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Climber Platform as climber and platform

A

Aswald

New Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Messages
5
Hello,

I've seen posts talking about using the seats of some climber stands, like lone wolf, as a platform. After my first stick climb and saddle hunt this evening, what about the base of any climber stand? Not the seat, the base.

Can use to climb as well as a platform. I have a number of options available via Craigslist so I don't mind buying a whole set only to use the base. Weighs as much as several sticks, no more cumbersome than 1-stick method to use, swaps for the same 10-15lbs one would use with sticks + platform. Only downside seems to be trees with branches (which can be avoided or removed).

Bottomline: I'd like to replace my current steps/platform and don't see an option for sticks that isn't silly expensive, but see cannibalizing a climber set for its base, rather than its seat, as a suitable alternative. Weight is a factor, yes, but if i'm already carrying sticks (plural) and a platform, if I select appropriate trees, is a climber set base a suitable swap?

Thanks!
 
The biggest issue with using the base is the size and having to tote that thing around, but it will work just fine as you described.
 
Cajunyankee said:
The biggest issue with using the base is the size and having to tote that thing around, but it will work just fine as you described.
Click to expand...
See, as is, I'm probably going to be toting around 15lbs of sticks, that gets me 10-15' up. And I'm currently using the top of my sticks as my platform. So, while I have some movement around and rest, it's not ideal or as complete as it could be and maybe a climber platform (over a seat) is what I'm looking for.

If I'm dropping 10-20lbs in sticks for a climber/platform that weighs 15lbs but gets me in any suitable tree + platform, I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Maybe I don't know enough to know not, hence the post. If that makes sense.
 
I have a hawk self climber and tried using the base as you suggest. There were a couple issues.

Size. It’s much larger than a Hand climber seat.

Weight. It weighs as much as 3 helium sticks.

Climbing. It wasn’t great. The position of the foot straps had to be changed and moved forward. It wasn’t terrible though.

Hunting. It is nice to have a large platform but with using the saddle I only used 1/2 the platform.


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That’s what I use on a very small plot. It a friends place and don’t want to put in screws so I got a line wolf platform. I don’t mind the weight because I won’t be going very far. I like the extra size. I’m in Colorado so there’s lots of pines with no branches up until 20-30 feet. Always a good tree close by.
 
Aswald said:
See, as is, I'm probably going to be toting around 15lbs of sticks, that gets me 10-15' up. And I'm currently using the top of my sticks as my platform. So, while I have some movement around and rest, it's not ideal or as complete as it could be and maybe a climber platform (over a seat) is what I'm looking for.

If I'm dropping 10-20lbs in sticks for a climber/platform that weighs 15lbs but gets me in any suitable tree + platform, I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Maybe I don't know enough to know not, hence the post. If that makes sense.
Click to expand...
To get you to that height you would need 3-4 sticks. This would put you at 10 lbs or under with most brands. My 4 beast sticks are under 8 as an example.

I think the main issue is the bulk. If I was lugging in the base then I would just add the top and hunt out of the climber. Look around and you should be able to find used sticks.

I bought new lone wolf sticks last year from them for like $140 for a set of 4. They were considered blemished. Nothing wrong with functionality but had scratches or something in it. The ones I got I couldn’t even find a blemish.
 
Why not just hunt with a climber? They make climbers that weigh 15-18lbs, and cost less than the combo of a climber base and a saddle. The bulk is in the climber base, so you’re not really gaining any advantage? Maybe I’m missing something though...
 
It should work just fine. A lot of people just spent $300 on the defective Ambush platform, and it ain’t much smaller than a climber base.

as long as you don’t mind the extra weight and have plenty of ‘telephone pole’ trees around go for it.
 
You say “no less cumbersome than one sticking”, well I’ve done both and I’m here to tell ya you are dead wrong.

One sticking is a breeze. I climbed once with an API base before I had built a platform and it sucked.
 
Just get the lone wolf hand climber top. IT’s small, 4# I think and works great as is. I didn’t and wouldn’t mod it at all.


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At some point I think I will get the Lone Wolf Hand Climber seat. I plan on using it to climb when I know the tree or carry a single stick and use it just as a platform if I want to get in a tree that I can’t climb with it.


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give it a try and see if it works for you. if it does your good to go. I tried the base to my hawk climber. It didn't work. I one stick with hawk helium and rappel down
 
You can go around limbs with the lwhc. Not the easiest thing in the world but I’ve done it and it was on maybe my 5th climb with the setup.


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So our gun season is in now. Used the LWHC seat yesterday and sticks and a platform today.

LWHC is now my go to climbing option. Despite being sad about getting busted when a nice buck was coming in, yesterday was a much better experience. However, you can't use the LWHC in all the trees you could use sticks and you are using it outside it's intended usage so there's additional risk there.

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b73 said:
You can go around limbs with the lwhc. Not the easiest thing in the world but I’ve done it and it was on maybe my 5th climb with the setup.


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Click to expand...
Any tips, or you just have to figure out the right distances for everything and detach and reattach?

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sweats said:
Any tips, or you just have to figure out the right distances for everything and detach and reattach?

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Click to expand...

Yeah it’s pretty self explanatory once you get to the limb. Either have 2 tethers or tether and lineman’s. Hang from the tether and move around the limb.


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I have a harder time finding a tree in the right place than one with no limbs. I've practiced going around limbs but I'm old and forgot how I did it, lol. I really think the hard part is coming back down after going around a limb unless you leave whatever you used to go around the limb there for coming back down. I'm messing with rappelling and srt using my LWHC. So far rappelling is awesome, I've only tried climbing from a preset tree but today thought why not use a throw rope to get my rope over a limb for climbing? My biggest pain is advancing my tether when climbing with the LWHC. It's awesome just shooting up a rope.
 
rutjr said:
I have a harder time finding a tree in the right place than one with no limbs. I've practiced going around limbs but I'm old and forgot how I did it, lol. I really think the hard part is coming back down after going around a limb unless you leave whatever you used to go around the limb there for coming back down. I'm messing with rappelling and srt using my LWHC. So far rappelling is awesome, I've only tried climbing from a preset tree but today thought why not use a throw rope to get my rope over a limb for climbing? My biggest pain is advancing my tether when climbing with the LWHC. It's awesome just shooting up a rope.
Click to expand...

I plan on doing the same for next year. Coming down I kind of walked down the tree beside the lwhc so I was hanging low enough.


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