How noisy are climbing tree stands?
 

I want to buy my own treestand becuase our homemade ones are, well unreliable. So i decided i would like something along the lines of a tree stand. I only have two concerns with them.

#1 how noisy are they to get up and climb up the tree and such?

#2 how long does it take to climb up and down from it?

Here is one I am looking at, i have a price range up to $135

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...292572.2292573

Thanks.

My Lone Wolf makes absolutly ZERO noise when climbing. More than once I've climbed a tree and during the asent I've seen deer & hogs walking a short distance away - they never knew I was there. Only bad thing about LW is the price $$$. How long it takes to climb depends on your conditioning & how organized you are. Last year I was out of shape & new to climbing, so it took me 20 minutes to get up & in position. This last weekend it only took half that long. Mine is a hand climber so you have to have SOME fitness anyway, & if you have all your stuff organized & are familiar with it, setup time is pretty quick. With enough practice you should be able to setup & climb in total darkness with no flashlight.

I've had several top brands of climber and I hated every one of them. I have a Lone Wolf now. I hate it also. I just hate climbers period. Yes they are good to have and you can be more mobile. There is some noise getting them unpacked and placed on the tree and there is some noise climbing and you may have to saw limbs at times. I also hate getting hot packing it in and then climbing with it. I don't like setting it up in the dark or packing it up in the dark. I like to slip in and out as quietly as I can and climber make it hard to do.

With all that said they have good points and bad points and you just have to decide if they are right for you. They are inconvenient to me but they do give you the mobility factory that can help you hunt in a new area. If you can hunt from a fixed stand I would but if you need to move around more or hunt public then the climbers will pay off for you.

One thing with that one you'll have to watch out for is the seat rubbing the tree and yourself as well.

After using a climber a few times and getting better at judging the diameter of the tree, you'll be able to climb up quietly in 10-15 min.

Most of the time, you make noise getting iton the tree and off your back. I use climbers 80% of the time. It really gives me advantage in the lease I am on with the other guys who are scared to climb.

I usually can hear somone actively climbing 50 yards away. I hear folks whining and cryin all the time about using a climber, and really don't know what the big deal is. We hike sometimes a mile or more in and use em.

Okay well im 15 and am in shape, so hopefully that wont be a problem.

They are quiet enough that I've had deer come by while I was going up the tree with them...Being familiar with the stand and having a good headlight so you can setup quietly is the secret...

The problem with that one you are looking at is it's 31 pounds, that's too heavy...That's also why it's so cheap, wait until you can afford a good stand instead of buying twice...

I've got 2 API Grand Slam Suprem Magnums and they only weight 21-22 pounds...I'm betting that stand is made of steel, not aluminum...

It takes me about 15 minutes to go up, with safety harness on and get setup, unless I have to cut a few limbs on the way up...I'm on the ground in less than 10...

Have to agree with this. I first had a warrensweet piece of garbage.

I see on craigslist all the time summit vipers, and API welded climbers for 100 or less. I myself love the vipers best.

AS has been stated, with some practice, you can get a climber off your back, attached to a tree, and climb pretty quietly. I've also had deer come by as I was climbing, and not even notice me, as well as having them come by very shortly after I got situated. Coming down is just as easy and quick. I've got an old Summit viper that still works good.
As far as cutting tree limbs, I use the same trees on our farm from season to season, and usually the tree limbs don't grow quick enough that they need cut more than the first time I climb a particular tree.

I workout for football enough that i want it to be heavy so i get stronger, haha. But i am planing to set it up in one spot and leave it there and climb it. But i want to be able to move it.

The noise isn't always bad. Over the years I have had many bucks show up just after I climbed up or down, and a few times during a climb. Maybe they think a buck is thrashing a tree - ?? Someone needs to make a heavy duty deer-rub call, lol. I've tried "rubbing" with my rattling antlers, and it just doesn't carry the sound volume.

-fsh

If you want to leave it in one spot I would go the hang on route. There is no need in climbing up and down the same tree every time when you can have steps and stand already in place. You can still move it when you want. Also a stand that heavy will make you sweat alot. This may be good for football but not deer hunting.

