How is everyone doing i am looking at new treestands and i am thinking about the summit python xls i like the footrest/shooting rail feature on it has anybody used one or own one?
If so what do you think of it?
Thanks alot

Haven't seen the python, but the Viper I bought this year has been awesome. It's a dream to carry compared to my old stand and when I'm climbing it's absolutely great. once you get the lower platform up there and put some weight on it, it's set. my old stand would wigle around, this one doesn't wiggle at all. I'm sure the Python is similar.

David

Summit makes a great stand but I prefer the Ol'man line. If your looking for the versatility of using a footrest, wrap around bar or a shooting rail check into the new Ol'man. In my opinion the Ol'man packs and climbs easier than the Summit line but alot of guys swear by them on this site. After using both, I like the Ol'man.

I like my summits. they are very comfortable, stable and quiet. Ol'man stands are nice, but I prefer the Summits. I guess you can call me the "anti Rob"

I have a viper and love it!!! You can sit in that stand all day long, if it takes that long[8D].

I am a new Summit Viper owner, and I have to say that I have been a little bit frustrated with it. I bought mine on September 12th and have used it maybe 8 times so far.

They are very comfortable, but there are some draw backs that I have found that annoy me in the morning when I'm trying to set it up. The first are the three hooks on the two bungee cords that on this thing. There are two hooks on the bungee that attaches the seat back to the tree and one on the bungee that you use for locking you feet into the stirrups. They simply get caught on everything while you're trying to unpack it and get it set up. I am constantly fighting those things and cussing them under my breath as I try to get it packed or unpacked. The climbing cables are nice, but they bend in every direction with equal ease, so trying to get them wrapped around the tree and grabbing them on the other side can be a bit of a chore, because they want to bend downward and not necessarily swing easily around the tree. Maybe I was spoiled with the old metal band of my Loggy. It only flexed one way so getting it to swing around the tree was a breeze.

The other small complaint I have shouldn't really be a complaint, because it speaks to their safety, but the 'V' bars grip so well into the tree that you sort of have to fight it sometimes (probably 50% of the time or more) to get it to let go of the tree while you're climbing. After wrestling with the hooks in the early morning, this is the sort of thing that just pushes me closer to the edge of frustration.

However, when I finally get it up in the tree and sit down, I start to forget about my frustration as I sit in a seat more comfortable than many chairs in my house.

That's my 2 cents. I was hoping that the Viper would be my last treestand, but I don't know if that's the case or not. The bad part about buying treestands any more is that there are few places that will actually let you 'test drive' a couple. They're all hanging up on a pole in the show room and all you can do is look at them.

-Brad

PS. One other small frustration is that the climbing cables stick out from your back and below your butt as you're backpacking the thing, and if you're hunting rough terrain with a lot of deadfall, small saplings, thick brush, etc. they tend to get caught on this stuff every now and then, yanking you backwards and throwing you off balance.

I've checked out both the ole man and the Summit's and both seem to be very well built and comfortable stand's.Bass pro is set to open here in Toronto [1 hr drive] in the next couple of week's and I'll be checking out the summit's a little closer .But it seem's alot of guy's use the Summit's on this site and I haven't heard of too many complaint's .

nubo

Thanks alot fellows i am going to cabelas this sunday to check them out but i liked the python because it has the footrest that moves up and down so that it could be used as a gun rest also.
Thanks again for the info

I've got a couple of stands , but on my sit and climb I just looped a length of rope loosely from one side to the other, a type of homemade foot rest that doubles as a deer drag and didn't cost anything.

Summiot and Ol man both make great stands. I've had both.

For the money though....check out North Starr. That's my preference for the entire pkg for the price. I have the Arrow Starr.