This question really does get asked quite often. But then if there was some rule about not being able to post the same question twice then I wouldn' t have anything new to read everyday.

I' ve used both API & Summit climbing stands. Both are very comfortable. Both are about the same to carry in & out of the woods. Both feel just as secure 20 ft off the ground. But in my opinion the Summit is just easier to set up and take down.

API uses pins to secure the chain that wraps around the tree. They are pretty noisy trying to slide them through the hole and a pain when you drop one while getting set up in the dark. The Summit cable system still makes a little noise but not nearly as much as the API pins. Just easier to use in my opinion.