I think permanent stands are dangerous. They seldom are maintained but trust in them continues while they deteriorate. Use caution for sure.

15'-18' is where I like to be. As has been said, high quality stands with plenty of platformwill help. Heck, I wouldn't want to be up 10' in some of the cheap stands where your dang toes hang off the platform just sittin' down.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Iuse Gorilla fixed position stands and have a Summit climber so I feel
good about my equipment.
You guys have been a big help. A big Thank You.

Well I don't go quite that high, but I will say that I always put on atminimum 2 more ratchet straps, really I add as many as I need, to get that stand tight and I mean tight against the tree. This serves 2 purposes: safety and quiet. Also I put steps higher than the stand just to make things easier. I like to lean mine back slightly so that it tips you toward the tree too.

You get that thing rock solid, always stay harnessed, and you will get used to it, it will feel like you were hunting from the tailgate of your truck.
I even reached the point where I used to marvel at how nervous I was, now I scramble up there like a billy goat.

Lastly, ladder stands are nice to use, same setup as above I use, only I also use bungy cords to hold the ladder sections together.

Hope this helps, just tricks that I have learned from someone who used to get shaky too. Just my 2 cents.

c_str

Hi,
I work in Chicago doing hi-rise repairs, anywhere between 10-80 stories. The one thing I have seen over the years is that when a new guy is scared for over a few days, they never get over it. Not that this is bad, a little fear means a lot of respect, you just will have to cope as best as you can. Try hanging lower, and just make sure your hooked up to a saftey.

Good luck

Rick

When you have some time go even higher 25-30 feet an sit for awhile when you come back down 20 will seem like nothing

Try a stand with an over sized base and good rails. Maybe that will help.