Lone Wolf climbing Treestand

[MY8631]

I just to wanted shoot everyone a note speaking of my experience with

Lwolf climbing treestands. IMO they are a deathtrap, with a horrible

design. Mid way through October I decided to trade in my trusted Summit

cobra for 1 Lonewolf alpha sit combo , I was intrigued by the cast

platform and folding design, what a mistake that was.

After ony hunting out of it handfull of times the stand little

collapsed under me, I never actually paid much attention to how the

stand was designed until after It collapsed under me breaking my leg in

three places. Anyways anyone who has had the unfortunate pleasure of

buying one of POS should beware. The stand has knobs which hand tighten

to hold the arms open with a knob that sits in shallow recess, the

brace only runs to the center of the stand so when you are standing in

the front of the stand there is an incredible amount of tork on the

stand forcing the arms to want to close. I am not sure if the day the

stand collapsed I kicked one of the knobs on the way up the tree, but

after roughly an hour I stood up and felt the stand move , hunting out

of climbing stand for years my inclination was to push down with my toe

to cinch the teeth in the tree, to my suprise it wasn't the back of

platform that was moving it was the stand folding and when I pushed the

front dropped like a trap door. So after having a titanium rod and 8

screws placed in my leg and I am here to tell be very carefull if you

do happen to own one of these stands.

To cap the whole experience off I sent lone wolf an email and sent my

stand back and after 3 weeks they don't even have the descensy to

refund my money. I had to call them several time hearing excuses like

we received your stand back and we havn't had time to process the

credit. What a j/k of a company, you think they would at least have

commone courtesy to respond even if they dont agree with my opionion.

And at the very least they should refund my money without delay.

The stand is definitley not what it appears .

Problems
Unsafe- knobs holding stand open with compression
Bow grommet they tout doesnt even work for bows with parallel limb

technology
Take a crowbar with you, you will need to open the latches on the cams.



MY

[Cougar Mag]

Best wishes to a speedy recovery. Thats sad to hear.

I've used the exact same stand 3 seasons now...and I mean a lot! Evidently you loosened the knobs as you climbed....a lot!. Even if I loosened the knob and stand on the tip end mine will not collapse. I've never had the first problem and am getting ready to buy another. There is no more amount of torque on the stand than any other brand, and I've tried almost all the stands made. You can adjust how tight the camlocks will be using a socket wrench, I prefer mine tight and don't need a crowbar to open and close the cams. Good luck.

[MY8631]

Thanks for the best wishes, and everyone has a different opinion, the reality is there is no way I could have loosened the knobs that much by climbing. So maybe I have a problematic stand or something is different about the setup. I also strongly disagree this stand has much more torque IMO, look at any other folding stand, and there are not that many Summit is the only other one I know of that folds flat , none that I have looked at have the support bar that stops in the center. There are many fixed stands that the support stops midway but that is moot when they are welded ,a fixed climbing stand that does not collapse is much different than having stand that is held open by knobs that are tightened by hand. Thanks again for your feedback, though I still disagree and hope you continue to have good luck with the stand. My opinion remains it is a deathtrap.

PS:not sure why anyone would want to pull their guts opening the cams when gettting in out of a stand , to each his own You can not honestly say they open even remotely easily...can you?

[Cougar Mag]

You can not honestly say they open even remotely easily...can you?

Mine opens with no problem in average weather, but does get harder to open in cold weather. But once the cams are locked down they stay down. The alternative to the cam system are either knobs, wing bolts. spring clips(like others use) or the springy clips that Summit uses. I've always wondered if those springy clips might wear out or open up while climbing. Possibly there is a defect in your stand. I would hope not. To be honest even when I unscrew the knobs almost all the way out of the side braces, I still have to pull the braces out toward the center to slide them down when I am folding the stand up.
By the way.........I do want to mention that in no way am I affiliated with Lone Wolf. I am just a regular hunter who believes in that particular stand.

[MY8631]

Kewl thanks for the feedback. I have heard the spring mechanism should pull the shaft into the recess as you describe, mine didn't do that and I am not sure why. As far as the Springy clips most of my friends have the new Summit stands an even if the clip has a problem it would impossible to pull the strap out of the notch, I guess that is what I respect about the other stands I have used , it is near impossible unless something such as welds or pins break for them to collapse.

If someone would have actually called me back it would have been interesting to discuss.

Regards-

[dkbs]

Sorry to hear about your fall. Like cougar mag, I also have a lone wolf climbing stand and this is my second season with it. I've been nothing but impressed with it and I also use it alot. I agree that in the late season the cams that hold the belt take a little force to open. But you surely wouldn't want it to pop open to easily. The newer ones have a small hole drilled in the lever portion of the cam and a loop of cord attached making it much easier to put your fingers in the loop and pull the cam to disengage it.
Dan

[VAhuntr]

Sorry to hear about your accident and I wish you a speedy recovery. I too had a Lone Wolf stand but sold it and got a Summit. The Lone Wolf was just too small and uncomfortable for me and it took longer to set up than my previous Summit stands. However, I never experienced any mechanical or structural problems with this stand. Please keep us updated with Lone Wolf's response . In my past dealings with Lone Wolf, their customer service was outstanding.

[scrape line]

Sure you not a summit salesman? Just joking. I can't believe that the stand did that. I really like my lone wolf. After being a loggy nut, I tried summit and api. I didn't really want to spend the extra cash for the lone wolf, but after using a friends, it was a dream come true! I luv it. I never have had a problem and feel its the best stand going. Just my opinion. The summit stand, I had trouble with it not wanting to bite. Probally like a discusion over ford, chevy, and dodge. Alot has to do with personal preference and past experience. Please let us know what lone wolf has to say.

[Chuck7]

I'm really sorry to have heard about your accident. What a nightmare. I bought a Summit as well.The only hassle I have is they won't bite down on cypress trees or oaks and I weigh 300 lbs. The harness is very nice and I always wear it. I do pray that your leg will heal good. I actually was going to buy a Lone Wolf but spent a long time reading stand reviews. I wanted a stand with a bar in front because I sleep sometimes.
Chuck7

[Ifly]

Sorry to hear about your fall..I have a Lone Wolf Hand Climber and will pay extra attention now. Also have Summits and API climbers. I like them all and always wear a harness..were you wearing one?