Anyone use one of the ORIGINAL Lonewolf assault?

[DanielB89]

Does anyone know some where to possibly find an original LW assault?  I have been searching for one and can't find one.


I have read some great things about then, any input from you guys?

[tecum-tha]

What changed on those stands? I have an original Alpha Hang On and I don't see any difference between the new Alpha Hang On II and my old one (despite the cushion foam of the seat).
I checked the Alpha Assault II and there is no difference than I can see between the "old" and the new. At least none that matters (like brown or black anodized frame post).
Different between these is platform size and I think they renamed them because they added the Assault climber a while back. So the Assault will have the smaller platform, the alpha has the larger platform no matter if climber or hang on.
Unless you carry your stands really deep like for miles, I would rather have the larger platform. More sideways stability against trees in comparison to the narrower back. If you hunt public land, it will be an take in and take out every time scenario. Too many thieves nowadays all over the place.

[Orion]

I no longer have an "old" Assault.  Don't think the friend I traded it to (for an Alpha) would want to part with it.

Regardless, I agree with tecum- No significant differences between the new and the old. In fact, if you go older, but not real old, you may end up with one made in China, which apparently were not as well made.

[the rifleman]

I use one about everyday from Oct-Feb.  Not a real comfortable stand, but very compact, light and nothing to get in the way of a traditional bow.  I've outfitted mine with a wicked tough tree saw, lone wolf climbing strap, and very small pack. It is a great little stand and is much more compact than anything else I've seen or tried.

[bigjohnmissalot]

pm sent       https://neworleans.craigslist.org/search/sga?query=lone+wolf

[KSdan]

There are a few modifications I made on this ORIGINAL LW.  But notice the platform.  This is the ORIGINAL.  

LW then came out with the Alpha, then followed by the Assault- which was really a re-working of this ORIGINAL.  My son still has his ORIGINAL.

 

[DarkTimber]

The difference between the older Assault and the current one is the older ones are about 3 lbs lighter and the platform is a bit longer (seat is also smaller).  I found one brand new still in the box on the auction site but it took me several months of looking and cost me more than a new model. There seems to be a pretty big demand for them. Mine is a bit newer than the one Dan  posted and has the platform leveling feature.

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by DarkTimber:
The difference between the older Assault and the current one is the older ones are about 3 lbs lighter and the platform is a bit longer (seat is also smaller).  I found one brand new still in the box on the auction site but it took me several months of looking and cost me more than a new model. There seems to be a pretty big demand for them. Mine is a bit newer than the one Dan  posted and has the platform leveling feature.

So there is hope for me!  lol.  I am wanting to find me a super light "run and gun" stand.

[Jasper2]

If I recall correctly Daniel, there were some stands out there that were lighter than the LW Assault but they were also very small, like the Chippewa Ghost.

Didn't you just buy a saddle setup?  If so, you don't need no stinking stand! You already have the lightest run and gun setup made...  :D

[Overspined]

I have an assault, must be a “new” one at like 10 years old? Anyway it’s awesome and I use it more than anything and I almost never sit the same tree. I can literally hang it and take it down in the dark with my eyes closed. Sticks nest in and I made some saddle bags and added a molle belt to carry my stuff. It’s my “go to” and very light and versatile.

[stagetek]

I have two that I bought from Andre when LW was still in Milwaukee, about '04 or '05. Not sure if that makes them originals or not. I use them every year. They hang from mid-Aug. to mid-Dec.

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by Jasper2:
If I recall correctly Daniel, there were some stands out there that were lighter than the LW Assault but they were also very small, like the Chippewa Ghost.

Didn't you just buy a saddle setup?  If so, you don't need no stinking stand! You already have the lightest run and gun setup made...   :D  

I did just get me a saddle, but, there is a major challenge with the saddle being so close to the tree with a tradbow in hand.  I am looking to moving to a platform.  The saddle made me try to drop weight in every area of the hunt.  I ended up cutting down my 32" stick to 24" which maximized efficiency and made about a #5 weight cut off my total weight of the sticks, which brought the weight to around #8.5.  With those 4 sticks and an aider, I can easily get to 22'.  That's with no stretched steps.  

If I can find me a light stand(sub #10), I don't know that i'll touch the saddle anymore.  The saddle is it's own animal.  I like it, but there are certain aspects I don't like.

[Jasper2]

Daniel, I agree the saddle is it's own animal and there is definitely a learning curve.  I learn something every time that I saddle up and have overcome several issues myself but interestingly, I haven't noticed the main problem that you mention.  So your problem is being able to actually make the shot from the saddle?

