Climber Tree Stands

[Edward]

Been a long time since I’ve used a climber. Looking to get a good one to sit at the edge of my tree line to overlook a small field. I’ve looked at a few. I won’t be carrying it very far so weight is a secondary concern. I’m 6’ and 245# so want a decent sized one that will provide all day comfort. What’s everyone using?

Look at summit /all I use anymore/Ed

[murf205]

Buy a GOOD safety harness. I like the one's made into a vest. Put the harness around the tree IMMEDIATELY when you START to climb up it.
All trees are not created equally. Ash and white oak trees allow a good grip on the bark. Shag bark hickories will not let the stand grip the tree well. Pick a healthy tree. You don't have to get super high if you can sit still. 12' is often plenty. A tree on the edge of a draw will give you the effect of a much taller tree. Use the clamp on straps when you get up the tree. Take your time and develop a checklist and routine for getting up the tree and getting set up. TAKE YOUR TIME. USE A PULL ROPE to get the gear and gun up to where you are sitting.

Amen to the safety harness sewn into the vest. They are by far the simplest to put on and quickest to boot. If it is easy, more people will use it. BTW, check your pull rope for cuts and abrasions regularly. Mine snapped just as I had my Styer .270 almost to the top of my 20' stand. It fell and landed on the recoil pad with the muzzle looking straight at me!! Thank God it was unloaded. Pulling a loaded rifle up on a pull rope is a recipe for disaster.

[Fishman]

I have the summit Goliath and their other larger climber whose name escapes me. I’ve been using them for ten years. So much safer than ladder and hang on stands because you are always contained while hunting. It’s a rare hunt where I don’t doze off in complete safety a couple times. If that doesn’t tell you how comfortable they are, well you aren’t paying attention. It is very important to set them up correctly in the tree so the distance between the top and bottom is perfect and the tree angle is comfortable. It limits me to one tree out of 2 or 3 dozen in an area but I’ve never found that to be a problem. I primarily use it for bow hunting in Missouri and am averaging right at a deer a year hunting for a week sometime in October. I don’t plan on bow hunting any other way or with any other brand if possible. I’ve tried others cheap climbers and a couple of api’s and no thanks. My friend I bow hunt with transitioned to summit after trying mine.

[curdog]

I am 64 years old and have been bowhunting since the mid 1970s. I have used a bunch of different types and the lone wolf sit and climb works pretty good. I would recommend a good harness type fall restraint and attach it at the bottom of the tree.

[osteodoc08]

I’m gonna go look at some of the larger Summit climbers and one ladder stand/strap on stand for the deer season here. Starts early this year on the eighth of the month. It’s gonna be a hot start to the season!

[Lloyd Smale]

same here. Where I hunt it would be tough to find a tree that didn't take serious limbing to be able to use a climber on it and trimming trees on state land is very frowned on in MI.

I hunt out of tree stands whenever possible, but have never used a climber. We have a lot more trees in Kansas than people think, but they tend to be crooked and gnarly, so I always wondered how well a climber could work. Mostly I use the chain on types and screw in tree steps, but setting those up and climbing into them is getting a little harder every year, might need to try something different.