[butcherboy]

hi, i was at walmart last night and saw they had an Ameristep 2 person ladder treestand for $108 with 2 harnesses. has anyone herd of this brand or used them. or should i avoid at all cost.

i am budget minded but saftey comes first.

thanks for any help or suggestions.

[jbkebert]

Ameristep is a decent company. The stands tey make are pretty plain jane and a little less comfortable than say Lone Wolf or Summit. If the stand is cared for and taken out of the woods every year and stored in the garage and placed at the beginning of season. They will last a very long time. TMA treestand manufactures association recommends this for any stand regaurdless of brand anyway.

I have met the president of Ameristep and he is a fine gent. A very gracious man who does alot of good for hunter education. I use several of their products in classes and a couple for my personal use.

[WayBeau]

Ameristep is a good company. As long as you follow the directions in putting it up and don't cut corners you'll be perfectly safe. Wear your harness!!! You never know what can happen.

[ohiomossyoak]

Fair price for a fair stand...I use one..I wouldnt think of putting 2 adults in one though

[butcherboy]

ohiomossyoak: i hunt alone. just like the idea of the extra room for hunting gear and the larger foot platform. i was also looking at single person treestands for about $80 so for a little extra i figured id get a 2 seater.

im going to the mart tomorrow so if they have any instock i'll take a closer look.

[41 Mag]

I have 4 of them and they are a hoot for me and the grandsons to use. I have 2 of them mounted with only the first section of ladder on so that it just gets us up over the grass tops and stabilizes it. I added one of those burlap wraps that Wally World sells for about $10 with ty-wraps around the front and it only allows your head to be seen.

I also went over to Lowes and purchased a several gallons of their 25yr exterior paint blended to match the undergrowth a bit better than the powder coating they use. I sprayed them with two coats when I took them out of the boxes, and it has lasted four years so far with no signs of rust.

The other two I use for bow hunting and they are plenty nice. The rail is good to lay the bow across or use for a rifle rack when hog hunting. I also swapped out the narow 1" straps for some 2" with loops on the ends like these,
2-heavy-duty-ratchet-strap-with-loops (http://www.lodimetals.com/2-heavy-duty-ratchet-strap-with-loops)

They give plenty of support and a bit of added protection against the limb rats that like to nibble on stuff. Once in place, we have had two adults in it that were 200# ea, and didn't have any issues. Just be sure to secure the bottom of the ladder with the brace, and it is also a REAL good idea to add on some of the foot pads that you can pick up from Sportsmansguide or build something similar yourself.
ameristep-ladder-stand-leveler-kit ("http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ameristep-ladder-stand-leveler-kit)

Also as mentioned, DO NOT LEAVE THE GROUND WITHOUT YOUR HARNESS ON. If you don't like the ones that come with the stands, which are sufficient but not user friendly at times, then get one of the vest type systems, and make sure you, or anyone hunting the stands use it. It is a small investment in keeping your family members, or worse you, from finding you or your kids in a crumpled pile, injured or worse.

Not trying to push the gloom and doom thing but have known several folks who went out hunting and had to be found in a similar fashion. It's not a good thing.

[303tom]

Never hunted from a stand or blind , I am a face to face kind of guy !