Well, I hate to admit it, but my old Loggy Bayou is getting to the point where it may need to see a retirement after this season. Also, I' d like something with a little more comfort.

I really like the looks of the Summit Viper XLS, but have a couple of questions about it.

One, how difficult is it to shoot out of with a bow? With the bar that wraps around, it looks like you have no option other than stand and shoot. Also, on my Loggy, I have a bowholder on the plateform. Will the wrap around get in the way of my doing this on it? How do you guys situate your bow with this stand?

One last thing, weight. I' m spoiled by my loggy right now as it weighs a mere 12 lbs. Do you think the extra couple pounds are noticeable?

Thanks for all your imput in advance guys. I have been dreading buying a new stand for a year now, but I think its time to make the switch to something more comfy.

I have the cobra it is the same as the viper except it dosent have the rail around the front. Yes I do believe you will notice the weight difference. My last stand weighed 25 pounds and my cobra weighs 17. I noticed a big difference between the two. But I would still say to go get one of them. good luck

I have a viper and it is the best stand by far ive ever owned, but i dont think you could use a bowholder and it would be difficult to shoot while setting, i usually stand. You might want to check into the summits that fold down to carry, and if you go with a bushmaster or i believe cobra you wont have to worry about the bar...
if your only use to 12lbs then i would try to get the lightest summit they have because yes you will notice more weight...
good luck, and im sure you will like the summits....

On the viper you will have to stand, on the Cobra you may or may not, depending on where the deer is in relation to the open front. Also, if you get one, the closer the seat is to the platform, the better. I have the API Bowhunter (will eventually get a Summit) that is very similar to the Cobra, and broke my bottom limb when shooting at a buck that was 15 yards away, since the bottom cam hit the metal portion on the side of the stand. If the seat was closer to the foot platform, I would have stood higher and had enough clearance and not had that happen to me.

i have a viper xls and you do have to stand to shoot, it is quiet and comfortable, i catch a few z' s in it and don' t have any fears of falling out. i also put a bow holder on mine, mounted it so it was to the outside of the bar. oh yeah get the foot rest,it really makes a difference in comfort.

I sort of disagree about the standing. I have the goliath which is the larger version of the viper. I think it depends on the kind of bow. I have a mathews q2 and I can shoot to the left and front without standing. When I' m sitting with my arm extended in the drawn position, the limbs of my bow clear the stand. If you had a long bow then you could not shoot from the sitting position.
My stand is about 24 pounds and it carries well but you would tell a difference between it and a 12 pound stand. I might add, the summits are extemely comfortable and safe.