Now is the time of year where we have lots of "which climber should I buy?" threads. I thought I would share what I use.
I bought a Summitt Razor a few years ago, and it was a nice stand, but not quite what I needed. It was a decent trad bow hunting stand with the sit and climb bar that would fold away. It also served well for a rifle stand, but not perfect. I found adjusting the bar a pain. I wanted more freedom of shooting out of a bow stand, and a permanent sit bar for a rifle stand.
After some research, I found that the Razor, Viper, Blade SD, Dagger SD, and Goliath climbers all used the same bottom section. I really wanted an Open Shot top section for bowhunting, but the bottom section that comes with the Open Shot is 20" wide by 24 3/4" long, which was too small for me. I ended up buying just the top from Summitt, and using the bottom section from my Razor which measures 20" wide by 28 3/4" long. Perfect bowhunting stand! I sold the top section of my Razor and bought a Goliath top section and an Open Shot top section. Now I have two stands in one! The perfect bow stand and the perfect rifle stand. I've heard that Summitt will sell any combo that you want.
Here is how I have modified the Open Shot. She comes with a very comfortable cushion and an open frame underneath. I found the cushion would slide around some and fall through the hole. I remedied that with a piece of 3/16" ABS plastic. I thin piece of plywood would serve well here.
I then stuck a piece of industrial velcro on each side where the seat contacts in the lower position.
I climb with my forearms resting on the cushion, while griping these 45 deg braces near the rear of the stand. I cut lengths of broom stick down the center, and wrapped some cord over them to make comfortable grips.
I like a pull rope that stays attached to the stand. I came up with this cleat system made out of a piece of marine starboard scrap.
Any hand climber requires a little more work in climbing, but if a fat guy like me can do it, most others should be able to manage. I'm 5' 10" and weigh 240! My abs are sore after making a couple of climbs, but the effort is well worth it for me. I always plan to start a month before the season making a couple of climbs in my backyard each morning to "get in shape", but It never works out!
A couple of military surplus A.L.I.C.E. pack straps make carrying it a breeze!
Topic: Ultimate Summitt climber system! (Read 1121 times)
