Summit Viper Review
 

There has been a lot of talk throughout these forums regarding Summit treestands. I just picked up a Summit Viper in the middle of this season. The first treestand I bought in almost 10 years.:D

A little background. First off, I have used a Loggy Bayou climber since 1993. I bought the new climber with the big, padded seat opposed to their notorious butt numbing netting they did have. With this stand, I took many deer and enjoyed a lot of good hunting out of it. The thing I really liked about this stand was its simplicity. One piece, with a fold up seat that ratcheted fast once at hunting height. Perfect. Also, it spoiled me with its 12lb weight. No problem at all packing. It packed flat also. The downside was it was a little noisy to climb with, but remedied some with a little bungee cord. All in all, I couldn' t be happier with it really.

Now comes the Summit Viper. This stand really caught my eye the past couple years for its comfort factor. Something I was looking for as the Loggy was not the most comfortable breed. I gun hunt too, and the Viper was attractive with the wrap around you design. So, I settled on it and bought it.

Design:
The design is great. The snakable cable works ridiculously easy and is stealthy quiet while climbing. The stand is built like a tank and it looks as though you could back over with the pickup and still throw it on your back and tote it to your tree. Welds are all locked before welding using a special wedge cut in the two pieces that slide together making a more secure weld. I will praise Summit over and over for its devotion to being safety minded and never taking shortcuts. This stand is absolutely rock solid in all respects.

Comfort:
What I can say other than take a pillow with you! Seriously though, I have not found a more comfortable stand. I spent many of days on a numb butt in the Loggy from daylight to dark. I spent almost an entire week in the Summit from dark to dark and couldn' t tell. Its atonishingly comfortable, and warm thanks to the seat design.

Functionality:
As a bow stand, I can see some limitation. The bar doesn' t seem to be too much of a problem, for me, it was the two side posts that house the cable. The sit pretty high on your sides, even with the seat up all the way and do limit behind the tree shots unless you stand and turn completely around. Still not a big deal. As a gun stand, I can see it would be almost perfect. A decent rest all the way around, and a place to rest your gun or bow for that matter while you wait.

The stand gives you a lot of possibilities when it comes to adjustments. Even while up in the tree, the top part isn' t too hard to re-adjust if the angle isn' t right. Wrap the strap around the tree before you do this though. But I have on occasion had to move the cable in or out a notch to get it just right. (***make sure you wear the harness!!) Its also nice to be able to set the platform height to your liking also. Something the Loggy lacks because of its one piece nature.

Weight:
Here is the only complaint I have with it. In my opinion, its heavy. Yes, the Loggy has spoiled me here, big time. Its still not bad and is actually lighter than most in the industry. Taking into consideration the overkill in materials used to make this stand and its obvious why its a little heavy. Even at 18 pounds, its tolerable. But, if you carry a day pack like I do, and often strap it fast to the stand it does weigh it down pretty good.

Overall:
I really like this stand. Comfort far outweighs the added weight I gained with it. Dont get me wrong, if they come out with a titanium Viper, wieghing considerably less, I' m there! But I can not find anything else wrong with it. Summit has excellent customer service and has alot of add ons for their stands also. Value is almost a crime in my opinion. Not only do they give you a near flawless stand, but also every stand comes with a Seat O the Pants safety harness. Can' t beat that! Like all stands, there are limitations, but honestly, the Summit line has very, very few that would turn anyone from buying one.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

I agree. It would be great to have a 10 lbs climber that was as comfortable and my Goliath, but I will gladly carry the extra weight to gain all the comfort. I don' t like heights, but in my Goliath I find myself going higher and feeling more secure about it. This has helped my hunting a great deal. Overall summit stands are excellent and your correct they go the extra mile to make the customer happy. They are a true credit to the industry.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

muzzyman ,great review! i have to agree , i purchased a new viper xls this year also , it is truly awesome , however this stand is light compared to some of the others out there , i don' t mind hauling a little weight for the safety and comfort i get once i' m in a tree with my summit! summit treestands can' t be beat!

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

Just wait until you really get comfortable with that baby...

You' ll be sitting on the bar taking shots behind your stand, and definitely dozing off during those all day sits :D not that I would know about that or anything ;)

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

This stand my be on the heavy side but I can attest to the comfort level. Mine is a couple of years old so it is probably heavier than the current model. I walk in about a mile each way so you do feel the weight but as the season goes on it dosent seem to bother me. With the rut in Michigan and now with the one going on in Ohio I have had close 18 days in this stand this year 4-8 hrs each time. Very very comfortable. For bowhunting I bring a hanger to hang my bow, I hang my fanny pack from the support rails and I am all set. The only problem is falling asleep at times. Easy to adjust and quite when climbing.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

Yeah, I agree with all of you. Like I said, if Summit comes out with one soon made from Titanium, it could cost 6 or 7 hundred bucks and I' ll still be first in line for one.

