I' ve been hunting a Viper for 3 years now. I love it. I lost the upper strap last year and have never missed it. The nice thing is when you are climbing down, the teeth bite so well that you can basically " jump" , letting the stand fall several feet each time. The one tip I have is to set the seat a little lower than you might think relative to the bottom for bowhunting. This way, you can freely lean out past the rail and easily make bowshots. The foot rest is key. Remember your harness. I don' t want to see any of you guys in the ER with a spine fracture. We get several every year.