Summit Viper...Mine is very old, very broken in. I had a Lone Wolf climber, not the one pictured, the other one...I found it cumbersome to climb with. But i love my summit viper.

SB ~ You've got a deal...you showed me yours, I'll show you mine.

What I look for at my advanced age is comfort, versatility and reliability. That said, a climber is not my choice. Hasn't been since I was, well, your age.
But I'm sure it's fine for you. After all, you asked only about climbers.

I currently own a 52 lb. wonder that serves all three of my pre-requisitions. It's a ladder stand so I'm a bit off topic.

Hunter's View 15' "Trophy Whitetail" model ladder type.
Here's what I like about it:
*18"x30" platform
*padded shooting rail, flips up for my bow
*12"x18" padded seat for my boney a$$
*2 saddle bags
*2 ratchet straps/push button cinch strap/stabilizers
*300lb weight capacity
*powder coated aluminum
*adj. ladder bar and ladder
*complete ANSI/OSHA full body fall arrest harness system
What's not to like? Scott, you first...or whoever.

And your comment about 4 or 5 hours, wiggling around on a climber (sorry, had to paraphrase here!) in that seat...not for me. I'll let the side by side carry my 52lb wonder close to "my golden tree" cause I'll need that ATV to carcass out anyway.

Since when is 4 or 5 hours long enough for a day's hunt? I've never been so lucky in 40 + years in the stand, hence the comfort factor. But, that's just me.

I hunt mostly public land in Wisconsin and finding a nice straight tree with no branches is a pain. It is never where you want it. I found that using 4 lone wolf climbing sticks and a Gorilla silverback HX hang on stand is just awesome. It is really lightweight, the stand weighs 10.5 lbs and the 4 sticks weigh about 10. Sometimes I only use three. Altogether it only weighs about 20 pounds, straps all together nicely on my back, doesn't slide on frozen trees, and I can climb any tree I want. I sold all of my climbers and am never going back! Oh yeah, it costs about half as much as that lone wolf climber.

I own the Lone Wolf Sit and Climb and the Summit Viper. I will give the Summit the slight edge on comfort but that's it.

The Lone Wolf has far superior packability. It lays flat on your back and travels through the brush with ease. The Summit not only sticks out but the hollow aluminum platform creates a loud "ting" when it brushes up against a twig when in route. I do not like the fact I have to provide my own bungee to hold my LW seat onto the platform while in transit.

My LW also sets up easier. The cable locking system on the Summit once again makes a lot of noise during set up. The Summit is also louder when you separate the seat from the platform. The rubber coated steel cable on my Summit is showing wear after just one year. The hard rubber strap used by LW is far simpler and has nearly an infinite amount of adjustment. The hard rubber strap is sometimes difficult to release when the weather is really cold.

While climbing the LW's solid frame and rubber strap make little noise going up the tree. The rubber strap grips good on both smooth and trees with shaggy bark.

Once in the stand the padded arm rest gives the Summit the advantage. My LW has a nifty little bow holder that does not work very well.

Once locked in the LW is much more stable. You are able to stand on all for corners with confidence. The round cable locking the Summit to the tree is less stable.

If I drop and arrow onto my Summit platform once again the hollow aluminum will be much louder than the LW.

My Summit platform is slippery when covered with snow and ice.

All in all the Lone Wolf is a much better stand.

BTW if there is no suitable tree for the climber next thing out is my pop up blind. The last thing I want to use is a strap on stand. We have had deer within a few feet of that blind without showing any sign of alarm.

I could LIVE in my Tree Lounge !!! Cumbersome, inconvenient to set up, heavy !!! I LOVE it !!!

I like my summit viper. its a little heavy but i dont travel far. the seat is comfy for all day sits. and i like the added security of the bar around front. i have the foot rest pad which reduces noise and cold feet.

I own the slightly older Lone Wolf Alpha as well. I was worried about buyer's remorse, but I definitely got my money's worth. I agree with the positive review above. It is easily the quietest climb, quietest sitting and standing, and the easiest to pack of any stand I've encountered. The tradeoff in my mind isn't necessarily comfort, it holds it's own and better with most hang-ons.
One thing that can't be emphasized enough is the quiet, one piece, design of the frame elements.

I'd say the biggest tradeoff is climbing itself. I can't say that I've ever felt endangered, and didn't typically sit/stand climb even with models which were designed for that, but extended hand bars out from the seat would be a major climbing improvement. As is you can only grip the seat(see picture) or lean your forearms over it. Due to the lack of depth from front of seat to tree that either puts a lot of strain on the wrists or has you leaning forward awkwardly while resting your forearms and gripping. I'd say it takes me 50% longer to get up the tree than with other climbers I've owned or borrowed. It's by no means impossible, but it's not the striaght down triceps push you typically encounter.

Almost impossible to find a tree straight enough for a hang on or climber here. Mostly gnarly burr oaks. Since I usually have one of my kids with me and a video camera/tripod I prefer homemade box blinds overlooking a partially picked cornfeild or clover, close to the bedding areas. We always use a ditch or hillside to get in and out while deer are in the feild clueless, but when on the ground the trick is to have a place for your scent to blow thats not going to get you busted.I also use several differant pop up blinds, but they dont last long if you leave them setup for any more than a couple weeks.

