i have had the problem you described with other stands but never with my Summit Goliath. it is plenty wide enough to stand up and sit down without it losing any grip...even with a fanny pack on. i always tie my top and bottom pieces together just in case. my Tree Lounge is notorious for the bottom portion losing it's grip but never has my Summit. i have sat in the Equilizer and Summit's and i prefer the Summit's. not only in comfort but in price. if i pay what Equilizer wants for a stand...it better come with a toilet and micro fridge:eek2:

stand
 

I had one years ago, when they first came out. I had to send it back, the leveling crank broke while I was up a tree.:s10: They offerd to give me a new one and said that the manufacture of the crank did something wrong and that it has been fixed now, but I didnt want to try that again right then. The ones they have now look great, and I think if they did cost so much I would try it again.

Equalizer Tree Stands
 

Boys, I bought one two years ago and let me tell you, I love it. I always had t rouble g etting in the other climbers because of the steep angle you had to put them on the tree to compensate for the decreasing trunk size as you ascended. Now I can put it on level and go right up. I usually go up about 20 feet and only have to make adjustments about three times on the way up. It is quiet. There is no noise in the cranking device. This is the first stand I have had with cables and the cables are quiet and easy to put on the tree. I am quite comfortable taking a short nap in this and have done so on many occasions. Of course I have the rails on mine which are optional. I think you will enjoy it. I haven't had any breakages to mine yet. Happy hunting.

I did not read this entire thread. HCH I thought you knew I had one. I've had one for 4 or 5 years now. Love it. Lighter than my LW with 4 sticks. Very, very comfortable. Use it for the rut when all day sits are in order. Customer service is 1st rate bar none. I have broken 2 crank handles in the time I have owned it, most recently this year and they shipped new ones to me free of charge. Wish they were made out of alumium instead of plastic. I now remove the cranks and install them at the base of the tree and I put them on so they crank from the outside of the stand, much easier to work them then from the inside. I had an extra Summit sling seat and modified that to fit the stand. Equalizer's sling seat was too hard. One of the best climbers if not the best.
I just saw how old this thread was and that I replied to it a few years ago. LOL. Pretty much said the same thing then as I just did above.

Worpion....I have the Summit 180 Max with the surround seat and it is the most comfortable stand I have, a little heavy but that's the trade off.

I just replaced the shrink wrap on my Summit cables before the season but they still make some noise. So my questions are:

I'm a big guy, 6' 4" 270 pounds and I would like to know if this stand will be too small for me.

How quiet is the stand while setting the cables?

How tight does the stand pack and does it make any noise while going to your hunting area?

When packed, does the stand set upright without tipping? My Summit often will tip over when packed if the cables are not run into the stand far enough.

For those that have this stand, is the optional rail worth it or would you skip it. I will primarily use the Equalizer (Should I pull the trigger) for bow season.

For Worpion. With the surround seat, how well does the stand pack?

Thanks to everyone and sorry for the long post but I have no place I can go to see this stand in person.

The stand is tight when packed what i do is i take the seat off and bungie it to the stand and put it on when i get it to my area it does not take long to install.