Best Tree Climber

[Shwangman]

I got a friend who wants to buy the easiest climber to use because as he puts it, he is not the brightest bulb on the tree and I know noting about climbers but, I wanted to help a fellow hunter make a good choice. I told him that Lone Wolf and Summit gets the most headlines or at least it seems but that is all i could tell him. Any comments would be great and keep in mine, the guy is no spring chicken so not sure how much strain of lifting of these is. He wants this because he has lost his land and will be doing park hunts.

Thanks

[Outdoor John]

I have a 300# capacity 2-piece Summit climber and it is by far the best climber I have used in 40 yrs of tree stands

OJ

[mnhunter79]

2nd vote for summit

[B-man715]

I have owned or used a Summit, Lone Wolf, API and Gorilla climber.

The Summits are comfy but a little noisy and quite bulky.

The Lone Wolf's are by far the stealthiest and most compact and are comfortable enough for a dark to dark sit too.

The API's have a rubber coated chain which blows [PoorWordUsage], and they are bulky.

The Gorilla's are [PoorWordUsage].......

After using all of these, the Lone Wolf is the best climber to date.

[snoozebutton]

Another vote for Lone Wolf. They're a little more expensive but well worth it. Easy to use, comfy, and quiet.

[FishingWebGuy]

The Lone Wolf sit and climb wide is my first stand and I really like it. Lite weight, easy to use, and comfortable. I can get 20-25' up and down a tree in about 5 minutes.

[InTheNorthwoods]

I own a summit and it is maybe the most comfortable stand out there. It is also easy to use and has no bolts or parts that could get lost and can be put together to be hauled like a backpack. I would not hesitate to get another or recommend them to anyone.

That said, I have heard so many great things about the LoneWolf climber that I can't ignore it. I have not tried one, but I do know LoneWolf makes a great product. I do know the LoneWolf is lighter, and it is also more expensive than what I paid for my Summits. I would see if you could try sitting in both and climbing in both before making a purchase and decide for yourself between the Summit and LoneWolf.

The other brands are still trying to catch up in my opinion. Seems like they all have at least a couple of these qualities: They use pin systems (things get lost easily); hard to set up in the dark; don't pack together well; heavy; hard to climb with; noisy; and are generally not as comfortable.

[Shwangman]

Guys,

Thanks for all the impute, I will pass on and I'm sure it will have out in his making a purchase.

[harvey lee]

I have used so many differnet kinds of climbers I cannot remember them all. The Lone Wolf sit and climb as far as I'm concerned is the best out there hands down.

They are not cheap but they are also not built cheap either.

[rcook72]

Wow.. I got a gorilla as a gift and thought it worked slick. Easy to use, I have never used any other though. I am going to have to go to my brother in-laws, he has lots of stands. That way I can try out other ones in case I decide to buy another.

[TODDY]

I have a Summit Viper. Love it! However I have heard good things about Lone Wolf. One feature I believe Lone Wolf has is that the Summit doesn't is ease of adjusting the foot platform level when you're up in the tree. Some trees get "real small" the higher you go and it can be a real pain.

TODDY

[DRH1175]

Lone wolf or summit are the only way to go period! All others may be cheaper. But there is a reason for that. I have a summit goliath and love it.

[Bear55]

Lone wolf or summit are the only way to go period!

This about sums it up for me. If money is not an issue buy a Lone Wolf, if you want to save a little cash get a Summit. Both are high quality and worth every penny. Whatever you do don't buy a cheap climber made by another company, there is a world of difference.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I have a Summit Viper and really like it, but it is the only climber I have used. I got the Cabela's Realtree Outfitter version of the Viper, the price is right, and it comes with some nice accessories.

[trolloni]

gorillas are chinese ,summit and lone wolf are U.S.A.!!

[CrowRiverRat83]

I just bought a Summit climber last week. Its a nice stand but I realized its really hard to shoot a bow to the sides. The arms on the seat frame get in the bow's way when taking shots to the side. Anyone else experience this? Any tips? Oh, its an open front style too, no shooting rail or seat back.

[Bear55]

Rangerguy83 tighten your seat up straps up, should take care of the problem.

[PostFrontal]

He's probably got one by now, but...

