Worn out and LOUD getting in and out. No matter how quiet I try to be... I might as well tie some bells to my gear while I'm at it.

LOL! I know the quieter I try to be, the noiser I end up being. Usually it's a good loud clank, like my metal harness carabiner hitting my climber as I bend over to set it up. Or the top of the climber will fall down and hit the bottom as I mess with the one or the other.

I've kind of given up trying to be quiet. Where I hunt we can't use bright eyes or other markers and my GPS is only good to about 60 ft so I spend a lot of time stomping around in the brush and briars looking for a tree to climb... then I set up and climb. Loudly.

When I feel like being extra noisy, I'll set up my camera arm. There's just no quiet way to crank on a ratchet strap as far as I can tell. ;) (I try... but it's sort of an effort in futility)

Some days I feel stealthy as a cat...and I usually see nothing on those days.

When I sound like a big-footed clown in a room covered with squaeky toys is usually when I kill a nice buck. Go figure.

That one right here, is enough to tick me off to the point of wanting to rip the darn stand off the tree and pack it back to the truck lol.

Last year while climbing down I had the bottom of my stand fall out from under me, thank God I have the top and bottom tied together lol.

I usually don;t worry much about noise until I get near (within 100 yards) to my stand spot, then I try to be quiet. I worry most about the loud, unnatural sounds, like metal-on-metal. I do try pretty hard to keep the clanking to a minimum when I 'm putting up my climbing sticks and stand and getting situated.

I'm surprised no one has come up with a composite material tree stand and climbing sticks. It would be light and much quieter!

This happened on saturday to me right after my Thermacell quit on me, I had this genius idea to use parachute cord and put knots in it well it pulled the knot right through the holes, all this happened with 45mins of getting in the stand so I lowered my bow down the made like a bear and went home, what made i worse wasa when my stand fell I could hear the deer blowing almost like they were laughingThe best thing about a climber is when you put your weight on the top and it slips and you bang your head on the tree. :bash: