Shawn. I bought a LW Alpha hang on and 4 sticks and this is my go to system for run and gun hunting. I use it on more than 90% of my hunting. I'm 56 in decent shape, and I can get up and set up in about 12 minutes and with the rope mod, I'm pretty darn quiet doing it. Plus the versatility is unmatched. I would like to add a Lone Wolf Hand Climber to my stand arsenal though.
Md5252...it all depends on your system. I’ve been doing hang n hunts for 10 or more years, and I’ll never use a climber again. Oh, and incidentally, I happen to own 3 different climbers. Some of which are named in the above comments. And I can’t remember the last time I used any of them. I don’t hang n hunt mornings. I already have morning stands set, but I do every afternoon.
Loc ons have some inherent advantages without a doubt.
However,Climbers give off less residual scent after the hunt,no dinging by falling acorns post hunt,more ease and safety in frequent set up.No straps for a squirrel’s assassination attempt.Safety has become my number one priority now.
Lastly,I have seen no reduction in success,no getting skylighted or seen like it would seem.
I mostly use sticks and hang-ons these days. I like the old Gorillas (and the new Hawks) hang-ons. I also have a Summit Goliath that I like alot. It's heavier but it has alot of room to move around and sit/snooze. It's not too bad toting in and out.
I know a guy that bought a bunch of upper sections of a Summit stand and leaves them on certain trees/areas he will be hunting and just totes in a single lower portion to what ever tree/area he wants to hunt. The upper section is already there locked to the tree. If you're in an area that allows you leave your stands there for the season, this isn't a bad way to go in light. It's easy to get in and out of areas, relocate to other trees, etc...more so than sticks and hang-ons.
FWIW.....I got some small clearance sale, camo pouches and holders. I modified them and ty-wrapped those to the side of the seat/upper portion of the stand rail and use those to store/hold things like a bottle of water, calls, snacks, line, etc.
I ordered an aero hunter saddle for mobile light setups. My reasoning was a Lone wolf or hawk stand couldn’t touch that for versatility and mobility. I haven’t received it yet so I am only going by theory so far. But, after toying around hanging steps the last couple days, I can see where it won’t take long to get in the tree quietly and safely.
WV, my friend Pete LOVES saddles, cant say enough good about them. I'm not convinced - but not in function, just for me. I'm a heights fearing guy, so a big platform feels really nice to me. Still considering a saddle, because of the versatility - clearly an awesome system.
OP I have loved my summit Bushmaster. It's pretty old, maybe an 05 or so? Anyway, it's great. Occasionally I may prune a dead limb, and yes, you have to be ok with a limit on your tree choices... But it's been a durable and functional stand for years.
I have both climber and hang-on. I will use the climber if I know there are suitable trees in a hot area but the hang-on usually gives me more options and I like being able to climb around branches to use for cover while a climber requires more cutting. My climber is a Lone Wolf hand climber and it's pretty simple to get up a tree.
The Summit Open Shot is the ultimate middle of the road bowhunting climber.
Will, I’m not afraid of heights. Just cautious. I’ve fallen from two stands in my life. Both were hang ones. One was my fault. One was a failure. So, my days of hanging out in a loc on type stand are spent with apprehension. That’s why I went to the saddle.
Always connected to the tree gives me a sincere feeling of safety. I really like it.
Cool you are ok WV! As the fall goes on, post up your experiences in the saddle. It will be good to hear your take on it!
Was hoping for a more unanimous conclusion on brand selection but this has given me some insight as to what's out there. Thanks guys.The lady and I just qualified for a metropark deer cull program ,however the drawing on specific location will happen at the end of the month. Scouting is permitted in the month of September . After I scope out our destination I will decide on sticks/hang-on vs climber. I hunt both ways but prefer a climber in a situation where I would want to remove the stand in the evening as I am not quite as adept as some fellers on here with the hang ons. Excited to get on some new ground and help the parks out with their overly abundant whitetail populations!
Hey Buckeye how does your "park cull" work. I know some mandate you kill X amount of antlerless before a buck....just curious.
I originally got a lone wolf climber cause I hunt coastal marshes & was carrying 25+ screw in steps to get high enough in pine trees with my hang on. since getting my lw climber I rarely use my hang on's. it's just so effortless to go up a tree with the lw sit & climb. & I agree to each his own
Franklin, it's an earn a buck program, harvest of one anlerless first is mandatory.
The lone wolf sit and climb has had a few mentions. I had one. Best stand ever for climbing. Super easy. A breeze to carry through the woods. Absolutely the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever sat in. Tried a hazemore seat and it was barely tolerable. I tried a buddies summit and I’ll be going that route. Way more comfortable and for the short distance I walk <500 yds most of the time I will take comfort over weight every time.
Tree Walker. Most sturdy and comfortable climber I've ever used, and I've been in quite a few. Not the least expensive.....just the best.
The Mancini looks interesting but I have not tried one yet.
I'm very pleased with the Summit Open Shot SD. At 15#, its one of the lighter weight climbers out there. I have modified mine with some simple things to make it even better, like using an old waist strap attached to the top to make a sling seat to use as a sit-n-climb if I wanted to (which I rarely do, I can climb with the top as-is easily), a set of Third Hand straps really secure it when at the height I want and a good set of backpack straps. Its light, easy to climb with and once in position, sturdy.
X3 on the Treewalker. Big platform but very little weight.
I have owned several climbers and have tried most of the ones listed in previous posts. Very true that it is hard to beat the comfort you will have sitting in a summit viper sd. I hunted out of big heavy APIs for years and loved them. So as I have gotten older I needed something more packable and sprang for the lone wolf sit and climb. They are great stands but as a previous post said they don't have the comfort. That is spot on. Not even close to a summit. But they can be with some mods, I put a summit cushion seat in mine and extended my top section 4 inches. My Lone wolf is a Cadillac now and its still just as quiet and packs up like it did from the factory. I know it is crazy to spend what the cost and go to work on it but it was worth it. I feel I have the best climber going now.
I have had couple incarcerations on the summit viper and now also have a lonewolf sit and climb. The vipers climb better and easier. They are more comfortable for long sits as well. The lone wolf packs better and is quiter. I kept the lone wolf
Anybody try an XOP Ambush? My favorite climber is my LW 14.6# combo hand climber but thought I’d give this a try.
I have a Summit Bushmaster its 16lb and quiet. Summit is imho the best climber on the market I hunt almost exclusively from climber and have done so for last 10 yrs.
I hunt private land, and tend to not move around much. I've got an Ole Man on a tree with a bike lock on it that doesn't protect it as much as keep others from sitting it. I also have an old API Magnum which is a lighter than the OleMan and as comfortable now that I put a Hazemore net seat on it. I'm always re-taping the chains on the API. I like either one at 25+ feet.
Lone Wolf's look small to me. A summit would do OK.
Bow bender,tip for the API .
Pull out black inserts where chain goes into metal tubing
Now,take landscape vinyl flexible tubing (clear)and thread wire (coat hanger) through the tubing after attaching to end link of chain .Attach wire to immovable object and place tube and chain into hot water (I just boil using fish cooker outside).
Using good gloves pull hot tubing over chain
Drill holes through tubing and chain link space so your pin will fit through both.
You will have an awesome chain cover that will only need replacing when your chain does
Ya I don't get it. I just opened my new XOP Ambush clearly advertised at 18.0# and it weighed in at 21.0#. A full 3.0# difference and a deal breaker in elk country. Got it for only $250 so may keep it for whitetail, but ordering up another LW compact now.
