Which climbers or hang ons are safest ?

[luberhill]

There is a woods I may hunt where I don’t want to use a ladder stand or ground blind 

which hang on or climbers are best

i weigh 170

[chrisw]

They should all handle your weight with ease. My vote is for a summit Viper (Aluminum) not the steel version as it's heavy. I have 2 vipers and love them. Just set them up a bit better than stock and they're perfect. They need better backpack straps and a bow holder. I also spray mine with some vehicle undercoating to help reduce noise and then I give them a bit of a camo job.

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[loworange88]

Another vote for the Summit viper.  I have a steel one and an aluminum one.  My steel one is destined to be left on a new property I can hunt now, and my aluminum one is my mobile one!  I am 5’-8”, and 185 pounds.  Both hold me just fine.  Wear a harness and have a good tree belt like a Q-Safe!

 

as mentioned they can use some upgrades.  The backpack straps suck, if you plan on being mobile with it frequently, invest in a set of Molle II shoulder straps.  Waist belt is a bonus.  Third Hand Archery products have some support straps and a bow holder that are IMO essential for a comfortable set up with a summit viper.

Edited December 4, 2020 by loworange88

[G-Man]

A good aluminum hangon and sectional mini ladder sections would be way i would go

[cdbing]

For climbers, I like API and Summit in that order. Lone Wolf has good reviews, but I have no first hand experience with them. I don't like x-stand.

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[luberhill]

2 hours ago, G-Man said:

A good aluminum hangon and sectional mini ladder sections would be way i would go

Brand ?

[BowmanMike]

whatever you end up using,the safest way to use either is to be hooked to the tree from your first step up. That would be a Linemans belt for sticks and a safety harness for the climber. 

[wjay1552]

I also have a summit viper, most comfortable stand I have ever used. This year  I was looking to be a little more versatile on what trees a could set up in(branches, crooked, etc..) so I did a lot of research on Hang ons and steps. During my research I stumbled across Novix a new brand and from what I understand a sister company and clone to lone wolf and got a great deal on their introductory offer of products and have not been disappointed. After I got the hang of setting it up I believe it’s a lot quieter than my viper and easier to transport. I still love my viper but from here on out I will only use it for all day sits or gun hunts(I like using the front rail as a rest) 

[luberhill]

So are climbers better than hang ons ? Pros and cons of each ?

And are the main benefits being mobil

[cdbing]

I use both. Advantage of hang on is you can climb crooked trees and tree with limbs. In early season, I like to use the hang on and maximize cover from branches, etc.typically only set up 12 feet or so high. Once leaves are off the trees, I switch to the climber and climb higher typically 16-20'.

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[Kmartinson]

I'm using summit viper seems awesome. Hang on and sticks are great too but its more about how you set it up as far as safety

[rob-c]

54 minutes ago, luberhill said:

So are climbers better than hang ons ? Pros and cons of each ?

And are the main benefits being mobil

 Climber pros  , your hooked to the tree right from the ground, with the harness and stand. So it’s pretty dang safe, as you climb. You can climb anywhere’s from 10 feet to 30 If you want , Just make sure you attach the top and bottom sections together with a tether strap so if the bottom does slip it won’t fall to the ground. Myself I’ve never had this happen as I take my time and always make sure the teeth of the climber are biting the tree and the sections are at the proper angle to bite the tree. Cons with a climber , needs to be a straight tree, trees with very large bases are hard because you have to set the climber higher up the trunk to maintain that proper angle as you climb and the tree tapers down . So some times  you have to be s bit of a monkey to climb up on the platform and limbs that require more than pruning sheers to cut can be a pain. 

Hang on’s pros , you can hang them in any tree you want , so more options to move and super versatile . 
cons , you’re limited to the height you can go by the amount of step / sticks you carry in. A line mans harness is just about mandatory for hanging off the side of the tree as you strap the sticks to the tree and then you have to attach the stand at height. Then the most dangerous part is the transfer from sticks to stand, yes you should be harnessed to the tree but I’m  pretty sure I’ve read  that the transfer is the highest cause of accidents . 
But having said that I had a buddy that could almost get his sticks and hang on set up in a tree as fast as I could in my climber so practice makes perfect . 

[Swamp_bucks]

I second the hang on and sticks.  Yes you cant go as high depending on sticks but can be up 12 feet in any tree in minutes.  I keep the stand on my back walk up the tree putting sticks on as I go.  Leave the sticks hooked to me so they are easy to get to.  Then just pull the stand off my back set it up get into the stand and pull up my gear that's attached to a rope that's tied to my harness.  My hang on is just a cheap stick and stand I altered and lightened up.  I would love to have the newer lone wolf assault.  I may be wrong on title but the sticks connect directly to the stand and have a very low profile.  They are very expensive.  Just takes some practice.

Climbers are good I've used them alot and my vote for a climber would be the summit.  

Edited December 5, 2020 by Swamp_bucks

[SpacemanSpiff]

Lone wolf

[G-Man]

3 hours ago, luberhill said:

So are climbers better than hang ons ? Pros and cons of each ?

And are the main benefits being mobil

Climbers are very limiting in that you need a straight tree preferable limbless, and the tree may be to far from your expected shot especilaly bow...

where sectionl ladder let you climb around limbs and go in crooked trees . Climbers are up and down ,sections are easy up and down to leave and come back and are silent if left in place fore multiple hunts , can pull bottom sections  for theft prevention

As for brands, lone wolf , gorrilla aluminum,  api, loggy bayou.  Any manufacture that offers an aluminum and is a mamber of treestand manufacturer accossiation . 

[F&HNY]

iv'e been using a summit open shot SD climber which works good and not too heavy,/about $275...but i just purchased a used  LW hand climber 2 that i haven't used yet and will take it out for a trial run soon.

[mattypotpie8S]

First year with my lone wolf hand climber and love it. Packs flat and sits just like a hang on.

[Trial153]

I have a viper and lone wolf sit and climb.

Viper is easier to climb with and more comfortable seated. The lone wolf packs way better and is more quite. Both set up easy. If i had to keep one it would be the lone wolf .

[buffalojay83]

Love my line wolf hang ons. The hunt ready system is awesome. Get some stealth strips and everything stays pretty quiet too.

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[46rkl]

I can’t use climbers anymore ( too many shoulder surgeries) but I had a trick to get past limbs when setting up. I’m sure it’s not anything that I originated but I was the first one in my one person hunting circle to do this. Climb up and get the base as close to the limb you want to get past, unhook the seat and move it up past the limb. Of course, make sure you use a safety vest while doing this. I’ve also undone the base and moved it past a limb but that is pretty tricky and not recommended. I find that getting up so your seat is above a limb works well for breaking up your silhouette and makes me feel more comfortable having a limb by my side.

Nowadays it’s ladder stands and hang-one with sticks that don’t move all season. When the weather is nasty, it’s up into the heated, elevated box blind. 
I can also say that carrying a hang-on with sticks can be made more versatile by carrying a handful of screw in steps. You reach a point where the tree bends and you put on a few screw in steps and then continue on with the sticks. Works well.