Treestand Questions and Answers

Q: Which treestand is right for me, a climber or a hang-on treestand?

A: Many hunters immediately go straight for a climbing treestand like the Gorilla Greyback first without fully considering whether or not a fixed position treestand like the Ameristep Bruiser might serve their needs better than a climber.  Several things to consider before you make your choice:  Are your stand sites secure?  Many hunters on private ground choose to hunt from hang-on style treestands like the Ameristep Outfitter or the Summit Deer Deck because of their concealability and ease of use.  Climbing Sticks and tree steps make getting into a hang-on treestand much easier than using a climbing treestand.  Conversly if you hunt from public lands where you can't securely leave your hang-on treestand in the woods, you may prefer the instant portability of a climber like the Summit Viper or a Timbertall Babylite.  Hunting from multiple treestand locations allows flexibility to avoid pressure or wait out wind direction, so many hunters will choose to hang several fixed position stands and keep a climber handy to quickly get into those less permanent sites.

Remember:  ALWAYS WEAR A SAFETY HARNESS! _________________________________________

Q: What to look for when purchasing a Climbing Treestand?

A: There are lots of things to consider when purchasing a climber!  What kind of hunting will you be doing, where will you be doing it, how much weight you want to carry, how comfortable with a climbing treestand you are and so on. 

For those new to climbing treestands its important to distinguish first the advantages of the sit down/stand up style of climber!  This style of climber has a bar that typically runs across the front of the upper half "climber" portion of the stand a good example of this is the Summit Viper SS or the Timbertall BabyLight both share the closed front design which allows you to sit on the bar facing the tree and lift the bottom half of the climber up or down the tree.  The other common style of climber is that with an open front such as the API Grand Slam Bow hunter where you need to lean forward and support your weight for climbing on your forearms which is much less safe and more tiring (However for bow hunting this presents less obstructions for your bottom axle of your bow).  The last style is what I'll call a hybrid of the two where there is a bar that you can fold back under while hunting and still sit down on while climbing, several examples are the Ameristep Hitman and the Lone Wolf Alpha Sit/Stand Climber.  It is the individuals decision which style you go with, many gun/muzzleloader hunters prefer the solid closed front, while most bow hunters prefer the open front/ hybrid style stand for the freedom it gives them.

Another significant factor in choosing the right stand for you is how much the stand weighs.  If you are going to pack a long distance, say over a mile you will probably want an ultra light stand like the Timbertall BabyLight (12.5 lbs) or the Lone Wolf Alpha Hand Climber (14.5 lbs).  While if you don't mind the weight you may be more concerned about the comfort of your stand and look for something like the Summit 180 SS which allows you to sit facing the tree!

For those of us who are a little larger (typically over 300lbs), many manufacturers produce PLUS size stands.  Several fine examples are the Summit Goliath, Timbertall Super Brute and the API GrandSlam Magnum Extreme Bowhunter.

Remember:  ALWAYS WEAR A SAFETY HARNESS!

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Q: How does a Climbing Treestand work?

A: The basic principle of a climbing treestand is that its a two-piece stand which alternately steps up the tree in small increments.  We will call the top half or seat part of the climbing treestand the "climber" and the bottom half the platform.  While standing on the platform one grasps the climber (top half) and lifts it as high as comfortably possible and attaches it to the tree, then supporting your weight on the climber portion you lift the platform with your feet as high as possible and re-attach to the tree.  Climbing with a treestand is simply a repetition of this motion and descending is just the reversal.

Remember:  ALWAYS WEAR A SAFETY HARNESS!