Summit SwifTree Review
 

I have been a big fan of Summit products and have always given them praise. I own the Summit Viper climber and a set of the Bucksteps and they are top notch. I also think that their customer service is excellent from past experiences.

I recently bought a set of Summit SwifTree steps and I am very disappointed. The overall construction is high quality; however, the means to attach them to the tree is less than exceptable IMO. You are supposed to secure the sticks to the tree by tying them to the tree. Luckily, I am knowledgeable of knots based on my childhood Boy Scout experience. As most of you know, it is very difficult to get leverage on most fasteners that manufacturers are using today. Most don't have a ratchet type mechanism to secure them to the tree and require you to get in compromising positions to ensure that they are securely fastened. By the third section, I would be tired of messing with the rope and trying to get the sections secure. If your were able to get the sections tight it would be difficult to get the knot undone after climbing up the SwifTree for an entire season. Just as an FYI, I removed the ropes off of the SwifTrees and utilized an extra set of strap fasteners from my Bucksteps. I am able to get them fairly tight to the tree and not jeopardize my safety when climbing the tree in low light situations.

The sticks are reasonably priced at $49.99 but price doesn't matter when you are talking tree stand safety. I would rather them raise the price a bit and provide a better alternative for fastening the SwifTree sticks to the tree in a secure manner.

I have attached a link to the instruction guide from their website if anyone is interested in reviewing.

http://images.ebsco.com/pob/summit/c...r_swiftree.pdf

Has anyone else utilized the SwifTree and do you have the same opinion? Overall I would rate this product a C. As I stated earlier, the construction is of good quality. I will report its overall durability after I get to utilize them over the archery seaon. If they would come up with a better means to fasten the sticks to the tree I would rate them a B+ as long as the price doesn't go up significantly. If the price go up very much I think that there are better sticks on the market for this price range.

RE: Summit SwifTree Review
 

I have a couple of these and like them so much better than any other style stick because of the enclosed foot pegs. There's absolutely no way you are going to slip off one especially when you are climbing in and out of your stand and placing lateral pressure on the step where you could slip. You can just dig your foot in and go.

The rope attachment just takes some getting used to. I swing mine around and attach like they show in the instructions but I just keep winding around both ropes again and again sucking the sticks to the tree. Keep your body weight tight to the stick as you wrap and each one will secure it even more. Then just finish it off to secure your wraps.
The more you wrap around both ropes the more it pulls the 2 sides together making it more secure with each pass.

I like it and don't have a problem with them, but even if I didn't mind the ropes I would have no problem spending a couple bucks on some alternate style sinch style straps to take advantage of the superior security in climbing that the design provides.

RE: Summit SwifTree Review
 

I 100% agree about the enclosed foot steps. I think the construction of the sticks themselves are top notch. I just don't like the attachment mechanism. I personally wouldn't have an issue with them I just think they could have a secure more way to attach them similar to the Summit Bucksteps.