I am 100% convinced that unless you hunt out of a climber "A LOT", a guy can never be as quiet with one as you want. I've owned a climber for years now and maybe have used it 5 or so times a year. I fumble around with that thing and make so much noise climbing that it makes me want to puke. lol I'm not just good enough with it to be as quiet as I like.

I have a lone wolf lock on with sticks and I can get up in a tree 20 times quieter and near as fast as when I use the climber.

I always hang the upper half first. i bang the two pieces together accidentally if i hang the lower half first. also, my rope is always attached between halves. otherwise, i completely agree - have a routine, refine it, and get good at it. i could probably set my old api up quietly with my eyes closed.

if possible, i'll set my climber up the afternoon before a morning hunt just to reduce the noise for the morning.

Repetition is the mother of skill

Iuse mine all the time and have taken maybe 50 deer out of it. I can get in the wood, put it up quit, move around on deer, take most of my scent out when I leaveand play the wind.The sound it dose make climbing tree mustbe natural in the woods. I have a number of times bucks come in to me just as get in the tree are come in when I"m only 1/2 way up the tree. I think they some times they think it sound likea other buck scrapping antlers on a tree and come in to see. I have a old API and a couple of other climbers. I'm not tree stand poor I have a garage full of different portable stands but, alway end up using my clamber 95 % of the time because I move around allot to get shots at bucks and to see them. If I set in one place and see only does are not a thing I move and not wasting my time setting there. If a buck using the run and I don't see him I move closer to his bedding area to get a shot before it gets dark. I love my climber stands and kill lots of buck out of them.

I also have a summit and they are very nice. I agree with the rest of the guys that I would spend the money on a LW just because of how much I use it now. Very comfortable and they are quiet. I hunt both morning and night, never had any problems. You will be happy with results.

I had a doe come in andwalk up to within 10' of me this morning as I was setting up and getting dressed. First time that's ever happened.....and a thrill it was. I've never been that close on the ground.

I've never worried about making too much noise climbing in the morning. You CAN do it quietly. Non issue IMO, so I wouldn't let that sway your decision. I hunt out of climbers about 90% of the time.

Try this with your climber. I tie a bungee cord to the bottom and than just the hook it to the top. Adjust it so you can reach it if it gets away from you.The bungee cord when starched out helps to climb up are even going down.

For as smart and wary as they can be, they can also be incredibly dumb. A few years agoa small buck and two does came along. I shot the buck from my tree stand. He and one doe took off. The other just sort of stood around. She moved off a ways. I was waiting to come down because I didn't want to educate her, but pretty soon I started down. From about 20 yards she watched me lower my bow, get my stuff together, and start my descent. I was about halfway down the tree before she left.

Has happened to me twice this year! I was getting down from a morning sit and all of a sudden a little 1.5 year old ran directly at my tree. I had no idea he was behind me and it scared the crap out of me. He then milled around and finally went back where he came. The other time I just got up in my tree and again another little 1.5 came charging through the brush to look what was making the noise. I have found a tree in the morning cut limbs as I went in the complete darkness and had does and bucks under me as the sun came up. I wouldn't worry too much about noise just scout out the trees you want and take your time and be quiet climbing. I prefer big ol walnut trees, very quiet to climb.