I just can’t quite quit the Stepps. I’ve used muddy pro with the cam cleat ( they are a very close second place), lone wolf, Shikar, beast, cranford rope steps. Nothing has quite the flexibility as Stepps.
In the saddle dark ages (prior to the inception of this forum), all I had was the trophyline original saddle, and a bunch of original Stepps. I either ascended with the Stepps or lone wolf sticks, and always used 3 Stepps as a platform.
I even reached out to Jim Stepp and bought about 30 of them off him (all new, not sold before he ended operations).
Yes, the ropes need to be pre-stretched, yes it is attaching more times than sticks, but good golly miss Molly, they are solid, and one can customize exactly where they put them on the tree.
I have a knaider, and the wild edge aider, and sometimes use, but I try to forgo their use.
And all this talk about other knots, other ropes, other attachment points and boogie woogie aider climbing and other DIY on the Stepps and I just shake my head.
Stepps, as a climbing method is dead, long live the WildEdge Stepps.