The safest stand I've found is the Chippewa wedge-loc hang on.  Not a cheap stand, but very safe imo.
Ladder stands can be scary to put up if your alone!
And climbers have always made me real nervous, but that's just me? I like to know my stand is locked on the tree and I never felt that way about a climber.
With any stand an extra chain can go along way, just a little reassurance.

A couple of days ago, not far from here, a bowhunter died from a fall. He was 18 feet up and had just lowered his bow to the ground. He didn't have a harness, or didn't have it attached.

Man, Lee, I don't know about not wearing a harness. I hunted out of homemade climbing stands for years, when I was in my teens and early 20s. I never wore a harness, either. Looking back on that, I think what a fool I was. I had a couple of instances where the stand slid all the way down the tree with me going along for the ride.

Even a fall from 8-10 feet can break a bone, and I can guarantee you'll spend more than $150 if you need a doctor. Heck, an ambulance ride will cost twice that.

I'd never hunt from a homemade climbing stand.

I use an API Grandslam that I bought back in 2001 when I had a job.  Great little stand. It wont be slipping. It has nice teeth that bite into the tree.  I just wonder how long the chain lasts.

It will slip, the only question is when and how high you will be when it happens.

Not wearing some type of saftey harness is dumb, man.  There are about a dozen or so injuries here in Missouri every year during deer season, and half of those will be hunters falling out of trees.

I've only had one incident with my climber. I didn't secure my foot properly on the floor platform to climb down because I was wanting down quickly.

When I got to about 13ft my foot slipped out of the loop and the platform dropped about 6ft until my backup rope stopped it.

It was from my laziness, not the stand. I pulled myself up onto the top half of the climber and braced my feet against the tree and I pulled the climber up a few feet with my left hand, with the rope, until I could reach it with my toes and I pulled it up with my feet. Everything was fine after that.

Lee, I have two safety harnesses. (I keep spares of almost everything.) I did not pay $150 for either. One is a Summit SOP and the other is Hunter Safety Systems Vest. You can pick these up cheaper than $150 quite easily. In fact, I have a 4 point safety harness I will GIVE you if you will just promise to use it. It is brand new, never used and still in the original bag. It isn't as nice as one of the more expensive types but it will save your life. If you will PM me an address I will send it to you free of charge!

So far as ripping off your testicles, I am rather partial to mine and hope to keep them for awhile but I would seriously trade one or both of them to see another sunrise!

QuoteOriginally posted by LeeBishop:
 

I'd pick one up if they were affordable. I'm a broke indie filmmaker and I don't have the money for a $150 harness to use two months out of the year for a few years before I have to buy another $150 harness.

If they didn't price themselves out of the market then a lot more people would buy them.

They are ridiculously overpriced, just like camo clothing. The camo clothing is made out of the country and then they mark it up to designer clothing prices. It's ridiculous. I buy my equipment when it's on clearance at Wal-mart post-gun season. [/qb][/QUOTE]

No offense Lee, but if I were you, I think I'd cancel my internet subscription for a while so that I could save up the money for a good safety harness.  The results of your poll are completely meaningless if you refuse to wear a safety harness.

QuoteOriginally posted by jsweka:

Quote
No offense Lee, but if I were you, I think I'd cancel my internet subscription for a while so that I could save up the money for a good safety harness.  The results of your poll are completely meaningless if you refuse to wear a safety harness. [/b]

I won't be doing that. Thanks though. I'm working on a film about Ben Pearson and one of the few things I need is an internet connection.

and the results of the poll have nothing to do with a harness. People only started wearing harnesses in the last few years. I'm pretty sure people hunted in tree stands before that.

I'm talking about what people think are the most structurally sound.

I've always heard there are two types of motorcylce riders. Those who have wrecked and those who are going to wreck. Good analogy of getting your feet of the ground also. I personally think they are all have the same level of danger. I could go on but ladder stands tend to be left out year around and I've not seen anything left out in the weather that doesn't have it's toll taken on it. Plus they are more dangerouse putting up IMHO. A climber can more easily be put up and down fully attached from start to finish with no hidden problems but hands down for me the safest is a hang on stand for lots of hidden reasons IF taken down at the end of the season.

QuoteOriginally posted by LeeBishop:

Quote:
People only started wearing harnesses in the last few years. I'm pretty sure people hunted in tree stands before that.

[/b]

Yep, and we learned from our mistakes and the mistakes of others.  But hey, it's a free country and your choice.  I pray you don't miss a step.

Actually I started wearing a safety belt in my deer stands back in the early 80s. They were not the comfy harneses we have today.

The only time I ever fell out of a stand was using an old baker type climber. Went to shoot at a doe and the stand spun on the tree. Luckily I weighed only about 170 back then and was strong as an ox. That safety belt kept me from falling but damned near cut me in half. I somehow managed to get one arm around the tree and cut the belt with my knife and slid down the tree. Never used a baker again and bought a new safety belt that same day.