I have a old tree stand ( Feather Light) built by a local company. It is about 20 years old. How old can a tree stand be before it's not safe? The welds still look good, but it does have a lot of rust on it.

Lets see a pic

I will see if I can post a pic. Last time I tried it didn't work

Sand the rust off to the point that you can get a good look at the metal and welds. If you don't see any cracks or metal fatgue, paint it with some good primer and paint and you should be good to go.

Ask yourself, is my life worth a 20 year old rusty tree stand. If your answer is yes then use it along with a safety belt, if your answer is no then go buy a new one.

At 20 years old I would probably cut my hunting
Budget elsewhere and buy a new stand,, not saying
The old one won't work but life is Priceless!

I have 2 Feather Lite lock on stands from back then. They've been stored more than used and are still almost like new.

I've got a Summit Shooter 2 I left in the woods after season a couple years ago When I finally got it out I noticed one of the tubings on the bottom had swollen. I'm guessing got full of water and froze. Stand it probably close to 20 yrs old. I plan to junk it. Not worth taking the chance

I think it's time for a new climber. If I get 20 years out of the next one I will probably be to old for climbers. LOL

hmmmmmm featherlite. What kind...

Unless of course feather lite is the brand

Ehh nevermind

Nah you will climb for years!
I get rid of mine every 5 years cause I'm
A big guy and don't wanna find out how
Long metal holds when close to the limit.
I cut them up and junk em. Could not live
With myself if I gave one away and it broke,

I'm a big guy too. What's your favorite climber?

I like the summit Goliath
With a surround seat and foot
Rest,,I can sit still and comfy.
What's your favorite?

I have been thinking about getting a Goliath or a API. They look really nice and weigh a lot less than my old one.

I used an Old Man Grand Multivision until about 2 years ago. I had a vine pull the pin on my seat while climbing down and nearly had a bad accident. I was left hanging upside down with my ankles trapped in the foot straps. I made it out uninjured except for some sprains and terrible bruises.

I am now looking for a new stand and I have considered the Goliath. I'm 6'4 and about 290lbs. I'm still thinking about what I want to do though since I've killed several sitting on the ground out of a packed in folding camp chair. The chair is lighter and safer than any stand but I've climbed for the last 35 years without incident until that one. I do know I'll never be in another stand that uses webbing straps on your feet or pins to hold the cables.

Wow shows how fast you can have an accident.
Glad you didn't get hurt

RH sounds like God was climbing with you that day.
I m 6 5 and 280 and the reason I use the summit is
It has no pins or webs like your talking about. The surround
Seat is comfy and you sit down in the stand not on top of it.
That with a good Safety vest and good climbing habits and I
Think you would be back up in a tree!
Sounds like you have excellent hunting skills to be very
Successfull from the ground. To be honest I just love the hunt
From above.
If you ever want to try it I will drive any distance for you to try my set up.
Sounds like you miss the Upstairs View!
Let me know if you wanna try mine!

This is what my old one looks like [img:left][/img] [img:right]http://[/img]