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Best Climbing Sticks?

Without going into all the pros and cons, what I look for in a stick is less than 2lbs, bites the tree well, stand off distance and finally cost. I wear a size 13 boot and I am well over 200 lbs. so far for me, the ultra light sticks from eastern woods outdoors have been my number one. The stand off clearance and bite are amazing. You can choose between a variety of stick lengths… but with those options come a steep price tag. I know others don’t like these, but thus far, I have really enjoyed the X2 sticks from XOP. They come in at 1.75 lbs. they bite the tree pretty well and the stand off clearance is 5”. They also come in at $179.99 for a 4 pack so that’s awesome. If my feet were smaller, it would either be the shikar sticks or the lwcg 17” double sticks that I would be using. Unfortunately they were both around 4” of clearance from the tree and it just wasn’t enough for my liking.
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
Without going into all the pros and cons, what I look for in a stick is less than 2lbs, bites the tree well, stand off distance and finally cost. I wear a size 13 boot and I am well over 200 lbs. so far for me, the ultra light sticks from eastern woods outdoors have been my number one. The stand off clearance and bite are amazing. You can choose between a variety of stick lengths… but with those options come a steep price tag. I know others don’t like these, but thus far, I have really enjoyed the X2 sticks from XOP. They come in at 1.75 lbs. they bite the tree pretty well and the stand off clearance is 5”. They also come in at $179.99 for a 4 pack so that’s awesome. If my feet were smaller, it would either be the shikar sticks or the lwcg 17” double sticks that I would be using. Unfortunately they were both around 4” of clearance from the tree and it just wasn’t enough for my liking.
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When I had the XOP X2s they stuck like crazy. And agreed, great standoff distance.

BT
 
Alaska at Heart said:
Stacked and connected with Voile straps as they go on one of my packs, the Latitude Carbon SS sticks nested are 7" from the bottom stand-off to the upright of the top stick. Conversely, the Beast Gear Sticks are just a touch over 10". There is 1# of weight difference....advantage to the carbon sticks between them. Of the three pack options I use, they work eaqually well on 2 of the 3, with a slight advantage to the Lattitude on the waist pack shelf.

Last year around this time, I watched a very long stick comparison video, which offered a host of measures for the sake of comparision. By the end, I wasn't convinced that the difference between most was all that appreciable. If you do sir, I trust you have found a better option. This is my BWMG pack and setup with Beast Gear sticks attached.....easy on and off....no appreciable bulk to me.
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I agree that how a person packs sticks matters. OP is using a treestand, why I mention fold flat designs. You’re showing something quite different there with your setup.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way saying Beast sticks are a poor choice. They have their strong suits and they actually pair very well with certain setups. For example full length Beast’s and a JX3. But to insinuate they are less bulky than the majority of sticks isn’t really good information.

Stacking height of course doesn’t tell the complete story, but in that video you reference, only two sticks had a higher stacking height than Beast Sticks (Stacked Outdoors and XOP). Several of the sticks stacked more than half as tall. And that’s not even measuring the fold flat designs as they’d ideally pack on a stand.

.
 
Not sure where you get the notion the "OP is using a treestand"??? The OP was doing some background research for SADDLE HUNTING. I quote (but you can go back and check post 1 to affirm)......

"Hi guys,

I am the managing editor at DeerHuntingGuide.net and my writers are working on a roundup of the best climbing sticks for saddle hunting.

I would love to hear from some of you experts about your favorite climbing sticks and why.

Thanks in advance for your help!"

