Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Need Help - Couple of questions on Climber vs. Hang On Tree Stands?

I hunted from a treestand last year for the very first time. Had it not been for a noisy seat I would have killed my first ever bull elk. Anyway, the stand was a hang-on variety that a friend had hung in a tree and was accessed by climbing sticks and hooks. I want to buy my first stand and read a thread here about "favorite stands" and two climbers, an API and a Summit, were by far the top two choices. Here's the questions:

1. What are the pros and cons of each?
2. Do you use sticks for climbers too? How else would you scale the tree to hand the stand?

Sitting on the hang-on wasn't too bad for half a day at a time but those climbers sure look far more comfortable!

Thanks for the help!

I have been using tree stands for over 20 years. Last year my buddy bought an Equalizer Climing tree stand and I am convinced this is the safest, most stable climbing stand on the market. Do yourself a favor and check them out. Read what owners have to say and decide. I now have mine and love it. Not readily available other than directly from the manufacturer but well worth the money.

I never like climbers because of the noise and they limit you to certain size trees.

If you can leave your stand overnight where you hunt, A lock on is the best option IME.

If I hang one, I'm going to hunt it at least 3-4 times before I become convinced that I need to move. I don't move based on what I see after just 1 hunt, it's a common mistake.

I only use, climbing sticks to put the stand up. I have some strap on tree spikes like Telephone workers use to get up and down. This keeps folks from hunting your stands. There is nothing wrong with the climbing sticks though.

JM

remfak-

I own a gaggle of tree stands - both climbers and hang on's.

I've grown a little weary of the climbers. I have an API and have had the Summit. Nice stands but they're large and "pingy". My favorite, and it's not even a close race, is the Lone Wolf. It may give up a bit of comfort to the some of the more deluxe comfort models but it folds down flat and doesn't snag on brush like some of the bulkier models - more importantly for me as a bowhunter, it's not noisy, nor is it "pingy". Some will tell you to fill the tubes with insulation foam etc. and that will negate the noise issue. Still, that doesn't take away from the bulk and awkwardness of the larger climbers. I've spent countless full-day sits in the Lone Wolf, so I can attest to its reasonable comfort. I also prefer the rugged, grated platform that won't collect ice and snow. (big deal for a lot of the hunting that I do)

I generally take a climber with me anytime I travel out-of-state or to Canada (if I'm driving) because they do offer the ability to be nimble but some of those places, say, Iowa or Kansas, there is nary a straight tree to be found. I much prefer, these days, to hunt from a hang on with the aid of climbing sticks.

I've used several different types of sticks but have settled on the Ameristep Rapid Rails for my climbing. (the aluminum version) They don't require a telephone pole type tree and they're super light.

There are a litany of hang on's on the market and I prolly have five or six different brands. As long as it's got a decent seat and a secure method of securing it to the tree, I'm cool with it.

Lastly, please, PLEASE invest in a quality safety harness and use it without exception.

Take the advice of TomA. I purchased an Equalizer five years ago after trying just about every climber on the market. The Equalizer is very quiet and very quick to get up a tree. I would often scout in the early afternoon with the stand on my back because it's pretty light and once I found some good sign I'd set up right there. The Equalizer is the best piece of deer hunting equipment I have ever purchased besides my Remington 700 .264 WM. Check them out. I have had Summit treestands and they are not even in the same league.

Very cool on those "equalizers". Just checked out the video online. Very cool indeed. Pricy SOB's though.

I've been very impressed with my Treelounge. They are not light, but are the easiest I've experienced to climb with and are easily the most comfortable to sit in for any period of time.

To answer your question about climbing sticks and climbers... the answer is no. The purpose of the climbing stand is that it is two pieces and allows you to go up a tree with the stand alone, without another climbing aid. Most of the stands have a foot climber and a hand climber (or sit-n-stand). You simply raise the top portion with your hands, then fix that position and raise the foot climber a few inches and repeat the process until you are up the tree. Many bow stands are hand climbers and many rifle stands are sit-n-stand which is much easier.

