Lone Wolf Sit and Climb...One Year Later
 

I've had this stand for about a year now and this season was my first true full season with it. I thought I would pass along my thoughts on the stand as I always see many questions or suggestions about it.

I am going to draw my comparisons based off of my old Summit Cobra X4 stand I used for years.

The bread and butter of this stand is its platform. It's simply the best design i've every used or seen. Extremely quite and very durable. Now, Lone Wolf states it is a "huge, 30 x 19 1/2 platform. This is very misleading. The summit platforms are over 36" in total length, with about 30" of usable platform. Not so with the LW's. The entire length of the platform, from the point where it contacts the tree to the end is 30". You have less usable platform with the LW. But, it is still more than adaquate IMO.

The seat section of this stand, IMO, could be a whole letter better. For one, it measures 17 1/2" wide inside. The Summits are over 20". I am not a big person, 6ft 190lbs, and I feel its a little snug. I will be investing in the new, wider top section for next year.

The stock seat that comes with the 08 and newer stands is OK, but for the money dished out for this stand, its a joke. I sat 3 different times in this seat and promptly put a Summit seat on it.

Climbing, its sure quite. But, there are some things that I do not like. I personally don't use the sit and climb method and use it as a hand climber. The problem I have is, that with your feet positioned under the bars of the platform, you're really close to the tree while your ascending or descending. When I attempt to move the top portion up the tree, I have to step out of the stand and get away from the tree to make room to slide the top section up. Its more of a pain than anything and just something to think about.

Once at height, the way you cinch the top section to the platform is excellent. The LW is extremely secure on the tree, much more so than my Summit, and it was solid as well. Once those two straps are cinched down, and you stand up, you simply can't move that top section.

As others have said, packing the stand in and out is the best out there. It balances like a dream on your back. But, I must say, the stand is smaller than many out there and it should balance and pack better. The bulk of the weight of this stand is in the platform and it hugs your back. I've found that even if you don't fold the stand flat to pack, it doesn't make a lot of difference in feel on your back.

Overall, I really like the stand. There is somewhat of a learning curve to get over with it before you can truly appreciate it. My suggestions to LW would be to scrap the original sit and climb and only produce the wide version as the standard and give us a good seat right out of the box.

For someone who is looking for a hardcore bow hunting stand, and don't mind spending some extra cash to make if comfortable, this is the best out there IMO. But if you're willing to give up some of the portability in favor of comfort, there are many out there at half the price.

I have the wide model. I put a mesh seat on mine. It made it lighter more comfortable, easier to climb with and better for standing up. Now it is a great stand. I also mounted a quiver holder to it and a small storage bag.

I bought my Summit 4 seasons ago, based on my size. My ass wasn't about to get into that LW. Not sure why they just don't put a more comfortable seat on them. That's the complaint I've seen from pretty much every person that has one. Even their ladder stand has a dinky, flimsy, useless seat cushion. For 400 bones, you should get a decent seat.

I have just bought a Lone Wolf Hand Climber this season. Best stand I've had yet compared to Summit.

I've been seriously considering the LW and will likely buy one this year. My reasons for wanting one are they are more silent, they are more adjustable, they can be adjusted while climbing, and they are lighter.

I currently use a Summit Bullet backpacker, but never fold it flat. The stand is ridiculously comfortable, but the slightest metal on metal contact rings out through the woods and makes me cringe. Also when climbing any higher than 15 feet you usually need to adjust the stand as the tree tapers thinner and I cannot find a safe way to do this with the platform. As a result, the stand is very tight on the tree at the lower height and scrapes the bark on the way up making noise. Weight is not a huge issue, but if I'm hiking pretty far in I work up a sweat.

I will likely replace the LW seat with a Summit seat, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for me at this point, and the silence is worth the price.

HuntingBry, I used to adjust my Summit all the time in the tree. I didn't find it all that difficult really. Just put the top section down close to the platform, put my knees on the seat, reach down and adjust it.

The nice thing about the LW's is that you can cinch those straps up and basically, the platform isn't going anywhere. The Summits, if you happen to leave go of the platform...well, you know the rest.

One other thing I failed to mention with the LW that drives me crazy is the cross member on the platform. A lot of my trees are pretty wide at the base, meaning I ahve to put the platform at quite a big of an angle to account for it. The problem is, the cross member will hit the tree, making it almost impossible to pull up the tree with your feet.

I have both the sit n climb and the hand climber, tops. I much prefer the hand climber to the sit n climb.

Muzzy.. I don't use the "bar" while climbing. I put my feet in the traingle created off the sides (where the stand folds) It's much easier to control and doesn't require repositionng of the feet as described.

man you guys really got me flipping back and forth between a LW and a summit.. i cant make up my mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i want a LW but the sole basis of getting a climber was portability, and comfort as my two stand i have now are neither! ... summits are comfy but loud and heavier..

cant someone come up with a Summit-Wolf!

Very nice review, and an honest one as well. Hell, my sit and climb is sooo old (6 years?) it didn't even come with the straps that keep the top and bottom sections together.:s2: I LOVE my LW stands (I've also got an Assault hang-on) and wouldn't hunt from any other. It isn't the biggest platform, but I don't need room enough to break dance on it.:s4:

X2 A real hunters perspective!