Reading the gist of the thread in that manner, I approached my replies from a saddle hunting perspective.....with the sticks I have available to me. I hunted from a few pre-set stick setups of those heavy steel Rivers Edge type that work fine in that capaciy....but not mobile in the least. I hunted with my OG 32" LW single step sticks and my opinion was they were too long and bulky to pack or carry easily. I tried the set of Tethrd Skeletors that I had at the time, but the plastic pin system of nesting was always a pain in the rear in the woods.....especially with cold hands. The folding steps are indeed nice, but they were also a bit heavier. Muddy Pro sticks are simply heavy....like 12# for just the sticks, but the cam lever rope loading was a solid idea for the time. Then I bought the Latitude carbon SS and liked them quite a bit. The got the lion's share of use for the '23 season, but I also wanted to try out Beast Gear sticks after hearing a lot of good feedback on them over the past several years.

I fully realize that there are lighter and less bulky options available, such as the Tethrd One-stick, the EWO or LWCG.....if you want to spend quite a bit more. Watching the entire video you linked above will provide a pretty broad view of the spectrum. However, no one was supplying me with free or loaner sticks to independently test. Plus the typical guy isn't spending that kind of money to get up a tree....even it if is they are the absolute lightest and fanciest designs. If I overstated, I will endeavor to be more judicious in the future.
 
Alaska at Heart said:
Not sure where you get the notion the "OP is using a treestand"??? The OP was doing some background research for SADDLE HUNTING. I quote (but you can go back and check post 1 to affirm)......

"Hi guys,

I am the managing editor at DeerHuntingGuide.net and my writers are working on a roundup of the best climbing sticks for saddle hunting.

I would love to hear from some of you experts about your favorite climbing sticks and why.

Thanks in advance for your help!"

Reading the gist of the thread in that manner, I approached my replies from a saddle hunting perspective.....with the sticks I have available to me. I hunted from a few pre-set stick setups of those heavy steel Rivers Edge type that work fine in that capaciy....but not mobile in the least. I hunted with my OG 32" LW single step sticks and my opinion was they were too long and bulky to pack or carry easily. I tried the set of Tethrd Skeletors that I had at the time, but the plastic pin system of nesting was always a pain in the rear in the woods.....especially with cold hands. The folding steps are indeed nice, but they were also a bit heavier. Muddy Pro sticks are simply heavy....like 12# for just the sticks, but the cam lever rope loading was a solid idea for the time. Then I bought the Latitude carbon SS and liked them quite a bit. The got the lion's share of use for the '23 season, but I also wanted to try out Beast Gear sticks after hearing a lot of good feedback on them over the past several years.

I fully realize that there are lighter and less bulky options available, such as the Tethrd One-stick, the EWO or LWCG.....if you want to spend quite a bit more. Watching the entire video you linked above will provide a pretty broad view of the spectrum. However, no one was supplying me with free or loaner sticks to independently test. Plus the typical guy isn't spending that kind of money to get up a tree....even it if is they are the absolute lightest and fanciest designs. If I overstated, I will endeavor to be more judicious in the future.
Click to expand...

You’re right. Thought I was responding to this thread:

Lightweight Climbing Sticks Selection Confusion

I have no idea what you are dealing with there......but I have Amsteel from four different sources. A couple Amsteel aiders from the 'Amsteel Guy' on Etsy; a PSH platform Amsteel attachment from Vital Ground Outdoors; 56' of 1/8" Amsteel Blue from SRE (which I hand crafted into four daisy...
saddlehunter.com

Sorry. Apply my former response there.

But, ok, no Beast Stand.

You’ve never even touched on what’s really good about (modern) Beast Sticks. Reliability and simplicity.

They are amongst the shortest standoff sticks as well as the bulkiest. And they weigh about average for what they offer.

But they’ve a reputation for being trustworthy (since steps on the early ones were bending). That’s the allure of Beast Sticks: Average and reliable. Deer Hunting Guide can quote me on that, lol.
 
Anobody said:
That’s easy
Better than your last one not as good as your next one
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A LOT of truth there, sir! I will likely never be an upper echelon player because I research along with keeping my budget fully in mind. The "best".....a very subjective term as we all know.....typically cost more than I a willing to spend. So as Mr Plebe pointed out above, I seem to be a pretty "average" fellow in my equipment choices and approach. That is OK with me though....it has worked out pretty well across the span of my life... buying a top prospect of which I can afford in terms of quality and reliability. Time will tell on the Latitude SS carbons I bought and used last fall.
 
