Summit Climbers

[sunshine]

i was an ol'man fan for a long time. but the last 8-9 yrs i've only used my summit stands. best stands made and very affordable.

[smoke1953]

Nate, I've used the open shot for years or what ever they might have called it then, and it has been extremely comfortable. I am on my 2nd set of cables,  they do lose the coating with several years of use. I have found myself dropping the seat down with shooting the longbow to insure that I don't come in contact with the upper part of the stand which means I stand more than sit.

[NoCams]

Chad nailed it !

nocams  

[Gator1]

I also own a Summit Goliath.  And it is an incredibly comfortable, easy to climb stand that is rock solid. No noise etc.  

The only draw back is the shooting rail for Trad Gear. But Like has been posted, keeping the rail lower helps a great deal.

[rraming]

I have a Clearshot (now called an Openshot with a square seat)and have used it for 6 years. Great climber, a hand climber - less stuff in your way. I switched last year to a Lone Wolf Alpha with sticks (like it better). You are fairly limited to "telephone poles" with a climber and I can climb any tree with the Wolf. I know a guy who uses a Summit sit and climb and when I see him sitting in his tree, it looks like he is sitting in a recliner (he can sleep in it) I would fall out of my Clearshot if I fell asleep. The sit and climbs have rails on the side of the seat which holds you in - at least his does. Summit makes a great product.

[swampbuck]

I,ve had the python for yrs now,it's the one that has the bar that can be moved into a gun rest(I added an extra set of holes so that it wouldn,t sit to high but mostly don't set it up that way)In the down position that rail can be used as a foot rest or be sat on which I really like for strapping my feet in.It can be sat on for climbing too if you don't wanna use your arms and in the down postion is out of the way for most shots.It still has the side arms which do get in the way for close shots with stickbows but what I,ve done is to ratchet strap the seat part to the tree so that I can lean into the side rail enuff to clear the bow limb if needed...DON'T TRY THAT WITHOUT THE USE OF YOUR SUPPLIED SAFETY STRAP...

My stand is very comfortable and I'd have no problem taking a nap without fear of falling out,very well built strong and quite.Lone wolf is the only other I'd consider but since I have the summit it's not likely I'll ever have the LW

good luck

[Nate Fikkert]

Wow guys, thanks for the great input.  Steve, you give me too much credit, I will soon be old and out of shape!  Living in the "flatland" has now made me complacent.

I will take this advice and do some more shopping.

Thanks,

Nathan

[NittanyRider]

I don't know if you're still researching this, but if you are, I have some experience with both brands.  I bought a Summit Bullet Backpacker a few years ago - it was my first tree stand.  IMO, the Summit is too heavy, too bulky and requires too much assembly/disassembly to get it on/off the tree.  Because of these issues (mainly the weight issue), I sold it and bought a Lone Wolf (LW) Alpha Hand Climber in October.  Yes, the Summit was more comfortable than the LW, but what the Lone Wolf lacks in comfort it more than makes up for in weight, packability, ease of use and huntability (again, my opinion). In addition to the weight and ease of use issue, I don't think I hunted as effectively out of the Summit as I do the LW.  With the Summit, I always felt like my ability to watch 360 degrees around my stand suffered because it wasn't very easy to move around on the seat to see what was behind you.  The LW, allows you to change your seating position (left, right, up and down) very easily so that you can see what's going on in all directions. I guess the analogy would be sitting in a lazy boy versus sitting on a bucket.  If I wanted to watch football or take a nap, then of course I'd take the lazy boy, but if I'm hunting, I'll take the bucket every time.  

Last thing... I did recently spend about 10 hours on stand using my LW and it really wasn't that bad.  The seat is stiff with not a whole lot of padding, but whenever my butt fell asleep, I would get up and stand for a while.  

Good luck.

[BobW]

I own an older model Viper, and a first generation Broadhead Backpacker.  Two great value stands.  Easy to climb with.  Rock solid, and comfortable.  I spent a week  of whole day (6 straight pre-dawn to well past dusk days) hunts in my Summit.  That is a LONG day.  Not sure I could do that in a LW.  For the money, this stand is really a great deal.  If you re-rig the sling seat on the Summits higher so it sits flush with the arm rests (I think like the way the Open Shot is), you gain a lot of clearance.