I've had the Lone Wolf Sit and Climb for 3 years. Light and easy to use. The platform is great. We sit in the stand all day during gun season and after about 3 hours starts to get uncomfortable and that is with the new seat I put on it. If you have bulky clothes there isn't alot of room.

If you are going Lone Wolf go with the Wide Sit and Climb for extra room for bulky clothes.

Summit with the Surround seat is the way to go. I have used my buddies Summit and he has used my Lone Wolf and we both agree his is more comfortable and has more room. Is a little heavier but worth it if you are going to be sitting in the stand for extended periods. Read the reviews on the big C outdoors stores web-site.

[InTheNorthwoods]

I just bought a Summit climber last week. Its a nice stand but I realized its really hard to shoot a bow to the sides. The arms on the seat frame get in the bow's way when taking shots to the side. Anyone else experience this? Any tips? Oh, its an open front style too, no shooting rail or seat back.

Try to stand up to shoot. The arms shouldn't be in the way and your form will be better anyways. Its a rare occaision where I will try to shoot sitting down out of any tree stand whether open or surrounded by bars (i.e. only if I will get busted trying to stand to make a shot).

[vister]

its funny you mention that! form means everything while shooting bow. has anyone target practiced while sitting. i've tried it, and for whatever reason i struggle. my fiance had a perfect shot messed up while sitting last year. 8 point with velvet hangin, 15 yards broadside, missed 3 ft low! after talking with her about the shot, she was sitting, drew back and leaned forward. shot, and the bottom limb hit the gun rest on the stand, kicking the back, sending the arrow low! learned the hard way i guess

[moby1]

Sounds like Im the only one with a loggy bayou. Im not sure of the model but is very much like the current mega transformer. Ive only used a couple of other cheaper climbers before so I dont really have a comparison but i love mine and have no complaints so far other than that they havent replied to my email from a week ago inquiring where I can get replacement carrying straps.

[CrowRiverRat83]

Originally Posted By: Rangerguy83

I just bought a Summit climber last week. Its a nice stand but I realized its really hard to shoot a bow to the sides. The arms on the seat frame get in the bow's way when taking shots to the side. Anyone else experience this? Any tips? Oh, its an open front style too, no shooting rail or seat back.

Try to stand up to shoot. The arms shouldn't be in the way and your form will be better anyways. Its a rare occaision where I will try to shoot sitting down out of any tree stand whether open or surrounded by bars (i.e. only if I will get busted trying to stand to make a shot).

I do stand up, Ive never tried shooting sitting down. I guess I could try lowering the seat platform some, but getting it too low will be uncomfortable and hard to get out of.

[InTheNorthwoods]

I do stand up, Ive never tried shooting sitting down. I guess I could try lowering the seat platform some, but getting it too low will be uncomfortable and hard to get out of.

Oh really? I've never had any problems and I'm not overly tall. How tall are you? If you are shorter than average I guess it could be a problem, but I am guessing you could maybe move down the seat platform slightly and avoid the problem for the most part. Is the problem mostly drawing the bow or once the bow is drawn?

I think you should be able to find out ways that work by practicing a little bit while in stand. I know the bars can be a bit of hinderance with the bow, but they make up for it in comfort in my opinion.

[surewood]

Rangerguy, I have the summit viper and the only thing I would change is the front bar to collaspe and the arm supports to come from the bottom and not the top. I had the same problem. I had to bring my foot platform closer to the top. I have a routine to make sure my bottom cam clears when I draw as soon as I'm up in the tree. Once you get up to 15 to 20 feet the downward angle puts the bottom cam real close to the rails. I actually shot at a deer at 15 yards and the cam slammed of the rail banged up the cam and I gut shot the deer. Hard lesson to learn. As far as comfort nothing beats a Summit. I sat in my friends Lone Wolf and after a couple of hours I was ready to get out. The seat seemed small and I'm not wide across the a$$. That was a couple of years ago, if Lone Wolf has a comfy seat now nothing would beat it. A dream to pack in.

[CrowRiverRat83]

Thanks for the tips guys. After some tinkering, I think Im ok now. Just need to keep the seat a little lower. Im only 5'8 so it helps alot. And yes surewood, the comfort of my stand is awesome, and it is extremely light and easy to haul in.