I had a friend with a home made baker stand in the late 70's. I was only about 11 or 12 at the time I tried to use it. I very slowly and deliberately managed to get it maybe 10 feet up and then very slowly and carefully came right back down. I immediately made the decision it was too much trouble. I didn't even consider using a climber again until about 20 years ago when I bought one of the original Ol Man climbers. The Ol Man is the climber that caused me to think it was workable. I still never thought it was perfect though. I bought the Summit Goliath several years ago, and I am impressed with it every time I use it. I'm wondering how much better climbers can get. I'm still waiting for a safe quick descent feature for when nature calls.
I think today's young hunters owe much to the test pilots of the early years who were not afraid to lose a nipple.
C. Davis