Must haves
I want compact more than anything. I'll gladly take a weight penalty for it. Beast sticks stack like garbage. They should have designed them to nest better.

Must be double steps.

Bite a variety of tree species and diameters well. LWCG Doubles failed this test for me.

Not too fiddly - Shikars out

Nice to haves
Versatile and modifyable attachement options. Don't really want to be shoehorned into their proprietary cleats or whatever. Like the ONE stick, I get with the Ti tube why you're stuck with it, but I don't really care for their cleat.

Quiet-ish is nice. Not talking about clanging them together. Talking about the friction noise the standoff makes against certain types of tree bark. Certain designs I've found with tubes especially amplify that too much (Another knock on my ONEes.

Price - there'e only so much a stick can do. $300 for a set is about the max I'll go before you get into miniscule diminishing returns. Ones are right on the precipice of price for me.

What do I use? Still my modified Hawk Heliums. I still have Tethrd Ones too but I think I'm done with them. They fail a few of the nice to haves.

I've tried and discarded Beasts, Shikars, and LWCG Doublesteps.
 
As most have said this is a tough questions to answer.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned out on a limb Shikar sticks. I used them for a few seasons and I think they pack the best, light enough. Some say the fiddle factor was annoying but it never was an issue for me.

Also I have and still use on occasion a set of the original EWO fixed double steps. Cons are bulky to pack. But they are rock solid and I have 20" step to step.

I did some tinkering and combined my TL single step with TL double steps to make a stick with a double step on the bottom and single on top which I used a lot this season. TL makes a solid stick. Looking forward to the hyperlite sticks for next season.

I have bought and sold many brands of sticks and I still have the EWO and TL sticks all others have been sold for one reason or another.

You might want to add to your article a section on aiders. @John VanDerLaan
I use the wire cable aiders and the CAYG style aiders from backwoods outdoors and EZoutdoors.
Personally I am not a fan of multistep aiders and have settled on these 2 types.
 
Jefferson10940 said:
As most have said this is a tough questions to answer.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned out on a limb Shikar sticks. I used them for a few seasons and I think they pack the best, light enough. Some say the fiddle factor was annoying but it never was an issue for me.

Also I have and still use on occasion a set of the original EWO fixed double steps. Cons are bulky to pack. But they are rock solid and I have 20" step to step.

I did some tinkering and combined my TL single step with TL double steps to make a stick with a double step on the bottom and single on top which I used a lot this season. TL makes a solid stick. Looking forward to the hyperlite sticks for next season.

I have bought and sold many brands of sticks and I still have the EWO and TL sticks all others have been sold for one reason or another.

You might want to add to your article a section on aiders. @John VanDerLaan
I use the wire cable aiders and the CAYG style aiders from backwoods outdoors and EZoutdoors.
Personally I am not a fan of multistep aiders and have settled on these 2 types.
Click to expand...
I mentioned the shikar sticks as a go to if my feet were a little smaller. I believe the stand off distance on them were about 4.25 if memory serves me. The EWO sticks have the perfect amount of standoff clearance. I have the TL doubles. They are nice but again no stand off distance. I am holding out hope they will add an XL hyper lite stick with 20” and a 5+” stand off.. at which time, I’d be buying immediately
 
Alaska at Heart said:
A LOT of truth there, sir! I will likely never be an upper echelon player because I research along with keeping my budget fully in mind. The "best".....a very subjective term as we all know.....typically cost more than I a willing to spend. So as Mr Plebe pointed out above, I seem to be a pretty "average" fellow in my equipment choices and approach. That is OK with me though....it has worked out pretty well across the span of my life... buying a top prospect of which I can afford in terms of quality and reliability. Time will tell on the Latitude SS carbons I bought and used last fall.
Click to expand...

