I'm in the market for my 1st treestand.I have 3 kids, and the oldest is hunting for his 1st time this year, but for the next several years, I'll be using this thing on a yearly basis. Mainly gun, and possibly bow. I'm looking at 2-man ladder stands by the following companies (I can get these locally):

RiversEdge
Big Dog
Big Game

All 3 of the companies say "buy ours because it's better"..or "look at the pros that use our stands". I know thepros get their stuff for free or at a reduced cost to promote the product, so don't tell me that's a good reason.

I don't want to be penny wise ($100 Big Dog - Big Bud stand from Dunham's) or dollar foolish ($200 Rivers Edge - Double Buck Extreme from Gander Mtn).There are stands that are $130 (R-Edge), $170 (Big Game) and a few others in this range.

It looks like the biggest advertised differences between them are height, seat/back pads and to some degree, platform size.They're all made of steel and have some type of painted finish on them (powder or wet).

I am not a hunting fanatic, and this thing will get used 5-7 days/year then get put away. Ido wantit to be solid, as I'm not crazy aboutbeing 15-20' in the air.

Any thoughts out there? I'm not asking you to spend my money for me, but your thoughts and experiences with these stands are very welcome!!!

Thanks!