I usually climb between 15 amd 20 ft. Like others have measured by the pull rope. I really dont like heights at all. Some times i only climb 10ft because I'm on top of a ridge and it offered the best line of sight and clearest shooting lane. I promise that you'll never catch me 40ft up in a tree. Buddy of mine is always spouting off about climbing 30ft etc. All the times he's been hunting with me I've only seen him climb once which was pretty funny because he called me and asked if I'd come pick his bottom half of his climber and putnit back in the tree for him he said he was sitting there hunting and he was using the end of his climber to scrath his leg and it fell off and that he was way up in the tree. I get there and standing on the ground(I'm 5'10") pick his bottom half up and stick it in the tree. I never said a word about him being "way up there"