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Lightest climbing sticks

Y

Yellowriver

New Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2022
Messages
4
I know this has been discussed all the time but still going to ask. What is the lightest, user friendly, stackable set of sticks that are made in USA? After first year of saddle hunting thinking about up dating my XOP sticks. They worked fine but twisted of one roll pin and another about ready to go. Just seen Latitude Outdoors is making carbon climbing sticks. 19 oz with Amsteel?
 
Catalyst carbon pros are the lightest but they went belly up. Tethrd One sticks are currently the lightest commercially available climbing stick.
 
Yellowriver said:
I know this has been discussed all the time but still going to ask. What is the lightest, user friendly, stackable set of sticks that are made in USA? After first year of saddle hunting thinking about up dating my XOP sticks. They worked fine but twisted of one roll pin and another about ready to go. Just seen Latitude Outdoors is making carbon climbing sticks. 19 oz with Amsteel?
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You asking lightest overall or lightweight and dependable… because there are a couple sticks that come in under 2 lbs and one or two that come in around that one pound mark. The trade off will be standoff distances and some have had issues with standoffs breaking, steps breaking ect…. Being that you’ve used XOP, you are probably very used to large stand-off distances because XOP has 5” of tree clearance. By comparison, the Novix minis are a little shorter and weigh about 1.7lbs but they are only 4” clearance. Hawk sticks give 3.5”….. If I remember correct Tethrd One sticks weigh like 16.5 oz but the stand-off distance is around 3.75”. When your feet are as big as mine, stand-off distance matters. So does quality. The novix sticks are great but for me, the Eastern Woods Outdoors sticks, and the XOP ultras have been the best. I love the LWCG sticks they stack better than any other I have seen and they are super light with good stand-off clearance but I’m only 12 lbs below the weight rating and when I’m all geared up in the woods I exceed it so….
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
You asking lightest overall or lightweight and dependable… because there are a couple sticks that come in under 2 lbs and one or two that come in around that one pound mark. The trade off will be standoff distances and some have had issues with standoffs breaking, steps breaking ect…. Being that you’ve used XOP, you are probably very used to large stand-off distances because XOP has 5” of tree clearance. By comparison, the Novix minis are a little shorter and weigh about 1.7lbs but they are only 4” clearance. Hawk sticks give 3.5”….. If I remember correct Tethrd One sticks weigh like 16.5 oz but the stand-off distance is around 3.75”. When your feet are as big as mine, stand-off distance matters. So does quality. The novix sticks are great but for me, the Eastern Woods Outdoors sticks, and the XOP ultras have been the best. I love the LWCG sticks they stack better than any other I have seen and they are super light with good stand-off clearance but I’m only 12 lbs below the weight rating and when I’m all geared up in the woods I exceed it so….
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I am going to pick up a set of the XOP X2 when they are available for late season. The have EWO like foot room 1.5lbs and $180/4 tough to beat that. 6061 steps and 7075 tubes.
 
enkriss said:
I am going to pick up a set of the XOP X2 when they are available for late season. The have EWO like foot room 1.5lbs and $180/4 tough to beat that. 6061 steps and 7075 tubes.
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Me too! . In my experience XOP overbuilds and it makes me feel much safer using them. I can live with under 2 lbs per stick as long as they aren’t breaking and there is adequate foot spacing
 
Yellowriver said:
I know this has been discussed all the time but still going to ask. What is the lightest, user friendly, stackable set of sticks that are made in USA? After first year of saddle hunting thinking about up dating my XOP sticks. They worked fine but twisted of one roll pin and another about ready to go. Just seen Latitude Outdoors is making carbon climbing sticks. 19 oz with Amsteel?
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There are a couple, your biggest hurdle is made in the USA.
 
Before I settle on any stick I suggest you decide if you want to use aiders and what type.
If you want to use a versa aider or a cable aider, they will not work with the One stick or the Latitude sticks. Make sure your chosen aider works for you and your sticks.
Also I suggest you decide on the step distance you want. Some manufactures offer sticks in different step distances.
My Shikar folding stick weigh 1lb 9oz RTH. but they are the 14" step distance.
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
If made in the USA is your criteria, I’m thinking LWCG will be the lightest most packable you’re going to find. The Novix minis are also great and way more cost effective
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Where are Beast sticks made? Or are they not even in the light weight conversation?

Timber Ninja is also USA made for sure. I have the fiberglass from his shop in my skin to prove it
 
Best packing sticks are the original shikars or the LWCG sticks. Both come at a premium cost. Shikars are foldable double steps, LWCG are single steps. I prefer doubles over single steps.
Novix/TL double steps are under 2 lbs and stack on top of each other. I settled on the TL doubles. The shikars fiddle factor eventually got me to sell them. The LWCG are singles so not for me.
All 3 are made in USA

I checked out the new latitude sticks at GAOS and wasn’t overly impressed but when they start to get them into customers hands we will see what the masses think.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Zero One Actual said:
Where are Beast sticks made? Or are they not even in the light weight conversation?

Timber Ninja is also USA made for sure. I have the fiberglass from his shop in my skin to prove it
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Beast gear claims their sticks are now USA made. I guess that change was last year or so. Prior to that they were made in China.

Which is probably the direction I would go. If I was dead set on USA made.
 
Zero One Actual said:
Where are Beast sticks made? Or are they not even in the light weight conversation?

Timber Ninja is also USA made for sure. I have the fiberglass from his shop in my skin to prove it
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Beast sticks weren’t in the conversation for me simply because I’ve never actually put hands on them and I honestly forgot about Catalyst and Timber Ninja
 
Jammintree said:
What’s your favorite so far?
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I have four of the older longer beast sticks. But I wear a size 14W boot and am also 6’5. So I like the standoff on them. I would probably say the Tethrd one stick if I was a tad smaller. Additionally, I can and have used the Timber ninjas and the others with no issues, I just turn my feet outwards a little bit or expect some minor calve fatigue per stick. But in the end, it’s for such a short amount of time, I can handle it. Others might not like it due to age, previous injury, or many other factors. But the one sticks are not American made which was also a factor.
 
I also have a set of EWO when they were still making the posts with holes drilled out. 20" or 22" I forget, fixed double steps and fixed stand offs and I absolutely love those too. But they were the most expensive sticks that i have purchased. They do have the Saddlehunter logo etched into them.
I believe they were supposed to be raffled off at the 2nd saddlepalooza but the entire raffle was squashed by the location. All black and bad to the bone.
 
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