Portable tree stands (there still aren't any truly great ones)

[Core]

On 12/4/2016 at 8:28 AM, sfoulkrod said:

To Core,

First of all, I've been in the same situation and I've thought about this issue quite a bit too.  

Based on your requirements ---> semi-permanent stands like ladder stands that are already set up when you head out certainly  meet the requirements you have, 1. light, 2. quick, 3. quiet and 4. comfortable.  Reading between the lines, it seems like you want to move around a bit which is where the trade off comes in.  Some people use more than one ladder stand (or move it around periodically throughout the season).  I've also seen guys with hang on stands leave the hang on locked up in the tree (if they plan on returning soon) and just remove the sticks as they climb down.  It's relatively quieter, quicker and lighter for your departure and return.  

If you are 100% carry in, carry out then ladder stands as they currently exist won't perfectly meet your needs. I mean, I've never seen a guy routinely pack his ladder stand in and out each day...  So that leaves you with hang on/climbing sticks or a climber.  I really like your idea about an ultralight, portable ladder stand - build a prototype and get rich!!!  

Lone Wolf has been know as the quietest, but there are some new brands out that are comparable now.  Stlil to your point, the Lone Wolf isn't that quiet until we address the issues.  Here's a link to get you started, but there are lots of little things you can do to quiet your gear.  

I used a Summit climber for years.  It wasn't super quiet, nor was it particularly fun to pack in/out, and I was limited to limbless trees to climb but the freedom that came with it made it well worth it.  Killed lots of deer from it and it would do you just fine.  I currently use a Lone Wolf Alpha hang on with sticks. I purchased Molle Shoulder straps and kidney belt (waist belt) and I sometimes forget it's even on my back.  Things got much better for me when I reminded myself that the goal isn't to be up in the tree ASAP, but rather to be up as slowly and quietly as possible.  It might take me 20+ minutes from when I take my stand off my back to when I'm 100% ready - sometimes longer.  I bet I could ascend a tree in pitch black in 6 but why would I do that unless I was trying to impress a sexy lady hunter?    

 

 

Yeah the summit climber is certainly loud to hang. It's inevitable I clank it at some point. I admit to using it as a backpack frame as well, though; I can put it on my back (I did add molle straps and kidney belt), then my pack on the back of it.
 

As for prototyping a packable ladder stand, it looks like that other company in my first link did it and brought it to market but it wasn't fantastic so it looks unavailable. Maybe one day somebody comes up with a 15 lb carbon fiber stand that basically rolls up!

Edited December 7, 2016 by Core

[sfoulkrod]

Just a matter of time.

[Buckmaster7600]

I'm still thinking climbing sticks are the way of the future. They just need to figure out how to make them so they don't bang together and make them smaller for transport.
Until then I'm sticking to my 6lb hang on and 5 steps. Nothing lighter or faster.


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[ncountry]

8 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

I'm still thinking climbing sticks are the way of the future. They just need to figure out how to make them so they don't bang together and make them smaller for transport.
Until then I'm sticking to my 6lb hang on and 5 steps. Nothing lighter or faster.


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I bought a millenium hang on and some lone wolf sticks 2 years ago... I thought it would be an awesome set-up . ..

I just cannot get into using it though.. 

If the tree has limbs it is fairly quick to set . .. if the tree doesn't have any limbs it's even quicker, using a linesman  belt.

But in both circumstances , who needs  the steps? If there is no limbs climber is quicker.. and if there are limbs it's either really easy to just climb the tree and set the stand.If not its a pain in the keaster to keep on moving the linesman belt around the limbs...lol

I keep on hearing about other people loving their portable and sticks, but can't .  Now I do enjoy it if I am going to set it and leave for multiple hunts.Nothing like just walking to your spot and climbing up and into stand.. just not for run and gun . 

 

[chas0218]

On 11/30/2016 at 11:45 AM, Core said:

I've read up on tons upon tons of tree stands and I still have yet to see a single portable tree stand that is really awesome. Really awesome for me would mean:

1) Low weight
2) Quick setup
Bonus awesome:
1) Large and relatively comfortable
2) Not loud

Many using portable stands either use a climber, which can be made very light, but still take a good 10 minutes for most to get fully setup from disentangling everything from your back, putting it on the tree, climbing, securing, etc. or they use a hang on with sticks, which is also a massive hassle and takes quite a while. In both cases these are probably loud and take a solid 10 minutes, maybe longer. I've seen a guy race up a tree in five minutes on youtube with a hangon and sticks because he forgot all his safety gear.

It seems to me the best stand for most scenarios would be a light and compact ladder stand. It could be taken off the back, unfolded and quickly snapped into place, then put against a tree. 

Something like this (although this one is very heavy at 30+ lbs and it doesn't look like the locking mechanisms are as quick or hassle free as I'd like).

I know there used to be some carbon fiber climbers that people liked, but I have to think a carbon ladder stand could be made light and portable with a well designed locking system so that it can be taken up and down quickly. Forget price, assume it doesn't matter.

That platform looks microscopic! 

[ApexerER]

Ladder stands are cheap, especially after the season. You could probably purchase 5 of them for the price of a good climber. Get a few, set them up and be done with it. I believe if you are on public land you just need to tag them with you name address etc. and take them down at the end of the season. The deer don't care at all about the ladder.

[gjs4]

Please dump on somebody else's thread (your own, preferably); if you have nothing meaningful to contribute, don't.

