I love the lone wolf (and similar) climbing sticks. They are all I use. When carrying, I hook the loop to the step at the opposite end of the stick and then press the step back against the frame (centerpiece or whatever it is) which gives me a sling. Then I sling as many as I need over my shoulder and off I go. Noise can be abated by keeping one hand holding each step. WHen climbing, I attach the first one, tie myself to the tree with a lineman's belt, sling the next and so on. Really quick and much quieter than carrying the much longer 4-5 footers (which seem to clank no matter what you do). In fact, normally I only carry one and leave steps in place at a height of 8-9 feet or so and just use a little muscle to get onto the first step.