Hang on or Climber?

I am looking at a new tree stand next year and my summit viper just isnt cutting it. Its a good stand but just not what I'm looking for when it comes to bow hunting. I think I have it narrowed down to the Lone Wolf but not sure if I want a Hang on with sticks or a climber.

Ive done some research and watched some videos and I really like the options I have with the Hang on. My only draw back is I still think a climber would be faster to set up and take down. What are some of your experiences? I hunt mostly swamps and drainage areas on high pressured land, by high pressure I mean Soldiers training 24/7 and the normal weekend hunting crowd deer, small game ,etc..

For me a climber. I use a Lone Wolf Sit & Climb with a Hazmore net seat for my hit & run set up. The only drawback would be finding a climbable tree in the spot you want to hunt. In Bama it is very rare that you don’t.

I'm certainly no expert on treestands. I sold my climber years ago. This year I got a hankerin to buy me a hang on.
I do not have the experience with treestands like a lot of guys on this site, I've hunted on the ground 90% of the time.
So take what I say as just my opinion.
I think a hang on is good for preset stands but that is just me because I like things simple. I have my nephew's Summit Viper but I haven't used it because it is 25 lbs not counting my pack, it does have a ft rest.
I hunt public land.
For me, walkin in 3/4 of a mile to 2 miles that's too much weight.
Not that I cant do it physically, it's just that I dont want to deal with it.
The Summit Open Shot is the climber my son has and imo..it's hard to beat at 15lbs, I've used it some and it just works better for me. With my pack I'm carrying a total of 25 lbs at the very most.
For me, I can be hooked up and ready to hunt with his Open Shot in no time. It's not that I'm trying to be in a big hurry when I'm climbing but it's the fact that it's simple for me...that's what I like.
There are guys that seem to have a hang on down and are effecient with it, I'm not doubting that but for me I'd rather have a hang on as a preset stand.
I'm either gonna buy me an Open Shot or just keep hunting on the ground. If I were hunting private land I would have ladderstands for my preset stands but I don't hunt private land.

I always use a climber. Im very partial to ol' man myself. To me they just have a much smaller profile when folded up for transport. If you are hunting swamps I feel like a lot of the trees that like to get their feet wet are typically ones that don't have many low branches hindering you from getting high enough. The biggest issue I find is if they are too big at the base.
Hang ons are great if you're REALLY good at getting them up by yourself. I am not.

I've really started taking notice in the spots I've been hunting and I'd say 90% of the spots I could use a climber.
May not be 100% but I've never been able to set up on the ground exactly where I'd like to be 100% of the time.

If you have trees that can be shimied up with a climber, that is probably your best best. They are easier to use. Climbing sticks are great for limbed trees,but if you ain't used them before, you should practice. Get a safety harness that can be used with a linemans belt and practice. One thing I like about the alpha II hang-on is the ability to swivel your butt around on the seat and look back left / right, and have the open-ness to take a shot.

If you want to be mobile then a climber is a must. I love a loc on but only when I finally get just the right spot for it. I’ve moved one 5-6 times within a 20yd radius to get it right. That stand has now been there for 9 years. I have many loc Ins but rely on my climber the most.

You should check out the new summit sentry. it has a different seat setup than the viper. looks like a way better bow stand than the viper. I have a summit open shot that is just as good as a lock-on to me as far as being able to freely shoot from a sitting position. It is however a hand climber and I'm getting to old for that crap. I have probably killed more deer with my bow out of cheap 12ft ladder stands than anything. I have lock-ons and ladder stands in places I hunt every year and use climbers for mobility.

I have always felt safer and more comfortable in a climber than a lock on. You also have flexibility if you need to move.

I have a Summit Sentry that I’d let go cheap if someone is interested. I just prefer my viper for comfort over loc ons. I bought a Millennium M60 with climbing sticks for hang and hunt situations. Still took me nearly an hour to get it up.

LOL, My hat's off to the guys that are good at putting up hang on stands.
It's not that it's that hard to put them up but it just seems like there's more involved...all the straps, extra tree rope if you're gonna do it safely.
Maybe I just didn't have a good enough system down.

I’m still watching videos on the hang ons with sticks. Most of the those guys can hang a stand in about 6-7 minutes, I’m not sure if I can do that with my summit lol.

Yea..they got a system. Everybody is different but for me one thing I like about a climber is I feel more comfortable usin a climber.
I aint crazy bout relyin on those sticks..even with a linemans belt.
Plus, for me a climber is more simple for a mobil setup, but that's just me.

I hung some millenium 25's this weekend for the first time, and it sucked. I was sweating in sub freezing temps, also the chain on those things suck arse.

Thanks for all of the feed back. I haven’t still haven’t decided for sure hang on or climber but I’m definitely going with lone Wolf.

I have 19 lock ons and 4 Summit Vipers. 85% of the time, I use my climber, but I have the lock ons in set ups that give me options depending on the wind direction. When it is cold like it is this week, I will definitely be in a climber.

If you want to consider a lockon, you should really look at the Millenium stands. Also, make sure your climbing sticks have parallel steps, it just works better for me that way.

They both have their place. I have 16 lock ons. I try to hang those in spots that are proven spots. Some are on food plots for easy doe kills early season where I won't sweat much getting in there. Some are deep in the woods and I can adjust as needed. I bought a Millennium M7 micro lite and 4 XOP sticks for a mobile set up, but by time you add sticks and stands together, it weighs what my Treewalker climber weighs. Obviously the climber is easier to set up, but you don't have the flexibility of which trees to climb.