I a, very sorry I hurt your feelings. Ok; I not

My original post had the value and I have done more research and field time with a portable stand and sticks than most anyone on this forum for sure. You disband lone wolf gear and pursue some rabbit hole silliness it only makes sense you take a jab or two. If you were serious about this you'd be figuring it out and not posting on HNY how to hunt like a pro.


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[Core]

10 hours ago, gjs4 said:

My original post had the value and I have done more research and field time with a portable stand and sticks than most anyone on this forum for sure. 

Thank you! Officially the silliest thing I've seen written about tree stands. You continue to offer no value except your own butthurt, which is profound considering the very innocuous topic. If this thread were about abortion or theology I'd understand why you're getting so personally offended, but tree stands? Chill out, son. Blocking you for being a goof.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Ive used a few different portable stands, Ill give a rundown.

I started with a low end, pretty light ladder stand for a couple of years. While I got pretty good at setting it up and breaking it down, it was loud. I tried putting camo tape on areas that usually clanked together, but it was always too loud for my liking. It was also extremely uncomfortable and has the smallest foot platform of any stand I own (I own a lot of them). It was also not all that flexible, so I decided to go another route.

Next up was a low end steel climber. This by far, was the worst portable stand I ever had. Sure, I could get up and down the tree a little faster than with the ladder stand, but it was heavy, loud, and not much more comfortable than the ladder. The only up side was the foot platform being far larger.

The next one was a Summit Viper SS. For a climber, it was the cats meow in my opinion. I went through and taped all of the contact points and filled the main tubes with foam insulation. That stand was dead silent, and I could get up and down the tree pretty damn quick. The seat was stupid comfy, and the foot platform was plenty big. Its downfall was the same as any climber, You need a pretty straight tree, no low branches (which offer cover), so this ruled out many of the spots I wanted to hunt. I dont know about you guys, but where I hunt, telephone pole like trees dont typically grow there.

I sold both of the climbers and used the money to fund 4 or 5 sets of hang ons and steps. I have been getting pretty good and fast with setting up my hang on stands the last few years, so my next plan for portability will be a Lone Wolf Alpha and sticks. I am also looking into picking up a light weight tripod stand for the brush country type areas I hunt.

[Core]

1 hour ago, WNYBuckHunter said:

I am also looking into picking up a light weight tripod stand for the brush country type areas I hunt.

I could often benefit by just being 8' off the ground, above the gnarly ground cover. Here is one that is expensive, but also light for a tripod (36 lbs). Carrying into the woods with a pack and weapon would be a hassle https://www.amazon.com/Millennium-Treestands-Aluminum-Tripod-Stand/dp/B004XNYPWO but setup would be insanely fast (3 hinges and you're done--there can't be anything faster!) and it could be setup pretty much anywhere.

[chas0218]

For those that hunt state property can you go in a few days before throw up a hang on then just bring sticks with you when you come back? I assume you would lock it but I know a guy that was fined for leaving a stand in a tree or maybe it was for the screw in steps I don't remember. What is it about leaving a stand in the woods a couple days that is so bad in DEC's eyes long as you aren't injuring the tree what difference does it make?

Edited December 9, 2016 by chas0218

[Core]

17 minutes ago, chas0218 said:

For those that hunt state property can you go in a few days before throw up a hang on then just bring sticks with you when you come back? I assume you would lock it but I know a guy that was fined for leaving a stand in a tree or maybe it was for the screw in steps I don't remember. What is it about leaving a stand in the woods a couple days that is so bad in DEC's eyes long as you aren't injuring the tree what difference does it make?

You can. Just don't use any screw in equipment of any kind. I've seen a number of ladder stands left (the several I've seen this year have been there since october--nobody takes them, in part because not many go to my particular area). To be honest, I'd rather not leave a stand of any sort--not because I'm worried about somebody taking my $60-70 stand so much--but because I work hard to find the areas I think are good and I don't want anybody else benefiting without putting in the time, seeing my stand and thinking "huh, you know what that is a great spot". Case in point this season I happened to look up and see scrapes that somebody had made using a climber. That made me take a second look at the tree and realize it's actually a pretty damn good spot  

[Steve D]

1 hour ago, chas0218 said:

What is it about leaving a stand in the woods a couple days that is so bad in DEC's eyes long as you aren't injuring the tree what difference does it make?

Here is a insert from the DEC book regarding using stands on state land. (page 11)

• Tree stands or hunting blinds that do not

injure a tree, are properly marked or tagged

with the owner's name and address or valid

hunting license number may be placed during

the appropriate hunting season, but must

be removed within 30 days of the end of the

season.

Just to give you a heads up: Other people will use that stand when you are not there and sometimes they will screw with them. Just this year I saw where a guy put a new stand in and someone took all the pins out of it. He replaced them with nuts and bolts and left a nasty note at the base of the tree. That could be dangerous if you go in the dark. If I am going to hunt state land from a stand I always take a climber. I also will not sit in another's stand. Always felt like it was similar to messing with his wife.

 

Edited December 9, 2016 by Steve D

[gjs4]

Please don't wear a harness when you use what ever cockamamie approach your arrogance selects.


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[killshot83]

I always liked Buckshot's stands.  I have an Equalizer that meets all your requirements, and I wouldn't use anything else.  I have heard that Summit makes a good stand as well.