Sorry BowHntrRick; I read your post and while you bring up some good points to someone who doesn't use a climber, those of us who use climbers don't see any negatives. I've hunted with climbers for close to 20 years and never had any of those problems, except lugging my old climber for a 1/2 mile. With the new lighter weight climbers, I am able to go a mile or more with it without a problem. Plus, having the ability to relocate on short notice and hunt 20-30ft up a tree, where the deer can't smell me is a real plus.