OHBOW, I bought a small clamp-on style holder for mine and it works great. I most lay the bow across the front bar since there is a lot less movement to get it up and ready from there, but the holder is nice when you need to stand or take a whiz.

Can' t wait to take some paint to it this winter and make it a little more camo' s for my liking.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

Great review on a great product! I have used several different climbers over the past few years and I keep coming back to Summit. I am another hunter who is not really fond of heights. In the Summit I feel safe. I do not mind the extra pound or two since the Summit is so stable and comfortable.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

After I replied earlier I taught a 13 year old how to use the stand. I have 2 VIPERS. There is a 2 day youth hunt in Ohio right now. I set him and his dad up in climbing stands and safety belts. I will go help them in the morning to attach the stands over some hot trails and hopefully they will stop by my house and show me some venison tomorrow night.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

Yes the summit stands are built well and comfortable but my major complaint is that the foot straps are too far forward (they tell me the designers are all 6' 4" at summit). I' m 5" 10" .

I have the Viper model with two tops: one for gun and one for bow. I have to use the strap across the front of the stand to sit on as the gun top front piece is too far forward for my butt to reach it.

When I use the bow top, I feel like I' m leaning too far backward when I climb.

I felt much more secure using my old Amacker climber - it was just too heavy.

Jack

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

Hey Jack,I am 5-10 also, and have no trouble with the Viper,maybe my butt is bigger.:D

Joe

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

Only complaint would be on the slight difficulty of getting the seat part and platform apart after they are packed for traveling. you kinda have to work side to side to get them apart and can be cumbersome in the dark.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

The Viper, I love it. The only thing I wish they would improve just a little is the toe straps, I have just a tad bit of trouble getting my foot in them and its hard for an old fat boy to bend down and put them on especially on some trees, If they would be a little more rigid, so they would stand up a bit so you could get your foot in them would be better. IMO they are still the best engineered stand available, and that comfort, I just can' t say enough.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

Great review!
I purchased the Viper XLS last year and wouldn' t trade it for anything. I do have to agree that the wrap around is a little cumbersome for bowhunting. I find that I have to stand to take a shot, which requires too much movement to maneuver.
I made my first shotgun kill in my short 3 year hunting career from this stand. The wraparound was a godsend for the shot. Nothing like having a brace to make your shot rocksolid.

Also, I am not a big fan of heights, but 20-25 feet up a tree in this stand and I feel quite secure. I' ve only had the stand slide once on me and that was because of my bad choice of trees. It was a rainy morning and I chose a smooth bark tree. Bad combination. Luckily, I had my harness on.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

I agree it is a easy stand to use. I have to also agree that it is an extremely comfortable stand. The first time I used it my butt was killing me. Then I finally realized (Duh!) [&:] that I could slide the seat straps up a bit further to cover my entire butt. After that it was very very comfortable.

I must agree with Strut the foot straps could be designed better. When you are a guy with large feet those bungy straps are a pain in the a**. A couple of times I couldn' t get the darn cords on the back of my boots so I pulled down on the foot strap extra tight in order to climb down.

I wonder if Summit could design a foot mechanism similar to that of a ski boot harness. You would simply press down on the mechanism and it clamps down on your boot - both in the front and the back. To release the mechanism you could have a rod or something placed inside the bar. Remove the bar - press down on the release and hunt away. That way you wouldn' t have to constantly bend down to put the strap on and then fight like hell to put the bungy cord around the back of the boot. Just a thought.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

only problem I have with mine, is that it was stolen [:' (] but im a bit over 6' tall, and never had a problem with it...my current stand (hunters view), the wrap around bar is way too close and constantly is touching my knees.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

has anyone had access to bowsport.com they advertise a 2 piece climber that holds 5oolbs and only weighs 12.6lbs.it is advertised in the 2003 buyers guide but i could not get the site on the internet

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

I also bought a Summit Viper this year and it works great and is easy and secure to climb with. My only complaint is that seat must taste good because a Bear ate mine[:o]. But the stand still works as good as new[:-].

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

I have a question about how it gets stolen and how a bear eats the seat.

Don't people generally buy climbers because you are taking them in and out of the woods each hunt?

I bought the Extreme XLS and found it to be very comfortable. I need to get a little better at using it quietly, but I am sure that will come with time and use.

RE: Summit Viper Review
 

Mine was stolen out of my car. Busted window, stolen treestand, camos, and cd player. left the bow for some reason.