is there anyone else out there still using a climbing stand without a climbing aid just hug the tree and lift the stand up. my whole family and a few friends all have loggy bayous (older ones) and thats what we do but ive been seeing a lot of treestand post lately and starting to feel alone in still doing this. anyone fellow tree huggers out there???

NOPE. I retired my old Baker the last time it took all the skin off my facee and forearms.[&:]

no sounds to painful .I don't want to be that out of breath climbing

No reason to hug the tree when it's so much easier to use a climbing aid.

I did that enough before climbing aids were invented(or may I just didn't have the money for one). There's no way I'd hug a tree to climb it anymore.

Same here rybo, I have a Loggy climber platform which I only use as a lock on now. When I first bought it I was a tree hugger. I then invested in the climbing aid that Loggy offered. It wasn't fun going up, kinda fun coming down like a firemans pole though.

I believe my cousin still does this, at least the last time I saw him.

Come do that here in SC on our pines. You will literally be eaten to death by fire ants. I wish they would all die and burn in hell!!!!!!!!!!!!![:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]

i still have a baker in my dads shed and that thing grips like no other really it cuts into the tree. i just make sure i have a sweatshirt or jacker on and i dont get any marks on me and the speed is too much for me to give up until i can no longer do it. i can get to my tree and be setup sitting down in less then 2 minutes and quietly. my wife needed the climbing aid and i just hate how loud the thing is. and for being like a firemans pole i love cause if you just need to get down fast just hold loose and slide on down, haha. def not for everyone but theres gotta be a few of us left.

i'm a sit-and-stand guy

I used to do the huggie thing back in the 70's with a Baker Slim Jim. Then I got smarter. It's a whole lot easier using a climbing aid, more quiet and I don't work up as much of a sweat.

Do yourself a favor. Leave the testosterone at home. Make it easier on yourself. You only have to fall once to be a statistic.