Saxman1819

Bought an alpha hand climber as a bow hunting stand and it turned into my everything stand. It isn't as comfortable as my viper but it is so light that it makes up for it and I deal with it.

MountainHunter

I posted this about the Lone Wolf products on a different thread earlier today. I'm lazy, so I'll just cut & paste it here:

I have a Lone Wolf Alpha Assault hang-on stand, and I love it. They're not cheap, but they're very well made, IMHO. Very light (8.5 lbs) and completely silent. Lone Wolf makes their platforms out of a single piece of cast aluminum, so there are no welds or other connections to creak. They use plastic or teflon washers, so no noise there, either. And the stand is not hollow, like some are.Hollow stands are light, but make more noise. My only complaint about the Lone Wolf stand is the seat cushion is pretty hard. Thinking about adding some kind of padding to it this year.

Lone Wolf is very smart about how they design their stands. In addition to being very light, they pack down almost flat. Also, their climbing sticks are very light. My four 32” sticks (each with three steps)weigh only 10 lbs, total (easily gets me up to ~ 16 feet), with each step flipping to either right or left, depending on what you need. They also don’t interlock when you attach them to the tree, which makes them useful in more situations (V trees, bent trees, etc.). And the sticks are made to spoon with each other and fit onto the Lone Wolf stand when you’re carrying it.

So, I’m able to carry my stand and four 32” sticks up the mountain where I hunt very easily (total weight = 18.5 lbs).

I'll add that, despite what GMMAT says(and with all due to repect to a guy who posts a lot of good info on here), I find the stand and sticks VERY easy to set up. One strap (with no metal on it to clang out an alarm to nearby deer) that can be done either right-handed or left-handed for each stick and one for the stand and you're in business. And the steps on the sticks can swivel either to the right or left side, depending on your needs. Go to Bass Pro or Cabellas or whatever and get a gander and I think you'll see what I mean.

tsoc

I have had my assault stand for less than 2 weeks.Setting it with the versa buttons is a piece of cake.I will supplement the padding on the seat to make it more long sit friendly.It will be my bounce around stand because of it's expense and the liklihood of theft in my area.I am very impressed with it's quality and function!
The sticks are awesome,I just purchased 3 and I will be purchasing more.unbelieveable how quickly I can get up a tree.The first time I used them I was laughing to myself about what a pleasure they were relative to the many hundreds of steps I have screwed in over the years.They will get a lot of use!

Justin

Jeff, I could never see myself using a LW stand and sticks in the same manner that you would use a climber. I don't pull my sets and rehang after every single sit but if I did, a climber would definitely be the way to go. I prefer to stay semi-mobile and have the freedom to pull and re-hang in just about any tree I want without too much effort if the need arises. Standard ladder-type sticks don't play with in crooked trees, neither do climbers. And in my part of the world, perfectly straight trees with no limbs are far and few between.

I totally see your point though. If you're not ever leaving your stands in place and a climber will work for you, a LW stand and sticks may not be the best option.

As for being able to hang the sticks safely, I use a treehopper lineman-style belt 99% of the time and it makes the world of difference. Especially when you get up higher off the ground.

Dr Andy

A climber would not work in the areasI hunt. Too many gnrly trres with forks in them.

GMMAT

And that was MY mistake, Justin.

And they are much more the norm, here.

Another tactic I didn't employ.....but should have.

Good points, all. The climber (i've found) is definitely the way to go for my area and my needs. To be honest.....if I ever go another route....OR...if I had a longer hike....I might try the LW (modified, of course).

GregH

I am able to use the screw in steps at all (5) of the places I hunt. I have nothing against the sticks, except that they are a bit cumbersome and sometimes noisy. They definitely have their advantages though, especially in huge oak trees if the straps fit. It's just that I have about 75 of the good screw in 2-piece folding steps, so I continue to use them.

LebeauHunter

Just bought one of the Alpha Elites, and will be putting it up when I get a break in 2 weeks.

Compared to the Alpha, the seat is wider and the platform is 36" x 24"
instead of 30" x 19.5", which might address some of what has been said.

Just based on eyeballing, it looks bigger than the Summit Deer Deck.

I'm looking forward to hunting out of it this season.

Didn't buy LW steps, using ameristep rapid rails - love em.

TOBY V

Every stand I own is made by LW. I bought all of them on my own. I have 5 hang ons and one climber. Would not trade them for anything. These stands were engineered by a hunter or someone that had some insight to what we want.. I love everything but the old sit and climb seat which itlooks like they upgraded. Love the climbing sticks as well. They are lite quick and quiet, and sturdy as anything i've ever tried. Lone Wolf gets my vote.

JeramyK

I've wanted to buy a LW sit and climb for years now. The problem is my 44" waist. I can fit but it's snug and uncomfortable. I wish they'd make a seat that's 2-3 inches wider.