Climbingstand and Gear

I will share my tricks....
I also have a summit climber. I bought the custom bags that fit on the climber rail. I put my gear in the climber bags. Any extra gear or clothing I need go in my pack and I attach it with carabiners.
I zip tied a carabiner to my rail with a sturdy tie. I clip my pack carry strap to that.

I also used self tapping screw to attack old school gun rack hangers to the front of my rail. Either my gun or my bow will hang in the gun rack hooks.
My climber is pretty customized.

Can't give any firsthand experience since we don't use climbing stands, appear to be cumbersome and dangerous. We use permanent stands and have some of the same issues as to where to put everything once in the stand. If you're setting up the stand and leaving it for a few weeks this might work.....if setting up and taking down everyday might not.

Have two or three at every stand, use them for backpacks, bows, guns, and gear.

All of my stands (ladder and climber) have a rope attached. I tie my small backpack and gun or bow to it, then once I am up the tree I pull my stuff up. My pack gets attached by undoing the fastex shoulder strap and running it through the rail then re-snapping it. But before I start messing with gear, I strap my safety harness to the tree. My climber is "old school", so I carry extra nuts and bolts for it, in case I drop one in the leaves in the dark. I also paint the hardware orange so I can find it if I drop a piece.

FL-NC said:

I also paint the hardware orange so I can find it if I drop a piece.

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Good tip, thanks.

If you hunt private land with permission use ladder stands. I hunted several pieces of land using ladder stands that I made from old aluminum straight ladders. I would leave them chained to the tree sometimes for years. I would do my scouting before season and if I wanted I could move them around anytime, no big deal. If you don't have to worry with carrying, setting up your stand it sure makes a big difference.

Summit viper is a nice stand. I have one and outfitted it with the bags from summit. It also has a 3rd hand archery bow hanger on it. I've since moved onto a lone wolf that packs easier and weighs less. This I simply hook a back pack on.
On private land the screw in hangers work great. On public these may be illegal. I have a 3rd hand archery strap that goes around the tree and has hooks to hang gear off of.
Those rubber coated metal cored twist ties can be useful also.
One other thing I find of use, each climber has a pull up rope permanently attached to the top portion.

ETA; I replaced the viper seat with a hazemore mesh seat. Slides out of the way when you stand up, weighs less and not as bulky.

bsparker said:

where do you tie onto the rifle when bringing it up to the stand? I’ve only used with bow so far, but don’t want to bang up either as they raise off or lower down onto the ground.

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Pull it up with a rope. Little story here. - I hunted ladder stands for years. I used my Remington 700 with a sling for 35 years. I would sling it over my shoulder going up. At the top I would take off the sling untill I was ready come down. Most the time I would leave the gun loaded as I climbed down because I liked to walk around the woods a little to see where the deer were moving or if I could scare one up. I didn't want to take the time to load and unload. I had done that for many years. One day I was ready to leave. I put the sling back on my gun. Again, intending to walk around I just slung the gun over my shoulder "Still Loaded ". I started down the ladder. Second step down I felt the sling slide down my should. In a split second I knew what was happening, looked down to see my gun falling butt first. The barrel pointing straight at my rear end. Apparently I did not close the quick release on the sling. I tightened my grip on my stand, closed my eyes waiting for what I knew was going to happen. I could hear my gun hit and fall over. It did not go off. When I got down I found the trigger guard was bent in against the trigger. But, the safety held. I hunted many more years Using my Rope to pull my gun up and down.

bsparker said:

where do you tie onto the rifle when bringing it up to the stand? I’ve only used with bow so far, but don’t want to bang up either as they raise off or lower down onto the ground.

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I use a snaplink/carabiner. On a rifle I snap it to the sling, on my xbow I snap it to the foot cocking stirrup. To prevent banging on the tree, I hold the rope out at arms length when raising it or lowering it. When lowering it, I just let it down a few inches at a time GENTLY, so I'm setting the rifle/xbow down on the ground VS dropping it.

I have a decent size fanny pack. It’ll hold, bingos, water, etc.
When I’m carrying my climber I wear it on my front. Worked for years w/o an issue. Extra jacket goes on the climber.

