RE: Tree stand's
I agree either buy yourself a pre fabed steel one or make one out of steel yourself. We did this, made them 16 feet high with tube steel and removable plywood padded seat with old camo clothes cut to fit for the top. The first one we painted flat brown rust paint and placed skate boarder tape on the rungs and platform to make them anti slip, the next 2 we had them texturized and powder coated locally. Our's have a U bracket that adapts to the tree trunk and then chained as additonal safety...the belts or rope will never last on the account of squirrels and such if leaving all year. However if removing at the end of season small racheting type tie down/straps would also work.