I bought an M7 this year for a mobil setup but the stand with 2 sticks and a molle strap , with lone wolf ft rest weighs 19 lbs. I didn't weigh it on a digital scale but I know that's close.
I dont think Millenium advertises the true weight of their stands.

I'm trying a hang and hunt set up this year and so far definitely prefer a climber.

True. Millennium does not advertise true weight. My m100u is a tank.

I'm leaning towards a Summit Open Shot. I've used my son's OS couple of times, seems like a good stand.
Gonna use it tomorrow so I can compare it to my nephew's Viper.

The Viper is definitely comfortable but hunting where I hunt I'd like to go as light as I can.
I stand a lot anyway, even when I'm hunting on the ground.
I bought my son an XOP hand climber last year, thought he would like it but he doesn't care for it, the seat don't flip up and he says it's hard to climb with.

I’m not sure if it matters but are y’all hunting public land or private. After hunting public for the last 5 years I’ve decided there’s a difference in the way I need to set up.

I use a lone wolf hand climber for my public land hunts. I believe it weighs 14 pounds. I also got a lone wolf hang on and sticks. I got it because I was hunting a spot that was difficult to find a tree to climb. I practiced with it once. The thought of me trying to hang it or take it down in the dark has kept me from using it.

LOL, you should try to find a climbable tree in the mid-west!
BC, I'm convinced you just need someone to help you climb. Climbers are so much more mobile and versatile. You are so much safer in a climber too. I love to nap in mine. I'd never do that in a loc on. hunt safe

Me personally, I feel safer in a climber.
Guess it's a mental thing with me, I climbed up in my son's preset hang on today, I felt safe because he has a lifeline hooked up.
I wouldnt mind a hang on set up like that.
I just aint crazy bout usin a linemans belt and then havin to have another tree rope to hook up.
I know it's all in my mind.lol

I do like the sit and climb and it will be the one I get if I go with a climber. I’m still leaning towards the hang on because of where/how I’m hunting up here. We more pines than you can count but that’s not where the deer are. The most and biggest deer I’ve seen here come from the swampy areas, drainages, and along the creek/marsh bottoms. From scouting I think a hang on would work great, however, I still suck at bow hunting.

Lol I have no trouble sleeping anywhere except a tree stand. I’m convinced I just need a stand that doesn’t sound like a wrecking ball everytime it something hits it.

This has entered my mind almost daily ever since I first though about it.

Ive got a climbing rope too. I can hook that up before I ever unhook my lineman’s belt. It works just like a lifeline but you use them with climber.

just picked up a Lone Wolf hand climber and I love it. Attached a third hand bow holder to the seat and I can have my bow in hand with as little movement as possible. Its so much quieter than my Summits. I have the Viper SD and the Open shot.
I was using the Open shot for all my bow hunts, but haven't used it since I picked up the Lone Wolf.

I'm interested to know what it is you like better than the Open Shot?
I'm askin because I'm planning to buy the OS.

The guy I hunt with has the hand climber as well. So far the only difference I can tell between the Alpha hang in and it is the sticks.

The seat doesn't flip up on the LW hand climber does it?

No

Having a decent hands-free headlamp is the ticket.

what Dan said^^^

I've prolly got 20+ Loc-ons and maybe three climbers. Only time I used climbers was first time in a new area when uncertain of which tree was best.

I used every climbing style with the Loc-ons, two sided step sticks are by far the best, I've got 4 er 5 sets of sticks. I have had times when I had ALL the Loc-ons in trees.

I've snuck into and up a loc-on with deer visible when I got into the stand without spooking them. You cannot do that with any climber.

Thats a must, after almost 19 years in the Army Ive probably got enough headlamps to light up a runway

I hunted out of my son's hang on stand today. He has a lifeline hooked up so it was very quiet getting into the stand.
If I hunted private land I would have preset hang on stands in my hot spots.
I want a climber though since I hunt public land.
Think I'm going with the Summit Open Shot since I just bowhunt.

thats the main reason Im considering the hang on is because of the quietness and versatility. I like my summit but I sound like a damn train crash walking in the woods and climbing with it. Ive started hunting swamps and drainages so tree selection gets a little thin sometimes and my climber isnt always the best in that situation.

I hang a loc on limit..said it multiple times. I climb with 2 sticks an a climbin harness. Before i did that i drilled trees. With a woodpecker drill and hung a limit. Before that i toted a pre spreader arm(the best) OL' MAN multivision. Ive climbed in nearly every climbin stand made today. Ill take a loc on..everytime. But in my hands that ol man was the quietest stand ever made. Like totin lead tho..its why i moved on to somethin better.

I've got an old woodpecker drill somewhere around here.

I've hunted out lock ons for years. Buy good steps and you won't need a drill.

I have an Open Shot coming, first climber I've had in 10 yrs...except for the cheap climber I have, set it up in the woods today.
Open Shot will be my in and out stand.

Sumitt viper sd

I just missed a deer two weeks ago because of my lack of awareness and my climber. With a steep angle down my bow was inside the bar/cage of my climber. As I released I bumped the bottom of the bow, which pulled my bow and shot low. It's always something

Last week I shot at a doe at 15 yards from my son's hang on stand, shot 2" over her back.
She was walking but I had the shot lined up good but just shot high.

That was the first arrow I shot out of a stand in over 15 years.
Should've been practicing elevated shooting.