There is a gentleman on YouTube, Jason Samkowiak, who does traditional bow hunting and outdoors podcast
He has some excellent videos covering what you’re asking

I often leave my stand on the tree overnight and come back before light the next morning. To make it easier to find,I use pieces of reflective tape on each side of the frame. Also,even on private land,a sturdy cable and padlock ensures it will be there when I return. I use a large carabiner on my backpack to hook to rope loops on either side of my climber,so I can fasten it quietly and keep it close. Warm clothes stay in the pack until I’m up,and settled,so I don’t sweat walking in and climbing. I use a set of ATV gun holders to keep the gun handy and lock it in when I’m climbing. I don’t screw anything into the tree,as I usually climb pine trees and don’t like the sap on my clothes. Be sure to have a short,sturdy piece of rope connecting the top and bottom sections of your stand,it REALLY sucks to lose the bottom halfway up the tree,and always use a safety harness,it sucks even worse to fall out. I also use a small umbrella made for tree stands when it rains,it’s much better than just a rain suit. Keep your phone with you,you can use it to record coordinates if you want to hunt the same place later,and to call for help if you get hurt,but keep it on vibrate. Binoculars,camera,lunch,water and a compass are good to have in the pack,as I often stay up all day.

Been using climbing stands for 20 years. The mobility of a climbing stand is second to none. The only issue (sometimes) is finding a good tree. I keep a folding in my pack for trees that are just right but have a few limbs in the way. But I’ve learned location is not important than height. I bet I kill 80%-90% of the deer from my stand under 15ft up the tree.

I use a 30ft piece of brown or black paracord tied to the top frame of my stand (Summit Razor) with a dog chain swivel tied to it. When I approach the tree I want, I set my bow on the ground, set up the stand, and attach the swivel to the D-loop on my bow. Backpack goes in the seat. Crawl in the stand and start to climb. When I reach my desired height, I attach my backpack to the right side of the top frame of the climber (this acts as extra camouflage), and start pulling my bow up. Unhook the bow, knock an arrow, and set it in the bow hanger attached on the left side of the top frame of the stand. Take the paracord, roll it up, and set in in the seat. Now I can set down. Sounds like a lot. Takes about 45 seconds to a minute from the time I stop climbing until I’m sitting down to hunt. Now I pull out my range finder and mark a few noticeable trees at different ranges.

When I see a deer, I quickly scan for others. If deer aren’t staring directly at me, I reach for my bow, stand up, and attach my release.

Couple more tips...

Leave your backpack unzipped enough to get your arm in it.

Always make sure someone knows where you are. But this is a general rule we as hunters should always follow.

Make sure the top frame of your stand is tethered to the bottom frame. This is a must. In 20 years I’ve only had one issue in a climber. And it was my fault. I didn’t tether the frames together. Luckily I was only up about 12 feet. Never again. No problems since.

*Important* Climbers take a little practice to learn to set up. Pay attention to how the tree narrows when you get to one. If the tree narrows a lot, you will need to increase the angle of your stand when attaching it to the tree so that when you get up there, your stand isn’t leaning forward or tilting down. Trees are almost never the same diameter at the base as they are at 10-15ft. Or 30 for that matter.

I have a Summit Titan that is my primary climbing stand. To make it more comfortable and convenient to pack in and out I changed the webbing they used for shoulder straps with the straps and waist-belt from a USMC ILBE pack and use carabiners to attach my pack to the stand. For comfort and security in the stand I added the Summit footrest, mounts for my rifle and bow, and 3rd Hand Archery stabilizer straps (absolutely the best investment).

For raising and lowering my bow or rifle, I attach the bow or rifle to my pack using a cinch strap and carabiner then raise them up using a rope. I also carry another cinch strap with flat hooks (I think that is the right name for them) on it to allow me to hang stuff on the tree. I keep the cinch straps and ropes in a claymore bag that is attached to the stand but one of the bags made for the sides would work just as well.

bsparker said:

thanks for this idea, might still work since I will use the same trees in a couple spots. Albeit climbing each time I arrive.

I Had planned on buying lock-ones, but have access to 4 properties and was seeing the costs adding up quickly. This came up at a great price, I couldn’t pass up. I was a bit hesitant with the climber, also. Once up and strapped in, having the seat being fully enclosed with an “arm” rest makes it feel pretty safe. I also strap the top portion to the tree which leaves almost no movement.

I hope to add some lock ons to the mix, but wanted to start with something I could use anywhere.

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Check out the Hunter's View climbers. They are similar to the Summit Vipers but are made of steel and cost 1/2 the price. I have 3 and have used them for several years. They are solid, easy to walk up a tree and comfortable. The only caveat is their weight. The last ones that I have seen were on Sportsman's Guide.

P.S. I still wear my Hunter's Safety Harness though.