Been thinking of adding a climber to my collection.
I have been using a Lone Wolf Sit and Climb for a couple years and really like it. My dad is using a Summit Razor and I have and at times still use a Summit broadhead backpacker which are both quality stands.
I hunt 95% of the time with a climber and have 6 climbers in my garage made by Summit, API & Lone Wolf.
IMO nothing beats a Lone Wolf hand climber model. It's not the most comfortable climber I have but it beats the others in portability and quietness. The best feature I like is it doesn't have any parts to interfere with shooting.
I have the Summit Viper. This is a quality product and I am able to shoot my 60" bow out of it. This stand does have a bar across the front but I haven't found it to be a problem. The seat is an all day kind of seat...very comfortable. The stand is aluminum so it's not too heavy but it is a little bulky when traveling through the timber.
I'd have to say you have the best already Lone Wolf. I to have a fleet of climbers. Summit, Lone wolf, Non Typical. I took what was called the Summit Clear Shot and welded a sit and climb bracket up. It's about as close to a hang on as it gets, but it's bulky and noisey compared to my Alfa Wolf. I think the Alfa Wolf is the best. I wish I listened to my friend and bought one years ago. Good Luck
I've got a Lone Wolf Sit-n-Climb which has been the best for me hands down. I tried a hand climber top earlier this year, and it was defnintely great for shooting, but going up and down the tree, it left a lot to be desired compared to the sit'n'climb top. I've also got a Quickee bracket mounted to the seat bar which is a great convenience. I've never had the sit'n'climb top get in my way.
The lone wolf hand climber with the optional strap will work like a sit-n-climb and I agree with the above posts. It is the best climber for a traditional bow.
What fox bo says. Have been using a hand climber Lone Wolf for a long time, and I'm no spring chicken anymore. A while back, I fashioned my own belt to go though the hand climber to use it as a sit and climb. I can get up and down the tree a little faster with the hand climber, a little easier with the sit and climb. Very quiet with either. Sit and climb is a little heavier, and some folks find the bar on the seat sometimes gets in the way. Take your choice. Can't go wrong with a Lone Wolf.
My wife bought me a vintage Baker Mighty Mite for Christmas. You think she's trying to tell me something?
J/K I like my Summit for all day sitting, but the front bar is a bit of a pain.
Trap
If I could I would swap all my Lone Wolfs, Summitts and Old Man stands foe API CLIMBERS.
Trapp, Hope your life insurance is paid up. All the Bakers I've ever seen, were death waiting for the fall!
wow trap
did she up the life insurance policy also
i remember those from the early eightys
they were death traps
kevin
LOL, I hunted hard outta those things in the 80s. Lucky to be alive. Stands have come a long way.
???? for the Lone Wolfers. Are you saying you take a hand climber and place a strap around the bars to make it a sit and climb? Anybody have a pic to show how you do it?
Like I said I like my Summit for comfort, but I'd like to lose the bar once I'm up where I want to be.
Trap
Trap -
The folks at Lonewolf offer a thick strap (almost like a towstrap) that hooks on the front edge of the handclimber seat. This allows you to use the handclimber top like a sit and climb. I tried it, didn't get very far with it - nothing like a full bar to sit on. I just use the handclimber top with the old lean and lift. Sounds silly, but if you put your hands around the toothed belt, tuck your elbows onto the seat and work those abs you can be up the tree before you know it.
If you like the comfort of the Summit but want a drop bar, the Razor (I think...)has a front drop bar that will swing under your seat and out of the way. My friend swears by his for comfort. I like my LW because it packs down so much nicer - he ends up dragging half the woods home with him.
I could nit pick about stands all day, but I love the platform on the LW, but I greatly perfer the climbing arms on my Gorilla stand (a copy of the old man climber arms), they have a much more positive lock around the tree, and with the safety strap tightened there's no way the platform can take off down the tree. The platform isn't quite as large though...
