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Stepp Ladder reviews...
- Thread starter junkpile
- Start date
There are a few really good physical exercise stretches - easy to do and not much time. First is hamstring, second is piriformis (figure 4; cross R leg over left and gently lean into it, keeping back straight, then do L leg the same). These two alone will keep u flexible and u can get that space back if u wish! Plus both are good for back pain!
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I finally got around to watching the Stepp Ladder aider video on their website, and it does look pretty slick. Not sure if the strategy I have in my head for no aider really offers a ton of benefit.
The aider works pretty well. From the few times I've practiced with it I have found:
1. You need to become an expert with putting on the steps before you even think about using the aider.
2. You need to practice a lot with the steps to figure out how to space them to maximize your height. I don't have this part nailed yet.
I love how light and small a set of 8 packs. I would really like to find a better rope to attach them with. The best part about the rope they use is being hollow it makes it really easy to back the rope out when tweaking the knot (just like Jim Stepp does in his original video). The downside to the rope is that is really bulky. I tried out some amsteel but it doesn't back out nicely like the rope they use.
1. You need to become an expert with putting on the steps before you even think about using the aider.
2. You need to practice a lot with the steps to figure out how to space them to maximize your height. I don't have this part nailed yet.
I love how light and small a set of 8 packs. I would really like to find a better rope to attach them with. The best part about the rope they use is being hollow it makes it really easy to back the rope out when tweaking the knot (just like Jim Stepp does in his original video). The downside to the rope is that is really bulky. I tried out some amsteel but it doesn't back out nicely like the rope they use.
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- Feb 1, 2016
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As with any climbing device I've used, it seems easier to get a good bite on smaller, smoother trees. Deep grooved bark is a little more challenging. I was able to put one step just above hip level and the other overhead to get up 7 feet. An aider would work well, but in a pinch you can either do a pullup or hang and walk up the bark to get to the next step. It took me a few tries to get them set up on the same plane, but was pretty satisfied once I got it. I think it's just gonna take a little practice to get more efficient.
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Just be careful on the step that's is on the right , you want that rope to go under the bar not over it. It cams much more solidly.
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gabejessforster
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- Jul 29, 2016
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Make sure to practice while wearing whatever boots/shoes you would while hunting. Things are much different in casual shoes than Alpha Burlys!
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Gettin Closer
Well-Known Member
After spending a fair amount of time with my set of 12 and the aider, I have gotten very comfortable with them. Having 12 stepps, I can have multiple setups and just move a couple of steps around if on private land. On public, I take 8 stepps and the aider to reduce weight.
Option 1: tall straight trees with few limbs get the use of stepps with aider to get higher faster. This gets you above the line of sight. (12 stepps with aider will get you waaaayyy up there and still have steps left over for a platform!) I exceeded my 30' bow tether and had 2 stepps left after a 3 stepp platform. I was really hitting max distance in light hunting/summer cloths but that sshould give you an idea on versitility.)
Option 2: just stepps if it is a heavily branched tree or if it has a lean to it. The lean makes the use of the aider difficult (unstable for me) and I tend to place the stepps where needed and rely mainly on the branches. (Something you cannot do with sticks.) This greatly reduces the # of stepps needed and the weight you lug around. On heavily branched trees you do not need to go as high as there is more cover lower on the tree and can get by with usually 4 to 5 stepps total using the branches as additional stepps and part of your platform! This is my favorite as I do not go as high and it makes it easier with the longbow!
Just some food for thought on what I am doing.
Option 1: tall straight trees with few limbs get the use of stepps with aider to get higher faster. This gets you above the line of sight. (12 stepps with aider will get you waaaayyy up there and still have steps left over for a platform!) I exceeded my 30' bow tether and had 2 stepps left after a 3 stepp platform. I was really hitting max distance in light hunting/summer cloths but that sshould give you an idea on versitility.)
Option 2: just stepps if it is a heavily branched tree or if it has a lean to it. The lean makes the use of the aider difficult (unstable for me) and I tend to place the stepps where needed and rely mainly on the branches. (Something you cannot do with sticks.) This greatly reduces the # of stepps needed and the weight you lug around. On heavily branched trees you do not need to go as high as there is more cover lower on the tree and can get by with usually 4 to 5 stepps total using the branches as additional stepps and part of your platform! This is my favorite as I do not go as high and it makes it easier with the longbow!
Just some food for thought on what I am doing.
@Gettin Closer - that's a really good review. Looks like I need to pick up an aider and dust off the Stepp Ladders.
Gettin Closer
Well-Known Member
I questioned them after I got them and wondered if I should have gotten the sticks instead. (For tall, straight, non-brached trees, sticks are faster and you do not move the aider.) However, in branched trees, I believe you cannot go wrong with the versitility of the Stepp Ladder and when you add the aider, you become more efficient on the naked tree vs just the stepps... I am very pleased with them! Especially since 90% of the areas I hunt are heavily branched. (Oaks and elms)
nature tamer
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- Jan 6, 2016
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How well do 8 steps fit in the bag that hold 12? Do they move around alot and make noise?
Gettin Closer
Well-Known Member
No. They do not move around and are not noise. I topically have 8 in the bag of 12 as I leave 4 in a tree behind my parents house to hunt hogs when they come through.
IkemanTX
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- Oct 16, 2015
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I gotta practice with the knot.... I am thinking of using my 3 steps instead of my DaveT platform this year. Just have to figure out how to attach them to my backpack.
Is there a way to transport them without the rope attached? Maybe replace the stock rope with a piece of Amsteel with a buried eye.... run the tail through the eye around the bar where the stock rope attaches.....?
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Is there a way to transport them without the rope attached? Maybe replace the stock rope with a piece of Amsteel with a buried eye.... run the tail through the eye around the bar where the stock rope attaches.....?
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Gettin Closer
Well-Known Member
You could do this. But why? My fear would be forgetting or misplacing the rope. Why not use the rope to attach it to your bag?
As far as using it for a platform, it does take practice to get 3 to 4 at the same level. 3 is not hard, 4 can take a second. I have never used a platform, just the stepps but usually (not always) 2 to 3 stepps and a nearby limb.
IkemanTX
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All that rope hanging is a huge snag issue in thick thorny brush. I could hang the steps off the back of the saddle, or off the back of my backpack and have all 3 ropes coiled in the bottom of my linesman belt dump pouch... I will get a pre-season scouting trip or two with them stock before I decide to do anything drastic like that. I might could just gear tie each stepp to my Sitdrag with the rope coiled tightly...
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Gettin Closer
Well-Known Member
I can see your point on wanting to keep the ropes snag free. When the stepps are held together tight, they don't rattle. Especially if you put sport tape on different areas of the non stepping surface to create a barrier. Then you could use the double sided velcro to wrap them together and then run the ropes into your bag.
Last edited:
Dragsmack
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- Dec 10, 2017
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Is there a video or can someone explain how they place steps and rope back in the bag on their way back down the tree. Do you leave rope hanging out of the bag and then fold all the ropes in at the end, or fold them in one at a time as you go down?