The least amount of intervention the better. If you hunt the same place every time and make the extra noise of going up and down you will have more deer pattern you and will see fewer deer. The advantage of a climber would be being mobile and moving around so the deer will not pattern you and changing as the deer do. By hunting the same spot with a climber I believe you will do more harm than good.

I was getting ready to say the same thing. Last season i was climbing and got about half way up and a big buck came running in grunting right under my tree. I could see what he was cause it was dark but he was large. Then i was almost at the top and another big buck came through grunting. I was always kinda worried about climber noise but after that morning im not so worried anymore.

i mean like a over night thing, when i bow hunt its usually a sat/sun thing. so i would like to move it.

gonna have to look into that one becuase its lighter than my dad's ameristep grizzly and tyhe price looks good too

Climbers will make some noise climbing, but I have had deer come by within 30 minutes of settling down into the stand.

For climbing pre-dawn, a headlamp is a must.

I would highly advise you to get a ratchet strap. I always lock in the top of my climbing stand with a ratchet strap, even if the bark seems to grab well. When you are positioning yourself for a shot is not the time you want the top of you climbing stand to shift.

If you only have a budget of 135 bucks your going to be hard pressed to find a good quality one at that price. I use the new Summit Viper's and there almost 300. But the are worth every penny.

I raised my price range for a treestand so it wasnt so heavy and i came up with this one, It is 21 pounds and seems to be good, whats you opinion, i am having a hard time chosing between the upgraded version here are the two.

$229 "Extreme"

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...292572.2292573

$199 Standered

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=4286154

Climber Stands
 

I raised my price range for a treestand so it wasnt so heavy and i came up with this one, It is 21 pounds and seems to be good, whats you opinion, i am having a hard time chosing between the upgraded version here are the two.

$229 "Extreme"

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...292572.2292573

$199 Standered

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=4286154

Thanks.

I sure wouldn't buy brand new.

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/spo/1834692574.html

They are everywhere under 150 dollars

my dad has an ameristep grizzly climber, about 37lbs, its a good $120 stand, i have heard a lot of people use them too because they are cheap, i am 15 also and not in the best shape and even i think its not too heavy, the only time i wouldnt ever use it is when im hunting an area with a lot of walking or hills

no, i want to buy new becuase im planning to keep it for 10-15 years, so i want new.

Do they wear out?:eek2:

just saying, my dads grizzly is $120 new

It might wear out, but i consider 5 years good.

I have an older Loggy Bayou (however you spell it) stand and climber that I use for gun hunting and I do generate a considerable amount of noise regardless of how careful I am. In any case, they seem to forget the disruption shortly afterwads, return and resume whatever they were doing right near the stand just as they were before I set up. I just posted something similar about this in the White tail section. Making less noise certainly will not hurt, but a little noise with a little time behind it seems to be okay for me. Wind and scent then become the big issue I think.

i dont feel like noise is determing if a buy one anymore, just which one.

How noisy are climbing tree stands??????
 

For a newbie, as loud as can be made by one inexperienced and who never climbed a tree before. The swan dive from twenty feet can be real loud - all the way to the ground.

Any newbie, contemplating using a tree stand for hunting, I would recommend the following.

Read all the accompanying company information of safe use of the tree stand - and memorize it. Too much can be forgotten on the hunt, the first few times.
Use the tree stand for practice and not for hunting, the first couple of times. It's a little better for newbies to practice going up a tree, four or five feet and then coming down. Then repeat the process. Then, after a awhile practice at 20 feet.

It is a lot harder when you screw up the process at 20 or 25 feet, if you never have done it before.

not very noisy at all. i use several different summit climbers. climbing is quick and eficient once you do it a few times. like clock work.

if you take your time while climbing it should be quiet..i find that if i attach the bottom platform tightly to my feet it works better than say the stirrups at least for me ...i like using the staps around my feet to the stand i feel like it gives me better control of the platform and feels more secure to my feet..

watch scraping the tree or dragging the stand up the side of the tree.lots of noise. i have ol man climber,summit climber,and two old hunters view hawk climbers...the hawks for $99 were my best buy of the three, they are heavy like over30 something pounds..all three do a great job..

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......