RE: What's up with these new Muddy sticks?
No, the V-brackets don't rotate. This causes the bolts to loosen over time, and it also doesn't allow for the tightest possible fit on a tree. I've spent TONS of time testing this aspect of the design - and solid V-brackets are more solid on trees when loaded. They basically are so rock-solid once you put weight on them - they will stick to the tree even when you take the rope off.
They will stack on a Muddy stand, a LW stand, and any stand with a 1-1/4" tube. They will also be packable in two different ways on the Muddy stand. One laying on the side (so they pack lower to the stand), and also like the LW's pack.
Another major advantage of our sticks is that they have a small loop extruded into the V-bracket that will actually attach to a Muddy harness so you can pack a stick on each side of your waist. You will only need to go up the tree once even if you are hunting with 5 sticks. You can set two sticks from the ground (another advantage to the short stick), put two on your waist, throw your stand on your back, hold one stick going up, and go up the tree a single time!
Most guys will end up using 5 sticks for normal set-up's. That's what I'll likely be using most of the time.