Topic: The Best Tree Stands of 2022 (Read 43 times)
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Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
The chair on the Millenium is like sitting 20 feet up in one of the best camping chairs.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
Millennium is known for their great seats, so it shouldn’t be surprising that we unanimously picked the M150 Monster as the most co*fortable. It’s the type of stand you can nap in and actually get quality sleep. The seat is mesh and has just the right give for co*fort. It has a slight recline, and the straps act as nice armrests. The M150 has a footrest for added co*fort. One drawback of the seat is that it isn’t the easiest to stand up from. Getting up takes effort because your butt sits lower than your knees in the stand, but that’s also why it’s so co*fortable.
If you like lots of space, this is your stand. Its giant platform allows you to leave the seat down and still have plenty of standing room. The large platform isn’t just about co*fort. The extra real estate made it easy to shoot nearly 360 degrees in the stand with a bow because you can stand away from the tree for shots behind the stand. The downside of the long platform is that it has more bounce than a shorter stand. From the ground, the movement was obvious, but it’s barely noticeable when you’re in the stand.
To hang the stand, you first strap the receiver to the tree and then slide the stand onto the receiver. The receiver is a genius method for hanging a large stand, and it eliminates the need to hold a nearly 20-pound stand with one arm while you secure the strap with the other. Instead, you just drop it into the receiver and finish securing the stand.
This is the ultimate stand for co*fort, and it’s also a great stand for introducing new hunters to treestands because of its large platform.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
At half the price of ultralight hang-on stands, the Hawk Helium Pro is a great value for its weight.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
The Hawk Helium Pro is a 12-pound stand and a good option for mobile hunting with a few modifications. First, we’d remove the adjustable footrest because we found the seat can get caught in it during setup, and it’ll cut some weight. We’d also suggest upgrading the backpack straps—they’re pretty Spartan. You can buy padded aftermarket straps for under $50 from several providers.
The Helium was fast to hang, although a little noisy, and only uses one cam-buckle strap to connect to the tree. The strap connects to the stand with plastic-coated metal hooks, which help cut noise. We found the platform and seat leveler very easy to use and took just seconds to adjust. We had some difficulty getting the Helium Pro tight to the tree because it wouldn’t bite the tree well and cam-locking didn’t help much either. That’s likely why we noticed more movement while standing and shooting from the helium than other stands. It does have a nice roomy platform with good grip.
The seat cushion is thick and co*fortable for half-day hunts, but it is foam so you probably don’t want to leave it out for an entire season.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
The Summit Viper Level Pro SD is a refined climber that’s silent on the ascent and co*fortable while you hunt.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
There’s a lot to like about the Summit Level Viper Pro SD, but one area it struggles in is packing. During the packing test, we found the straps co*fortable while standing still, but as soon as we started walking the elastic in the straps amplified any stand movement, and you can feel the stand bounce as you walk. Another issue was the size of the stand. It doesn’t collapse flat and sticks out significantly, which is something you have to be aware of as you navigate the woods. The good part is that the stand was quiet while walking, and the seat acted as a lumbar pad for extra co*fort.
Climbing with the Level Viper Pro SD was easy, thanks to a few smart features. The cables adjust to the right length easily and quietly. Instead of straps for your feet, the Summit uses plastic stirrups which give you a solid grip on the stand. And the teeth bite exceptionally well into the tree, making for a stable climb. The climbing time on the Level Viper Pro SD was fairly slow at 3 minutes because we had a hard time disengaging each stand section from the tree as we climbed, which resulted from the teeth biting the tree so well. After the climbing test though we figured out a technique for overco*ing that issue. Instead of lifting straight up to move the platform, pull straight out to disengage the teeth, then pull up.
Once at hunting height, the Summit won us over. “You can’t get any better for rock solid stability,” Billy said. The stand felt like it was part of the tree and it was very co*fortable to stand and shoot from. You will run into interference issues from the bar if you’re using a recurve or longbow. The stand’s seat is roomy and co*fortable, but we think the arm rests are too high to be usable. Another nice feature of the stand are the levelers on both stand pieces that allow you to turn a dial to micro adjust the level.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
The Ol’ Man Alumalite was easier to maneuver with through thick brush and cover than the Summit, thanks to its weight distribution and slim profile.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
If your hunt starts with a one mile hike, then the Ol’ Man Alumalite CTS is the best climbing tree stand for you. We were impressed with how well this stand packed. It folds down flat and has a narrow profile, so it won’t be wider than most hunter’s shoulders. And because the stand sits close to your body it feels lighter and maneuvers well. You can improve the packability by adding padded straps and an additional bungee to secure the cables.
While we loved carrying the stand, getting it on the tree and ready to climb wasn’t a walk in the park. There’s a few design flaws that slow down the process and make it a lot noisier. One of the main ones is that the cables slide into a tube and are secured with a pin. Matching the hole in the stand to the hole in the cable takes a little trial and error. But once you get it all adjusted, it climbs quickly. In fact it was twice as fast as the Summit for climbing.
At hunting height, we liked the stand’s seat and considered it to be plenty co*fortable for an all-day sit. But, the handrails tighten down when you sit, so it might not be co*fortable for a larger hunter. Also, if you have anything on your belt like a knife or fanny pack, it will get caught in the handrails when you stand.
Key Features
Why It Made the Cut
This ladder stand assembles easily and is stable and co*fortable to hunt from.
Pros
Cons
Product Description
All of us in the test group are mobile hunters, but we never pass up an opportunity to hunt from a ladder stand. The nice seats and easy climb make them a luxury. But, we’ve also all climbed rickety ladder stands with metal seats and no padding. The Hawk Bighorn is definitely not rickety or unco*fortable, and after testing, we think it’s one of the best options in ladder stands.
