Jeff,

I'm on the road in the Ozarks of Missouri headed home from the BP Fall Classic, so I can't write as much as I may want to here...

You know I was a long-time Summit user, and still am. I'vehunted out ofDeer Decks, Deer Deck Lites, Copperheads, Openshots, Cobras, Vipers... you name it and I've pretty much used it.

In addition to the Lone Wolf Alpha Hang On I picked up from you afew yeas ago, Ibought a brand-newLW Alpha Hand Climber at the very beginning of the season last year, so I've got a full year under my belt with it now and can make some very honest and complete assessments, as well as comparisons between the two company's products.

Hunting Ed and others have done a great job in helping you out, but thought you may be interested in the thoughts from a near-15 year Summit user's experience with the Lone Wolf.

There's simply no comparison in the LW's portability and packability. It's almost enough to make a smile spread across your face when you go from carrying a Summit to experiencing the slim profile of the LW.

I've had platforms on my Summits develop creaks. Summit's customer service for its end users is extraordinary, and stories of how customers are sent new stands with no questions asked are common-place and almost ordinary on bowhunting forums; however, that's of little consequence when you're a quarter-mile deep in the woods at 6:45 a.m. on November 3 and you first notice it.

Brushing up against a treewhen packing a Summit in yields a decidely "tink-ish" sound moreso than the solid cast aluminum on the LW due to the hollow tubing; likewise, hiting the platform with your bow cam or hoist rope-ends or any number of equpment does the same.

The main reason I started using LW? Attaching the stand to the tree. The cam-lock system in conjunction to the pliable traction belts took silent to the level I needed as a hardcore bowhunter. Invariably, at least once every 15-20 stand sets with the Summit, I'd have a cable stop slam against the inside of the tube arm that housed and retained the excess cables as I either adjusted their length or freed the cable to wrap around the tree.

As mentioned earlier, if you utilize the straps that secure the top platform to the bottom, the LW is absolutely ROCK solid -- even moreso than the Summit. I used to tout my Summits as rock solid, and they're MORE than adequate, but that was before I bought my LW.

It's also far easier to adjust the angle of the stand from hunting heightshould you happen to guess wrong on the "angle of attack" when looking at the taper of the tree from the ground when you first start out. With my Summits, it was just easier to climb down to make the adjustment and then climb back up. Last year, due in large part to the safety of those retention straps, I was able to make those adjustments quickly and easily while I was still at 23 feet or whatever height I had ascended to.

I had the Rapid Stirrups on my Summits, and the LWs are JUST as quick and easy to use. In fact, it utilizes a very similar principle in that you just wedge your boots in much like the stirrups.

You'll have to look at the comfort issue on your own; for one, I don't have the sit n' climb, and it has a totally different seat system. I can tell you that I've sat in mine for close to four hours at a time many times without undue pain; but I do stand and stretch several times during that duration. Undoubtedly, the Summit wins hands-down in the comfort department.

Here's the way I've come to look at it, in an admittedly prejudiced way of preconceived notions...

When I hear someone say they use a Lone Wolf, I automatically start them out on a higher tier as a more advanced, hard-core bowhunter who's probably willing to sacrifice a bit of personal comfort for the strategic advantages the LW offers them. Summits bring to mind all-day comfort that sacrifices a bit of the strategic advantages the LW brings to the table.