A vote here for the API grand slam shooting star. It's great to hunt out of and allows me to sit from sun up till I get overly board. The longest I made it this year was sun up to 1:30 pm.

I've only tried one summit and it was before the cable system so I can't jusge which is better, but the Summits sure seem to have a lot of fans on this site. There must be a good reason for that.

I think the Summit stands are the most comfortable but I won't trade my Lone Wolf climber for any other. It absolutely is easy to carry and is the quietest climbing stand made. It also grips the tree great, due to the traction belt. Add footstraps and its great and easy to use.

I use an API Grand Slam Lite.
I really appreciate it's light weight when I'm walking to
my spot.

JPM

Summit Cobra. I've used a Summit Viper for bowhunting the last two years. I'd rather have an "open face". I then bought an API Grand Slam Bowhunter, and while it is okay, Summit's are easier to use. I wish I'd got a Cobra, but was wanting to "try something different". Shoulda stuck with what I know.

I like my Summit Viper. I tried the Summit Cobra & BM, but noticed I could climb much quieter with the front bar. I'm in excellent shape, but just noticed it was easier to control the bottom platform if I was in a sitting position, rather than "hand climbing".

I also really liked the Warren & Sweat climber, the belt system I thought was actually better than the Summitt's cable. However, it also weighed about 6 pounds more than the Summit, a little on the heavy side if you hunt hillsides.

I have a friend with a Lone Wolf, and it also is a high-quality, quiet and superlite stand. It will just cost you ~$100 more than a Summit.

As for quieting your Summit, I contacted them direct about the stand making noise during transport. Run the green strap vertically (instead of horizontally as directed per instructions) around the platforms, and slide the cables ALL the way into the platforms, almost jamming them inside---and the noise will be gone.

S&R

I hunt mostly out of lock on stands
for bowhunting but i do use
an old (10yrs) summit hand
climber. I also bought an APi
bowhunter this year and it worked
very well. #1 feature QUIET, #2COMFORT,
#3 MANUEVERABILITY.

I love my Summit Cobra...it's light, quiet, easy to set-up, and its very comfortable.....If I plan on spending the whole day in a tree, I take the cobra every time. You wont be dissapointed. I've even taken the the seat part and used it with some of our permanent stands. It's so comfy!!

Summit Viper. Smooth, quiet, and extremely comfortable. I like the front bar on the Viper, even for bowhunting, because it just gives me a little extra feeling of security. I know I'll step into the bar before I step off the stand. I tried an API last year but didn't like messing with the pins. They were noisy & a pain to find when you drop one in the dark. No pins with the Summit.

Previous owner of older API Alum Lite, did the job, but was noisy, and heavy. Plus I hated those pin clips still using today. Now own Summit Viper, used for 3yrs now, and its my favorite stand in the bowhunting woods.

Warren and Sweat Monarch is great. Belt system is much easier to attach and grips better than Summits cable. Closer adjustment compared to other stands. Seat is the best I have tried has a built in stave which prevents seat sagging around you. Extremely comfortable . This is absolutley the quickest and quietest system I have tried. Stand packs good together. Cut a few pounds off of the weight and this will be the best stand ever made as far as performance goes. This is a climbing dream for bowhunters who want to be quiet.