I would make dang sure I was hooked up to a full fall restraint system before I start up the tree with this gadget. It's really going to be a pain in the butt to climb with. As someone mentioned,...without some sort of standoff from the tree it's tough. SEcondly, I'd secure the bottom to keep the thing from swaying and swinging or blowing around or out and getting hung up leaving you with a delicate situation. To begin with, the Tree Seat is a true POS. It gets old after about 30 minutes. Get yourself a real stand and kill some deer. You're tinkering with gadgets for a mans job. I might see an application for these ladders once in a blue moon way back in spur of the moment and all that...but if I'm going there I'm going prepared anyway. What do these gadgets cost? PLUS... I think you'll find(unless you're 7 foot tall) that you won't get 13-14 feet from two of these in actual use. YOu have to beable to feed it through itself, around a tree, the bigger the harder and the less ladder you have. Then you get the first at max height, probably no higher than eyeball height when all is said and done. Now get to the top of it, try and hang from the tree on a ladder that's at best an accident waiting to dump you. Now try and reach way up to thread the second one... Whoaa Nellie....let me find a nice ground blind for today.[8D] If I persist I may get 10 feet on a shakey platform to try and hang a stand. I'm talking real stand, not a wedgy for my butt.