I've been wondering how each of these steps compare to each other as individual steps so today I spent some time putting them to the test. Some of my concerns were confirmed and I was even a little surprised at what I found on others.
I usually prefer to use my modified Hawk Helium sticks w/ aiders but found a few times while hunting out of state last year that they were too bulky and prone to snag on brush while hunting some really nasty, remote areas. I really want to find a system that works better for those situations and based on what I found today I think I figured it out...I think.
I started with the Bullman Outdoors Silent approach steps, I don't own these, a friend loaned them to me to try out.
Pros
- They are light and very packable
- Climbing and setting them is easy, the bags are easy access and not too bulky
- The cam buckles are simple, no knots or loops to fight with
- They are quiet
- The steps are actually pretty small, I didn't feel like I had a good grip on them at all
- Black straps stick out like a sore thumb, I walked away and looked back at the tree from about 40 yards and they were very obvious. I think grey or brown would be WAY better.
- The steps seem to twist and settle quite a bit, this might be a practice makes perfect thing?
- Not aider friendly
Pros
- They are strong, I feel like even when they twist I have a good grip on them
- They can be packed into a small pack and deployed just like the silent approach steps, hang the ropes from the pack and grab a step at a time, nothin to it.
- They blend into the tree really well with the grey ropes
- The ropes are easy to attach with a little practice and there aren't any buckles to mess with
- A little heavier than silent approach
- Metal is loud if you're not careful. There's gotta be a way to silence them
- They do twist a little no matter how hard you torque them down, not bad though
- Not really aider friendly, but maybe...
Pros
- These things are rock solid once you figure out how to cam them over properly
- I can stand on one step with both feet while hanging the next one
- Carrying them while climbing to set them up is pretty easy, just hang the ropes out of the bag and grab one step at a time from the top of the bag. I thought it would be more difficult but I was wr... that word is hard
- They blend into the tree pretty well, nothing black on them.
- Aiders can be added easily to shave weight per step
- Can be used as a platform
- The knot takes some serious practice, I spent quite a bit of time on it and I think I've got it pretty well figured out. I'll be practicing this daily until it feels natural
- They have some sharp edges on the standoffs, gloves will be helpful. I usually wear a cut resistant glove anyways so not a big deal
- They can easily damage the bark on a tree, probably worse than spikes in my opinion. I won't be setting them up in the trees in the yard for sure.