TomC1426

Has anyone tried one of these? I'm thinking about one because the weight is advertised as just 14 lbs. I have the Viper, but at 6'6" and 260 lbs it is kind of hard to get in and out of. I know the Open Shot is a hand climber, but was wondering just how much harder it would be. (never used a hand climber before)

Thanks,
Tom

MichaelT.

Never used that partivular model, but in the past, in my younger days, I used a hand climbing model. It was not too bad. Fairly easy to get used to , but I will say that it is easier in a stand up sit down unit. A good type of unit, one that I fell in love with the idea of, was the old man tree stands. They produced a Grand ol' man that had a built in gun / foot rest ( it would filp over depending on which way you wanted it ) Archery or Gun, and the mesh seat was very comfortable. The problem is, they ran into cash problems and such and wound up in bankruptcy. The brand kind of died, but you can see it ressurected almost exactly,now, as a gorilla treestand. I have not bought one, as I am older now and use more tower and ladder stands, but I have still heard some good things about them. You can buy rests to hook to them, to secure a gun or bow in, while you are climbing, and be perfectly safe.

All in all though, I would say that in relation to your inquiry, as far as I can help, I perfer a stand up sit down type of climber. If you could find one of that type that you liked, I really believe you would be happier..... but that is just one mans opinion.

Good luck and God Bless

Matt / PA

Tom,
The Summit Open Shot is a great bowhunting stand. I had the first incarnation of it years ago when it was the first "Bushmaster" (but mine was steel)
The Open shot is nice and light and packs great. They're a little tougher to climb with obviously than a stand up sit down style but if you have decenet upper body strength you should be ok. You don't pull yourself up with your arms you more just hang on with your hands and forearms and pull your legs up.
The great thing about the Open Shot is the ability to shoot sitting down. Because it's more of a bench style seat than a sling style where your butt is below the frame it's very easy to shoot sitting down if you need to.

I'm, 6'3" and 260 and I would have no problems using an Open Shot myself, (it might feel a little cramped but using it is no problem).
The other thing to consider is the platform size, the entire stand is "compact" and the platform is going to be shorter up front than your Viper, I think by about 4". Pretty sure there is less butt room as well across the seat.
Keep that in mind at 6'6".
At your size you might be better off to consider the Razor........you can stand up and sit down climb but you'll have the option to get the bar completely out of your way for bowhunting ,and you'll have the full sized platform.
Another option would be to simply buy the Open Shot seat section and use it in conjunction with your Viper Platform and you'd have the best of both worlds?

TomC1426

Matt / Pa that is an excellent idea! The smaller platform was a concern of mine and wasn't sure if with size 13's there wouldn't be enough room on it. I would have never thought about just buying the hand climbing part. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to call some of the local dealers and see if they can get a better price than what is on Summit's site.

Tom

ddekl86

The stand is light and fairly easy to climb with. I also like the dagger. It folds flat and carries easy. It is a little harder to set up, but has a back cushion... Hope this helps.

louie6014

I got the summit open shot sd. I had some issues with the quality of the one shipped to me (was cracked), it was replaced by summit ... took a over 10 days... (Ive welded before) and not the biggest fan of some welds. Some areas on both of mine were not fully powder coated. Its a good stand for the $. Got mine for 170. Ide strongly recommend some 1" foam and camo tape over the upper portion where your arms contact it, I think api makes premade zip on style arm guards, discovered this after my Lowes adventure. Its not the easiest climbing stand, but its worth it in my eyes for packability. Dont even know I have it with me. Ive already taken a deer from this stand this season, being obstruction free is awsome. It does have a small platform.. but I found myself leaning against the tree with seat up, and lots of room. Buy a good two arm bow holder.. Only other gripe is you can knock the top half while climing.. and it will slide down and land on your feet, happens to me when Im inch worming up and down and go to adjust my tree strap while Im climing. Im 6' 210# and I have no major issues. Only + for lone wolf is bigger plat form. I hear the seats they make are harsh on your rear. If you have the openshot top half at knee cap height you can shoot sitting down easy (ive practiced this). It will need some slight modifying for each user in my eyes tho.. # 1 the top arm halfs need padding. I also secure the top half with the strap it comes with when Im up there and set in place.

On_Point

I have a Summit Viper SD, but I really wanted an open faced bowhunter stand. The Dagger seemed ideal for bowhunting but I couldnt justify spending the loot on another Summit climber. So I took a hack saw to the front rail of my Viper. Now I have a Summit Viper SD Open Face Bowhunter Climber. I should have done that years ago. But I probably voided the warranty.

1shotkill1993

I am 6'6 as well, I own the Summit Goliath. I recommend that stand to anyone over 6 feet tall! Anyways, I went on a hike up a mountain to hunt this year so I borrowed the hand climber model you're talking about because it is so much lighter. The climbing was pretty easy, but I do not recommend this treestand for sits any longer than 5-6 hours. I was very uncomfortable, at least compared to my Goliath!

Stonewall308

I have the open shot. I am very satisfied with the construction and quality, but sometimes I wish I have something bigger and more comfortable. The seat is not comfortable enough for an all-day sit, in my opinion, but it is fine for three or four hours.

Byrnzy

I have a close friend that just purchased one last year. He is happy with it. So far no issues. I personally have the razor and love it. It is the model where the sit down bar folds underneath and out of the way or you can leave it. I would say its 50/50 on whether or not I fold it under but man... the most comfortable stand I have ever sat in.