I am also from the Albany N.Y area and hunt exclusively State land. Don't be fooled there is a lot of it in NY. I have taken many nice bucks here. This year I shot a really nice 6 point. 9" G2's, 16 spread. Last year a nice 8 scored about 110".. not monsters according to Pike co., but nice non the less. I have a Summit Viper XLS. Great stand.. you can't go wrong. But, hunting State land is a different game and you have to be prepared to hike long distances to get out of the crowd and even a 19 pounds it gets real heavy around that 1 mile mark. I just bought the Timbertall Baby Lite. 12 pounds. I would sacrifice comfort for mobility and ease of use. I will keep you posted. I am going to use it during the late season where you have to get into those thick thick areas. But you made a good decision with the Viper for all around hunting.

JoeQuiver

I have a summit viper and really enjoy it. Have killed 10 deer out of it. Very comfortable and use it for both gun and bow. Quiet. My only problem is falling asleep in it.
Used a tree lounge twice. It seemed to be the sturdiest stand I ever had been in but a little more trouble to put on a tree.
Most of my hunting partners use the old man climbing treestands. I have had touble with them but eveyone I know who has them love them. They fold nice and flat for carrying. I would say find some stores that will let you try them out to see how you like them.

I own the API grand slam supreme and love it Great stand. The summit Viper Xls is good too. My friend uses one we both do a lot of bowhunting.
The Best new stand that I have seen though is the new Buckshot stand. It is by far the lightest while still being large enough to accomadate hunters in excess of 200lbs.
Just make sure you spend the extra $20 for the larger sized stand which ever you choose you will appreciate the extra room.