I am posting this review for those of youconsidering aLone Wolf Alpha Sit & Climb.
I am generally happy with the stand (because of my enhancements)- have used it at least 50 times in the last year. However, there is room for improvement...
Traction belt (part that goes around the tree) is flimsy. I have had a number of times where the belt gets hung up on the bark of the tree or a knot on the tree. The bigger the tree - the more it hangs up. Usually, I was able to wiggle the stand to get around the problem - but, not always.
The recommended way topack the stand -not good - too noisy and loose. I modified how the stand is packed - made itcompletely quite and much faster to pack and unpack - very happy with these modifications.
The cam action fastening system (the part thatconnects/disconnects the traction belt to the stand) has been the biggestdisappointment. During warmer weather(above freezing) and on average diameter treesthe cam action lever works pretty good. However, during cold conditions the traction belt teeth get very stiff making the cam action lever work extremely hard - I am trying to create a tool to assist in disengaging the lever. Also, when the diameter of the trees are bigger you have less room to disengage the lever because the lever is mounted to the inside of the stand and opens towards the tree. So, if you are hunting in near zero degree conditions and your tree has a larger diameter- be prepared to get frustratedevery time.[:@] Any suggestions??? Oh - you can attach ropes to the hole in the lever - but those will breakafter a couple of times and still do not give you a good angle to disengage the lever.[/ol]
Modifications that I made to the stand:
Added black tubular pipe insulation to all areas that the seat and base touch each other when packed and where my arms rest on the seat. I wrapped the insulation with black cloth athletic tape. I also wrapped the sit and climb bar. Now the stand is 'wolf' quiet.
I added tri-glides to the seat straps to make the height of the seat adjustable in relationship to the seat arm rails. This made the stand incredibly comfortable for me.
Added a nylon spacer in the end of the tubesthat the sit and climb bar attaches to. This allowed me to tighten the sit and climb bar more securely with locking wing nuts without crushing the tube aluminum. Otherwise, it is very hard to use the sit and climb bar as a support or rest for your bow.
The way I pack the stand eliminated all noise while walking and I don't collapse the seat or the base - now I can get set upvery fastas long as its not too cold and I am climbing an average diameter tree
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Lone Wolf Alpha Sit and Climb Review
