RE: Equalizer Tree Stands
I did hunt with the equalizer stand all last season...and I absolutley love it! It is a lot lighter than the old summit I used touse (it was iron) and it was a lot more comfortable to carry than the summit, because of the backpack styleshoulder straps. It was also slightly quieter to set up and use. The bar that encloses you an the top piece also makes you feel a little more secure in the stand while sitting. I bow hunt from mine, and did't have any problem with interference from this bar (I shoot sitting down) as long as I set the bottom and top pieces up correctly in the tree. However, this bar will limit you on very extreme down angle shots with a bow...but since I don't shoot at deer directly under my tree...it's not an issue.
The best thing about it was the sit-down climbing action. Between the lighter carry in, and the easy of climbing...I ended up seeing a lot more game because I wasn't sweatingfrom hiking in and climbing the tree. I didn't fully appreciate this until I took my old summit back out for a hunt to compare. The summit will never go out again, unless something happens to the equalizer.
The levelingfeature is also great, as I seem to frequently misjudge the tree diameter at the height I want to hunt from. WhenI used to hunt with the summit, I usually ended up going up and down a new tree a few times until I figured out the best angle to start at at the base of the tree.
I have found a few...very few...negatives with the equalizer. As mentioned, it does get a little uncomfortable after 4 hours or so. Also, the rubber band/straps that hold the seat on tend to stretch out over time. You can get replacements from equalizer...but it would be nice not to have to order new seat bands every other year or so. I might try to rig something up myself to correct that. The final thing was the plastic "hook" that is also used to anchor the seat down. I haven't had any problems with mine, but my brother broke his off. He blames it on the cold weather making the plastic brittle...he did break it on a very cold day...but it could have been operator error as well.
Ok,. sorry for the book. Overall, this is the best climbing stand I have ever used. I am very, very pleased with it.