Two Person Ladder Stand

[Dave]

This year my 12 year old will be joining me deer hunting. Anyone have any experience with, or recommendations for, two person ladder stands? Thanks.

[Jackpine Rob]

Hey Dave! We've got 5 of the "Buddy" stands where we deer hunt (private land), and they work fairly well.

I've seen them in WalMart for a little over 100 bucks. Ours are up year-round, and some have been out for 4 years now. During the preseason we go around and check them out, trim brush, make sure the straps are OK, etc. Kind of heavy buggers, but they sure are comfortable to hunt out of. There's enough room for a kid and an adult, and the rail around the thing makes a handy shooting rest. We put foam pipe insulation on the rails to prevent metal-on-metal sounds.

[subzero]

I have one and the word portable may not decribe it very well. It is with out a doubt comfortable but it does take a couple of people to move it into position and set it up.

[Jackpine Rob]

Good point Sub! Another thing to strongly consider is to assemble the beast in your garage, rather than out in the field where the nuts and bolts have a nasty habit of burrowing into the grass when dropped. Much easier to find them on a concrete floor!

Of course Dave may have a hard time fitting the assembled stand in his sub-compact spec car with the Kyoto single-cylinder power plant.

[Dave]

JP, you're funny, dude! The other day I happen to be looking at the Buddy Stand at Walmart, $98! The price is okay but was wondering about the quality and you answered that question.

I've got a couple 16-foot single person ladder stands that take two people to put up as well. If I don't have help pulling up the two-person, I'll rig up my ATV winch to pull'er up! Thanks for the responses, guys.

[bigbucks]

I was just talking about that with a couple of my hunting buddies. I have a 12' single person ladder stand I can put up easily by myself. I also have a 15' single & don't know if I could do it. The extra height & weight just makes them too much to try to balance. I think if I had time & room, maybe with a rope over a limb I could do it, but it would be very difficult. I would imagine the added weight of the two person would definitely take two people.

[Dave]

I can't put up my single steel 16' ladder stand without help. It's too much to balance and tilt up. Unless there's an easier method to putting it up half unassembled or something. I haven't tried that since I've always had someone along to help.

[kevfish]

I have the 2 man wallmart special- It works very well for me and the kid- u will need 2 people to put it up. extra straps also come in hande to really secure it well- I take the padded seat out with me every time to keep the critters from chewing on it. The wind also blew it off one time last year (Valcro secures it to the seat)

[Dave]

Thanks for the experienced opinion.

[hunt4food]

Hi Dave, Take a look at the Menards ad in your Sunday paper. They are advertising a two person stand for something under 90 bucks. I think it was 84.00 and change. I took a look at it and it seems as good as the others in that price range. I read the weight on the carton and she's 75 pounds. Good thing you have that Polaris to get it to your spot! I have set several single person models up to 20' tall by myself. You need to put the base of the legs against the tree and then "walk" it up one rung at a time. Once it is completely vertical, you can carefully balance and lift it to turn it or move the legs out away from the tree. I have 3 of the single person models and I have really grown to like them. I trembled all the way out to the parking lot thinking about how I probably should have just broke down and added a two person model to my collection. Now I won't have to worry about it since as soon as everyone reads this, they will all be gone.

[Dave]

Thanks, H4F. I looked at the ad and I'll go check one out.

[Satchmo]

Make sure to check the MAX. weight capacity. Some of the cheaper models out there are only rated for 300 lbs. I'm pushing around 250 myself, which means I can't take my 70 pound 10 year-old up in one with me. Be careful guys. Greg

[luckey]

Dave,

I helped a fried put up his double a couple times. We always find two trees (basswood clump or split oak) to set the stand against. One behind in the middle and one up against one side or the other. Use a strap on the back and the side. This is the only way the stand was stable when one (ok maybe one large) guy stood at the end of the stand.

[Dave]

Great advise. Thanks guys.

[Dave]

Picked up one from Menards today. They said they've been going out of the store left and right. The Menards one also has straps for the backrest where the other ones I've seen do not. Thanks for the help!

[USPENAMC]

Dick's sporting goods has some buddy stands for 100 bucks comes with 2 body harnesses too as far as quality i dont know but nothing can beat 100 bucks for a buddy stand and they have the single stand for 60 bucks with a body harness just thought some of you would like to know im buyint a single and a buddy one since my brother (12) will be hunting for the first time although he has been out with us 3 years in a row.

[Dave]

The two-person stand at Menards also came with the body harnesses.

[Guest]

I helped a friend put up a Rivers Edge double stand this past weekend and it was very very stable when set up.Only problem is it is heavy to get up to the tree,but sits very nice.