Give me a 50lb bag of sand, carried on my shoulder, and I’d be cussing in pain after a mile, and it might take me 40min, AND I’d be nearly worthless the next day. Put 100lbs Of sandbags in my Load Sling on my Mystery Ranch pack frame and I can ruck 3.5-4mph, and have rucked 10-15 miles at a time on multiple occasions in training hikes. Even a cheap Eberlestock Mainframe pack will ride nicer without pressure points.
I’ve yet to meet a deer stand which I thought carried well or which was comfortable against my back. I also have water bottle pockets and snack/tool/phone pouches on my frame belt. Adding that 5.5lbs is worth every single ounce compared to rucking the stand alone by shoulder straps.
When I was young enough still to be more foolish, I used military surplus ALICE straps or two cheap Allen gun slings to haul my stands. Mountainsmith makes a set of shoulder straps meant for a lumbar pack which should work well for a deer stand too.
But next weekend, I’m hauling my stands in on my pack frame.