They are a piece of cake once you've set one or two..............I prefer climbing sticks, once you have the sticks set, climb to the second to last step and attach your lineman belt.............pull the stand up and place it folded against the tree,your belt should hold you so that you have both hands to wrap the strap around the tree...........situate the stand how you want it for hieght and position on the tree, then cinch the strap tight and ratchet the platform down so it tightens even more,your biggest difficulty should be getting positioned just right so it is level and tight to the tree (which isn't that hard once you know what to look for).........practice on the ground until you are confident then go up the tree.