always be inspecting your stand always....no matter what brand you buy..and make sure it is attached to the tree properly make sure if you got pins that go through a cable that they are through the loop.wear a harness.just some of the obvious but hey worth mentioning

Either one should do fine for you. Also consider one of the similarly priced Summit stands from Cabelas or other stores.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...t=search_redir

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...t=search_redir

I personally prefer the Summit stands because the mechanism to lock your feet in to climb is much simpler (and more reliable).


Weight may not seem like a big deal, it is when you're dragging a
deer out behind you and carrying your stand (and bow). Also, sometimes in the morning the extra weight can add to the speed at which you start to sweat.

Just a thought.

i think im getting the Viper SS, band new, its just an investment i want to make.

Pass the kool aid. You must be deaf if you can't hear any noise climbing. How about the noise the cam makes closing or the noise it makes attaching to a tree. Or the noise of the belt being inserted... Tons of noise is created using a climber over a fixed stand.

A good choice all be it not a perfect one, there isn't one. What most don't see in a summit is the engineering. The center section is reinforced so much so that it would take a lot for it to crumble. Tough stands but noisier and heavier. Safe! Consider it your first stand with more to come.

You are committing the same mistake most who've fallen have. You think you can buy one, assemble it, make a few runs up a tree and your good to go into the woods in the dark and climb 20' up a tree you've never been in before.

First thing you need to do is learn the best way to pack it that will allow you to stand next to a tree and remove it from your back with the least amount of noise and confusion.

Next you need to be able to attach it to a tree with the same concern and stand on it with all your gear ready not be hauled up.

You need to be able to do all this almost blind and the same over and over forwards and backwards (you are coming down aren't you :)

You then need to get up the tree almost blind but feeling everything and it should always feel the same, if it doesn't somethings wrong and you need to know it quickly. Time isn't important although it should get quicker, noise is.

Once up there you need to be able to secure things off and be very familiar with the size of your base feeling and knowing it's limitations never putting weight on your feet before your brain goes through a check list and confirming that your foot is about to place weight down on it safely. ALL ALMOST BLIND.

You can't do this weeks before the season starts.

And so that you can get done safely what you went out there to do, you need to shot from the stand many times from many different angels so you know your limitations.

If you do these essential things you will most likely never need that harness your wearing and that is how it should be. If you fall the way I see it barring some very rare occurrence your careless and shouldn't ever be in a tree again, you won't show any more concern for wearing a harness that you show in anything else and most likely will suffer serious injury or death.

Did I mention the physical training required to safely use a climber without becoming fatigued and disoriented causing the number one reason people fall and what these instruction seek to kill, confusion. :)

Some trees are very hard and very smooth. Better know your stuff before climbing one of those pop cycles.

Have fun :)

I feel that i will be the safest in the summit, that has a lot to do with it.

LOL - Yes, I am hearing impaired, but not deaf. I stand by my statement of zero noise. Like I stated, last year I had a small herd of deer (all does darnit) walk right up to me as I was climbing. I'm not saying LW is the only good climber on the market - I'm saying it's all about practice & preparation. I'll agree with you on two points: cypress trees are very hard & can be difficult (and a little noisey) to climb. That's why I prefer cabbage palms myself. My climber sticks to it like glue, so yes, tree selection is important. Your other point of physical fitness is even more important. Now that I've been hitting the gym a few times a week, I'm much more agile - therefore quieter - than I was at the beginning of last season. I only pack in exactly what I need & I can set up & climb up or down in total darkness. It's not magic or marketing, just practice. One thing I am considering changing is my fall-arrest system. I saw some nice vest-styles today in the latest RedHead catalogue. I think they would be better than the simple strap systems that manufacturers give away with their climbers.

They are a safe stand if you do your part. People fall down very safe stairs all the time. Your first step out of a tree is a little farther than 7.5 inch's (the distance between one tread and another on a well built stair).

Other stands are safe, lighter and quieter. They are also adjustable, a huge improvement in safety. My older summit isn't I don't know if the new ones are. None are perfect. Whatever. get to know it well. I had a top section crumble and got a first hand education on the need for reinforcing that center section like summit does. I was 3/4 the way up in the dark. As soon as i took the next step I felt the stand give. I stopped and looked it over seeing nothing wrong using my head light, went to climb again and my head said I'd better look closer, it was coming apart.

Instead of loosing my head and climbing down in the dark I got settled as best I could hunted the morning and then came down in the day light watching it come apart with each climb down. I was in control the whole time. Had I not been very familiar with the stand things could've turned out much different.

Yeah, if i died in the stand, i would die happy and at peace.

While the Summit Viper is a safe stand (I have two of them) things can still go wrong. If you haven't used a climber before, listen to what nodog and others are saying and take it to heart. Things can go wrong, especially if you don't know how to use it properly or if you mis-use it.

That might be true, but if a fall from 20-30 feet kills you it won't be a peaceful way to go......