All stands are a compromise.  Weight, comfort, speed, $$$, and the list goes on.  You need to figure which is most important.

[Flt Rck Shtr]

I've owned one of the first Bushmasters they came out with, It was all steel. Man was that thing heavy. I owned a Viper and a Razor SS with the fold down climbing aid. All were very comfortable, but the last two mentioned were a little heavy. I liked the SS because the climbing aid folded down out of the way. I just bought a new Bushmaster about two weeks ago and love it. Very light and I could set in it all day. I think it packs up nicely, never had any trouble.

[frassettor]

pm sent

[Steve Kendrot]

Nate,

I'm a fan of the summits. I have the cobra or viper with the open but comfy hanging seat. I haven't used it since I got the open shot. Its smaller and lighter (14lbs) but surprisingly comfortable for such a simple seat. I'm a bigger guy and I really like the seat/climbing aid because I can rest my elbows on it to carry my full weight, where the Lone Wolf seat looks too small. I've sat all day in it before. They are pretty quiet on the tree and on your back if you figure out how to strap them together. I have added backpack straps to make it more comfortable to carry.

I did have a summit stand I bought used that failed (climbing aid tube cracked. When I called the company they replaced the stand with the open shot no questions asked. Pretty good company.

Your Tim's buddy right? You guys get anything this year?

Steve

[Curtis Haden]

I just got my new Summit OpenShot Deluxe today.  Assembly was quick and easy.  I haven't had time to get in the woods with it yet, but tomorrow will be here soon!      

Brief review:

The 2009 model has a re-designed seat support which wraps around the perimeter in front and narrows at the back, attached with plastic bushings (no squeaky) and two bolts which allow the entire seat section to fold up flat while climbing (or if you'd rather stand than sit, once you get up the tree).  The seat cushion itself is at least 3" thick, and if my "floor" tests are any indicator, it should be very comfortable.

The stand does not fold entirely flat for packing, but the two sections fit together nicely and it seems surprisingly quiet and secure.  The back pack straps are functional but could be made nicer with a little padding at the shoulder sections.

There is nothing which extends above or beyond the level of the seat.  It looks more like a complicated hang-on stand once it's mounted on a tree.  Should be great for traditional bowhunting.

At typical retail prices of around $229, I think it's a pretty nice alternative to the more expensive LW's.  The stand is all aluminum and weighs in at only 15 lbs.

I can't wait to get in it!!!

[rogers]

I also hunt out of the summit razor.  Very comfortable, can sit all day with no pain.  I quiet mine down with a can of spray on rubber. Limbsavers makes it, it can be found at most hunting stores in my area for about 6 bucks a can. I then wrap cloth camo tape over all metal. So far it has proven to be exceptionally quiet and durable.

[Onewldcat]

I have the Summit open shot because it weighs 5 lbs less than the rest of the models and I only bow hunt, so a shoot rail would just get in the way.   I really like, but I have no experience with the lone wolf stands.  I believe I paid $225 for the summit open shot, bought it a couple of months ago.

[stagetek]

I've used the Open shot for a while now. It is very comfortable. I don't think it is quieter than the Lone Wolf, but for me it's easier to climb with. I can use my forearms ( it's wider ), and the stirrups feel more secure than the LW method, especially with heavy thick boots. But, the LW is easier to haul around the woods with.

[Apex Predator]

I've had the Summit razor for a little over a year now.  I've never bowhunted out of it though.  It's very comfortable.  I just ordered an Open Shot Deluxe top only to go with the platform that came with my Razor.  The open shot platform is 4" shorter, which didn't excite me any.  I think it will make the ultimate bowhunting climber.

I tried a Lone Wolf Sit and Climb last month.  I was not impressed at all.  Not nearly as comfortable as the sling seat Summits.

[Running Buck]

I own a summit viper that I gave to my son. Nice stand but you have to pull it off the tree as you climb. I have an older API grand slam bowhunter that I like a lot more. I had to change the seat on it as it didn't give much support. I put a summit seat on it and can sit all day if I need to. Best part is I paid 75 bucks for it at a yard sale.

[BMOELLER]

Bushmaster