Bowfanatic, 86ing the armrest is not an option. It turns long hours in the tree stand into enjoyable hunts by being able to rest an elbow on the armrest and therefore rest my head on my fist (kind of like back in school).
It did cost me a nice ten point last year though. I was following the buck from left to right with my bow held in front of me when my bow hung up on something. I looked down in horror to see that my lower cam was about 3" too low, not clearing the armrest. The time it took me to slowly clear the obsticle without rushing allowed the buck to get so far to my right that I had to readjust my footing on the platform in order to draw back. Thats when he heard something I didn't and bolted.
BTW, I hunt with a 36" ata bow. I'm still on the prowl for a shorter bow that fit's me like a glove. Recently considering the G2 (on sale for $399.00), but keep coming back to the Diamond hornet spec sheet- it's mighty impressive on paper.