I would like to find a good climber but being 6'7" and hitting 311pounds with gear I can't find one with a weight restriction under three hundred. does anyone have any suggestions?

Rated for 350 but narrow.... Hmmmm.....may not work so well for most 350 pounders?
http://www.deerhuntingiowa.com
http://www.deerhuntingwisconsin.com

jbird, what do suppose the deer do when they come by after you have been sitting in it for hours and smell it? I imagine you have to move it often unless you are gunhunting.

you people are nuts-It's the Baker climber!

Apparently, you guys didn't read the entire thread!

My most favo-rite piece of whitetail hunting gear is my...I don't have a favo-rite piece!
I carry either a PH .270 Win bolt rifle or a Ruger No. 1, also in .270 Win. In heavy brush, I carry a Ruger Ranch in 6.8 Rem SPC.
Too old now, use either pop-ups or box blinds. They work!
Tote a few old standby items in a soft camo backpack like a bottle of water, couple of snacks, face mask, grunt tube, two pairs of gloves (one heavy, one light), bleat can, ceramic knife sharpener, couple pair latex gloves and compact binocs! All this hauled within walking distance of my blind/box on a Honda 350ES carried to my hunting area in a 2001 Dodge 2001 Dually w/ Cummins diesel!
I'm out hunting! What else matters!?

Bubba

My original title for this was something like: "Our Favorite Stuff: Climbing Treestands." The title got changed in the edit process but the plan is for this to be a recurring feature in which we talk about our favorite stuff one gear category at a time. This week it's climbing treestands. I promise you, we'll get to other stands and other equipment soon. Personally, I hunt out of a hang-on stand 75-80 percent of the time, but climbers do come in handy for certain situations. Couple of quick points:

--A lot of you like the Summit Viper. Me, too. It's a great stand, but I still like the LW better for the same reasons buckhunter enumerated.

--Someone said they didn't like LW's older-model Alpha climber. Me either. That one was awkward to climb with. These newer ones are much better.

--I agree that if you're going to leave your climber hooked to the same tree all season, you can definitely get away with a heavier model built more for comfort than portability.

--You're right, Wamsley. I forgot about the Baker. You'll have to forgive me. I was in grade school back then.

I'm in the market for a climbing stand, so this post and the comments are great, very helpful.

Don't care for climbers at all. An old Baker once gave me a quick thrill ride down a pine trunk. Once my heart started back up and I cleaned my pants, I swore off climbers after that.

I currently have an old buckshot climber and a homemade climber an uncle made years ago. I have been looking around and the Gorilla Greyback peaked my interest. I understand they are previously 'ol Man and have changed the name. Any input?

Im a youngin(only 20) but Ive been hunting since i was in diapers, and Ive used everything from a propane heated shooting house to a 2X4 stand my buddy very loosely nailed into an old oak. With that said, hunting in Alabama has its own obstacles especially when its on public land but more importantly I usually have to walk a fairly good distance to get away from the other guy gunning for that bruiser and while i admit its not the lightest stand out there(26lbs) my Summit Viper has served me well since i bought it 3 seasons ago. before that i used a Gorilla brand from Walmart. That was a huge mistake, it squeaked, it was uncomfortable, and while lighter than the summit it was a pain to set it up. My father uses a Summit Goliath and he swears by it. I have used it on a few occasions and since I'm nowhere near his weight class i found the extra space roomy and very comfortable. My first tree stand was a youth model tomcat and i still have it and use it when i cant find a bigger tree. It is designed for smaller people under 200lbs and fits smaller trees perfectly. If you have a kid that is starting to get serious about hunting id get em one of those because its lightweight, safe, and pretty comfortable. To Answer your question, i agree that the lone wolf is light and all that jazz but i just cant justify spending that much on something that's as uncomfortable as it is. I spend a bunch of time in my stand and comfort is at the top of my list. Kudos to "lovetohunt" for the vegetarian remark.

I have been useing the Lone Wolf Sit & Climb for a few years now and it goes with me every where I go,they are a little pricey but I feel they are well worth it ( excellent construction, light weight, quite, and easy to attach)I also hunt from dark till dark on most days and have not felt uncomfortable.What I like most on useing a climber if the wind direction should change it doesn't take a lot of effort to relocate thus less scent.

I have an older API Grand Slam Bowhunter climbing stand. It is rather bulky and clunky to pack up and carry to the woods, but it climbs pretty nice and you can use bigger trees to climb on. It came with 3 small straps to hold the two pieces together and when you are walking sometimes there is metal on metal contact making clanging noises.

A couple other draw backs: the coating around the roller chains to both the top and bottom sections that wrap around the tree are breaking apart and is $50 to replace. With the coating coming off you sometimes cannot get the roller chain to go through the hole as it gets bound up. The foot straps sometimes lay down when you are trying to slide your bulky boots in them and sometimes you have to try and reach down to pull them over your boots, not fun while you are 20 ft up and it is near dark! It did not come with climbing brackets, which I hear help, but have to be removed each time you pack the climber up.

I do know some people that have the LW climber and seem to like it as I was going to look at possibly getting one to replace the API.