Pay very close attention to what "Bobby" said in the above post. Comfort is the key! I've been bow hunting for over 30 year's (I'm only 36) and using climbing treestands for about 25 of that. When I first started, I used a "Baker" stand. The thing was uncomfortable and In my opionon a death trap/accident waiting to happen, (what was my father thinking???). Between being uncomfortable and being worried about the thing crashing to the ground, not much fun. Now a day's, I own a loggy bayou for bowhunting, in my opionon the best "bow hunting" stand on the market, very light, easy to attach to the tree (extremely safe and secure) and in about a minute and a half, I'm climbing up the tree. One draw back, not as comfortable as an API Grand Slam. If I intend on making an all day sit (meaning to me, from sun up to sun down) I my use the API. Even if I get a little sleepy, I take a little nap. Impossible to fall out of the thing and very comfortable. I have just simply learned if your comfortable, warm, dry, etc., then hunting is fun and the time passes by and you don't even notice the "time" issue. However, if my feet are cold, I'm wet, etc., it's no fun, I'm miserable and it's time to go! It pay's to invest some money in good clothing and equipment. As far as food a couple of P & J sandwiches and a couple of apples should do you good. Drink whatever you want. Then patience is simply the number one thing one has to learn when hunting this animal. Once you conquer all the aspect's of that you will be ahead of the curve. Good luck.