I timed myself just out of curiousity. It took me 16 minutes by the time I arrived at the base of the tree.NYBowhunter

Not bad...mine was about the same time. I can probably do all of that in under7 minutes now. When I have it locked to a tree it's about 2 minutes.
A.I really liked the homemade foot straps ..Very clever idea.
B.I also like the idea about carrying climbing hooks for those fat bottomed trees. We have those in Florida .They are called cypress trees. They are built like a 1/2 of an hour glass.
C. For you guys wondering about toting a back pack. Well when I carry my stand I leave my back pack at home. Instead I wear loose pants with lots of pockets.