Been considering buying a 16-20ft ladder stand for deer / bear hunting. Anyone have any tips on what to buy? What stands do you recomend, or which ones should I stay away from. Any input would be appreciated!

just get the cheap ones from wally world they hold up fine for me

just stick with a name brand and don't alter it! and you won't have any problems..i just picked up a couple of loggy bayou's that i'm going to use as displays and for youth events ...

we took the basic design of the cheaper stands and built our own for about 1/3 the price. simple and easy to do if you have the means and welding equipment to do it. also strong thicker metal and bigger platforms to sit/stand on. but cheap wally world stands arent that bad either.

I got some cheap 16' ers at bass pro when they were having a sale for like $50 they are all I need, the only thing I found I didnt like was they didnt have side rails, (I find that an elbow rest makes sitting all day alot easier) so I made some.

That's the only thing that really matters to me. I dont' see the need for purchasing a top of the line ladder stand. 16 feet with a seat is the same no matter what brand name is on it. I do however prefer to have the side rails on them. I'm a little more comfortable for some reason when I'm sitting with something "holding me in" so to speak. It makes it much easier to stay on stand all day. I bought a couple Remmingtons at Bass Pro on a clearance sale for $75 each. They are really comfortable with a lot of room and a big platform to stand on.

This a 15 footer $99.99,that Bass Pro will have on special sometimes for $59.99.