Give and take I suppose. Right now I'm using the LW handclimber top with the Gorilla bottom - works well for me.
i bought a summit bushmaster this year. it is a open front. it is a very nice stand. it's made for either bass pro or cabelas, i can't remember. summit makes another that is close to the same but has a smaller bottom piece. i also like the price of $179.00
I like a sit and climb. You can use the bar to sit on if you have to shoot behind you.
I'm seriously liking my tree strap better though. ;)
I really like my Summit Viper. It is very easy to climb with and comfortable enough to stay in for long hours. I've even napped in it, but I wouldn't recommend it! :D
http://www.summitstands.com/catalog.aspx?catid=viper
yea im with cbh i love my viper the best ive used
I'm partial to the API Bowhunter climbers. They're light, solid, comfortable, and you can pick them up used for about a hunderd dollars.
On thing you might want to consider...the Ol Man climbing treestands let you stand with your back up against the tree. The net seat slides back out of your way. It also has a "safety strap" that secures the top and bottom parts of the climber to the tree. Most climbing stands will not allow you to do this because the seat gets in the way and/or the foot platform tapers next to the tree. With some climbing treestands I wouldn't recommned this anyway.. it would be a quick way to get down to the ground. They also make models with a bar that can be positioned up (for a rifle rest) or down (for a foot rest). You can also leave the bar off for a wide open shot. They make them in steel and aluminum. I don't work for them but I'm glad to see them being made again.
I have a Summit Bushmaster, and I love it. It is the one stand I own that I think I could sit all day in, if I had to. It doesnt have a bar, so it requires a little upper body strength to climb with. It has one draw back that I can think of...it doesnt fold flat, and can be cumbersome hiking in and out. At the end of a long day, I would swear I had my ruck on from my army days. It is only 17 pounds though. Lol.
The backpacker from Summit is virtually the same stand, but it folds flat.
I have a summit broadhead backpacker. I like useing this stand. It folds pretty flat(about 6 to 8 inches)it weights in at 22 lbs. I have carried it and my back pack all day a time or too when I can't find a tree worth climbing. Just like everyone else has said you can sit in it all day.
I have herd very good things about the LW climbers but they are not very comfortable to me. I have used one before but I don't own one, little to pricey for me.
I say look at as many as you can before you buy one but you won't go wrong wit a summit or LW.
:biglaugh: I have one of the ol Bakers laying in the corner of my basement.
I had a Loggy Bayou that I used that I liked. Do they still make those?
lone wolf with a summit seat (fits perfect)the best of both worlds
I like my viper. The bar doesn't get in the way, and it is as comfortable as an easy chair at home.
I started out with a mighty might way back. I didn't have a hand climber for a while, just hugged the tree. My brothers used one, too. I've heard them called death traps on these forums, etc. We never had an accident, and we used them a lot. Climbers have come a very long way, but I'm not going to knock those old bakers. I've had my viper slip before, and it is a very stable stand.
I started out with a Baker Prohunter. I think it weighed about 35 lbs and was the size of a half sheet of plywood. It had a hand climber. I lost the bottom once and had to shinny down the tree. I've used one of the original loggy bayous for the last 19 years. loved it. I just bought a Lone wolf with the hand climber. I found climbing difficult with the hand climber until I put a strap on it now its much better. By far the quietest climber I've ever tried. Very solid feeling in the tree too. Very light to carry and it packs thin enough I can put it behind the seat of my regular cab pickup with the seat all the way back, which is nice. Surely not the most comfortable stand but I'll trade that for nothing in the way when shooting behind the tree.
Lone Wolf hand climber, hands down for me!
Summit Viper SS: light weight, secure, comfortable.
I'm leaning toward the Summit Razor SS. The bar folds out of the way and it looks more comfy than the API's. My nephew works at BassPro and gets a 40% discount on API, Redhead etc... but only 15% on the Summit. From the reviews I've read and the replys here it sounds like the Summit is the better stand. 40% off is hard to resist but when it comes to limited hunting time quality and comfort are everything to me.