I wasn’t insulting you btw. Just describing Beast Sticks, as I see them. Reliability is high on my own ladder of priorities as well. The best choice is often well inside the margins, well-rounded so to speak.
 
Not sure why a double steps are so important unless you want to use a specific aider, knaider swaider, versa aider and so on.

I love the LWCG single step sticks, they are just a little heavy.
I also prefer 14" or 15" step spacing.
 
GeoFish said:
Not sure why a double steps are so important unless you want to use a specific aider, knaider swaider, versa aider and so on.

I love the LWCG single step sticks, they are just a little heavy.
I also prefer 14" or 15" step spacing.
Click to expand...
Because I said so is enough for me. But functionally it's mostly climbing goofy trees and trying to defy gravity where not every climb is a L-R-L-R step pattern. Just more comfortable and safer in general. In straight level trees a climber is still the best option imo. If all I hunted were easy trees to climb, that's where I would be.
 
GeoFish said:
Not sure why a double steps are so important unless you want to use a specific aider, knaider swaider, versa aider and so on.

I love the LWCG single step sticks, they are just a little heavy.
I also prefer 14" or 15" step spacing.
Click to expand...
I've owned a set of the OG 32" LW single sticks for at least 20 years and use them sparingly because of the single step design. Coming down in the dark, I am always very conscious that there is a specific pattern and do my best to always put the middle one on the left side. Over the years I added EWO double steps to the top of each and then one at the bottom of the 3rd so it is easier to set a saddle platform. Definitely personal preference, but I've considered selling them a number of times......rather than replacing the remainder of the flip steps with double steps. I would never buy that design again.
 
GeoFish said:
Not sure why a double steps are so important unless you want to use a specific aider, knaider swaider, versa aider and so on.

I love the LWCG single step sticks, they are just a little heavy.
I also prefer 14" or 15" step spacing.
Click to expand...
Personally I like to be standing on 2 feet when setting my next stick.
 
Jefferson10940 said:
Personally I like to be standing on 2 feet when setting my next stick.
Click to expand...
this mostly. hanging the next stick or platform is easier and more comfortable on a double step, especially if i need to reach a bit. If you are using aiders which most of us are, it becomes easy to mis step on the single steps with how they end up oriented, especially coming down if you choose not to rappel.
 
Wow, did I open a can of worms.
I would have been better off saying, 2TC or Die :)
I own some double step sticks. I need them with a swaider. But they don't pack as well and packability is important for me.
I started climbing on tree steps. Then went to 4 steps and 3 LW sticks. I am not the most skilled climber on this site. In fact I am a little clumsy.
But I don't feel a big need for double steps without aiders.
Whatever works for you is OK with me. I wasn't trying to upset the crew.
 
GeoFish said:
Wow, did I open a can of worms.
I would have been better off saying, 2TC or Die :)
I own some double step sticks. I need them with a swaider. But they don't pack as well and packability is important for me.
I started climbing on tree steps. Then went to 4 steps and 3 LW sticks. I am not the most skilled climber on this site. In fact I am a little clumsy.
But I don't feel a big need for double steps without aiders.
Whatever works for you is OK with me. I wasn't trying to upset the crew.
Click to expand...
I was so upset i had to leave work early. Boss didnt know who GeoFish is or what climbing sticks had to do with anything, none the less he said see you tomorrow.
 
GeoFish said:
Wow, did I open a can of worms.
I would have been better off saying, 2TC or Die :)
I own some double step sticks. I need them with a swaider. But they don't pack as well and packability is important for me.
I started climbing on tree steps. Then went to 4 steps and 3 LW sticks. I am not the most skilled climber on this site. In fact I am a little clumsy.
But I don't feel a big need for double steps without aiders.
Whatever works for you is OK with me. I wasn't trying to upset the crew.
Click to expand...
2TC or die :sweatsmile:
 
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