Alright guys, i'm VERY confused. I got an older treestand from a relative that just passed on, very close friend. Wondering what kind of climbing stand it is. It looks VERY similiar to a summit viper. It has a folding footrest, a folding rifle rest(that can be detached as can the footrest), and a seat that hands onto the frame of the stand. It has a bar, like the viper, that surrounds the stand so that one can use the sit down/stand up climbing method. It does not have cables like the viper, it has some kind of kevlar belt type thing. It also does not have pins, it has some kind of cam-lock type system. Now here is the kicker, the paint is peeling on the v-bar on the top half. On the right side, it seems as if maybe the metal is bulging somewhat, but the teeth aren't pointed down or up or anything like that. Is this stand safe?

If you have any doubts about a stand, DON"T RISK IT, get a new one!

i remember these stands from maybe 5 years ago. The belt system they had kind of had grooves every few centimeters, and you slid it into the frame, and pressed the cam lock. For the life of me, I cant remember the name of it. If your set on using it, I would definitly attach it to the tree, climb up a foot or so, and jump, and TRY and break that peice. Or possibly take it to a professional welder and have them check it. As always, wear a harness.

for some reason, i keep thinking of a loggy bayou before they went bankrupt a few years ago.

Is it umm.....whats it called.....TreeLounge?, and yes if you doubt it, get a new one!

yep it had that kind of belt system. It's definitely NOT treelounge. I don't really doubt it, it seems pretty sturdy. I'm going to take it out and hang/jump/pounce/play jumping jacks on this thing from about three ft. up.. see if it breaks... Like I said, nothing is bent on it, just seems there is some kind of bulge in the metal. Somewhat odd, the teeth are still straight.

Warren and sweat had a climber that had the belt.I don't remember the model name but it looked like a very good stand back then.

Bulging metal usually indicates intergranular corrosion, the inner layers of the metal separating along the grain boundaries, a very dangerous condition. Ditch the stand.

Pictures would be nice...

API maybe? I can't remember if they had a belt type system or not.

that's what I needed to know. Thanks. Now i'm in the market for a new stand.