The biggest downfall to the climbing stand is that the tree must be fairly straight, no limbs or you will need to cut the limbs on the way up and each stand will have it's own size limitations.
I use a climber any time I am in a new area or an area that will be hunted once or even one I don't want to leave the stand in.

I use the hang-on stands when I can leave it there for the entire season.
That allows me to take my bow or gun and a few other things without needing to lug the stand into the hunting site each hunt. It also allows me to be more quiet because I don't have to assemble the climber.

The isue with the hang on is that it is much harder (IMO) to install for a one-time use than the climber. It can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on the step or ladder set-up and you need to install the steps or ladder, then climb back down and take the stand back up, and secure it to a tree by a strap, usually clinging on with your other hand and hopefully a safety harness.
I can have my climber on a tree and headed up in less than 5 minutes.
I sweat a lot more trying to hang my lock-ons. That's why I do it way before the season starts and leave it up there.

good Luck...

If weight isn't a big issue you can use light chain and chain binders to put up climbing sticks and a hang on stand in just a few minutes. If you are trying to keep it light and use straps/ropes it takes longer.

Each has it's own place. If I have to walk a very long way I wind up taking climbing spurs and a safety harness and find a limb to sit on.

I used both. I rather prefer my summit vipers for there comfort, but I do use a couple of different hang-ons.

Mostly I will put up the hang-ons for the season or at least a few weeks.

I have found that the easiest way to put up a hang on is with the climber. I will put up the stand and a fall guy retractor while standing in my climber. If I am using screw in steps I put them in as I climb down in my climber. If I am using sticks I put them up after I am down and have removed my climber.

I have Summit Viper climber. Have this particular one simply because I found it on garage sale, still in original packaging two years ago. It was noisy. I put tiny bit of lithium grease on cable ears, wrapped all metal with thin polyurethane foam sheets, and now it is totally silent. What I like that there is no need in poles, the foot rest is used as a climber. Two things to consider: you need to tie lower piece with upper piece with rope or some kind of line. In case you accidentally knock the lower piece when climbing down, you'll get stuck on the tree sitting in your upper piece. But if you had secured the lower piece, you will be able to pull it. Don't ask me how I know this... The other thing (actually the first thing to consider) is to get quality and correctly sized safety harness, and don't even think to climb on a tree without harness! Lot of people around here sustain fatal injuries or become crippled every year because they didn't wear one.

+1 on the safety harness. That is one downfall with the hang-on stands. It is very difficult to wear a safely harness while climbing up screw in steps or a ladder (sticks). The most dangerous part is when you are getting in or out of the hang-on stand. (there are syatems you can use for this scenario.. fall-arrest, etc.)

for me, I wear the harness down when climbing down in my climber and don'r when going up. It is just easier for me that way.
Do as I say, not as I do!

Had the harness covered last year. I NEVER went up a tree last year without it. Hell No!! I just need to decide what type of stand to buy. Major pros & cons both ways.

k98junkie-

Being from Pgh, you'll be able to relate to this. Almost 30 years ago, when they started the controlled archery hunts in the county parks, I was hunting North Park. After dark, one of the hunters didn't come in (everybody had to sign in and out). Of course this was before cell phones, etc. We knew "about" where he was hunting, so some guys went looking for him. Turned out that he set up a stand in a pine tree. At dark, as he was starting to climb down, using the limbs as steps, one snapped (dead pine tree limbs aren't known for their strength!). He proceeded to break off every other branch between there and the ground with various portions of his body. They found him limping out of the woods, in great pain. We drove him over to Passavant Hospital, where they found a few broken ribs, along with various other bumps and bangs. He was actually lucky.

It made an impression on me that has never left.

I use a harness every time.....

Climbers and Lock-ons all have their place. We set up our lock-ons on Wht oak or blk oak trees and use our climbers for scouting, moving around during the rut or I always take mine when I get an invite to hunt new property.

I've got a bunch of lock-on tree stands and the Climax by SS Outdoors is one of my favorites. It excels in placement on trees that aren't perfectly vertical where most other stands will simply not work. And set right, they are absolutely ROCK SOLID. I would give these some serious consideration, especially if you don't have perfectly straight trees. They are very reasonably priced too. I just looked and noticed their site is down though.