[tecum-tha]

A lot has to do to what weight a stand is rated to, too. All new lone wolfs are rated to 350#. If there wouldn't be a reason they would use less material as the weight of aluminum will play directly into the manufacturing cost.  I bet that old stand from KSdan was only rated to #250. I can well see why they discontinued the original design. Distorsion of the platform is a bigger problem with this straight design. All alphas have a beefed up cross section around the connections of the longitudinal and cross bars. They also added the integrated leveling system in comparison to the one shown on KSdan stand.
3# pounds is a good bit of more material and one can only understand what they changed by measuring all dimensions exactly.
This one is #10, but probably hollow tube design:
  https://x-stand.com/product/x-pedition/

[KSdan]

Great insights tecum. . . Makes sense.  

Daniel and I were visiting on the phone about all of this.  I have sense retired my original LW.  I have found a few different stands including the Muddy Vantage Point, and another I modified myself from an older Loggy Bayou Predator (pre-curser to Muddy I believe).  These are 13# but they provide up to a full 4-6" more of platform length which allows me to shoot my trad behind the tree.  And as I told Daniel- I actually modify my stands to include an actual full backpack hip belt and shoulder straps.  The hip belt is actually mounted with aluminum stays directly onto the stand.  This means I truly do not even recognize the extra 3# PLUS I use the stand as a backpack frame to haul out deer quarters.  It really works well.  I had a load last winter of 130#.  It worked great for this 57 yr old!  

Dan in KS

[tecum-tha]

Thanks Dan,
I still like the old "cheap" Gorilla safety harness that came with their stands the best. Reason is, that it has less slick webbing and the leg loop is wrapped around and buckled on the front of your upper thigh. So, when you have a thicker jacket on you can actually reach it and it is fully adjustable and the webbing does not slide. I hate the newer style harnesses made with polyester seat belt webbing and the leg loop connection so high up one can barely reach it.
The drawback with the old design was that these plastic buckles were obviously not really rated and the whole harness was rated to 225#. That would not be allowed today. My original Seat o' the pants harness was of a similar design and it is still way better than the new Seat o'the Pants Harness I bought last year.
I am really thinking that most of these designers never actually hunt in the equipment they design and if they do, they only hunt early season with thin clothes on.
Another thing is what most consumers overlook: There are required safety factors in design and these are required mostly because of material deviation/ material degredation and because of insurance reasons.

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by Jasper2:
Daniel, I agree the saddle is it's own animal and there is definitely a learning curve.  I learn something every time that I saddle up and have overcome several issues myself but interestingly, I haven't noticed the main problem that you mention.  So your problem is being able to actually make the shot from the saddle?

Not necessarily.  I think it's just the whole concept.  I am definitely not done with the saddle scene as I plan to get the kinks worked out this summer, but, I do believe a lock on that's ultra light (sub #10) is not too heavy to carry.  I mean, we can all carry #20 in.  My previous stands have all been over #30 with stick and stand.  

With the new stand, I will be sub #20 with stick and stand.  That wont be any problem at all.  

Another kink I have to work around is being able to shoot anything from 2 to 6 oclock.  You always envision just walking around the tree(on the ameristeps) and shooting whatever, where ever.  With me, that isn't the case.  I don't know why, but I can't seem to get very far around the tree.  I have been going over the bridge to shoot and maneuvering a 56-64" bow over a bridge is more movement than just turning in a lock on.  

It's fun to work out the details, so i'm not giving up on them.  

The ultra pro is the weight.  I walked in for my last hunt of the year over a mile and everything I needed was in a back.. no stand, nothing.  it was the best.

[tecum-tha]

@KSdan, could you post the dimensions of the stand rails?  I really think the weight difference is almost entirely in the platform.
Another thing is the grade of aluminum used.
Higher grade of aluminum has a higher yield strength. See different aluminum allyos used in arrows X75, X78, X7 is different in yield strength. Did the early stands use a higher grade aluminum? Problem is, that this cannot be seen from the outside.

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by tecum-tha:
@KSdan, could you post the dimensions of the stand rails?  I really think the weight difference is almost entirely in the platform.
Another thing is the grade of aluminum used.
Higher grade of aluminum has a higher yield strength. See different aluminum allyos used in arrows X75, X78, X7 is different in yield strength. Did the early stands use a higher grade aluminum? Problem is, that this cannot be seen from the outside.

I have since found me an original lonewolf, is there anything in particular you'd like to see or know about the stand?  I can't speak for the integrity of the aluminum.  I know that some people are using the seat of this stand(assault) for a platform while using their saddles.  It's not hard to see that the platform of this stand is a lot beefier than the seat of this stand.