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LWCG Minis vs. Shikar sticks

Islandshooter said:
Cut em down, doublesteps from DanO (eastern woods outdoors), versa aider and whoopsie Daisy from Mike Isbell, stealth strips from Uncle Lou (or EWO). Unless you just want to spend the money! Heard nothing but great things about the shikars tho!
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I almost took a knife to them yesterday but believe I'm just going to sell them. They're stealth stripped and double stepped on top now. I just think no matter what I do to them, the original lone wolf sticks aren't in the same category as the new lwcg sticks or shikars as far as being light, and compact.

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SETXsportsman6 said:
How do the minis stack with cable aiders? That's the route I'd like to go but if the cable aiders add a lot of bulk I may just try the versa aider.

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They add 3oz per stick. They pack fine. way easier to climb with than the versa aider. The Versa aider takes some practice coming back down. I am also not sure I would trust all my weight on that LWCG micro button.
 
SETXsportsman6 said:
How do the minis stack with cable aiders? That's the route I'd like to go but if the cable aiders add a lot of bulk I may just try the versa aider.

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They don't add much weight at all. The aiders pack up to where u don't even know they are on the sticks.

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enkriss said:
They add 3oz per stick. They pack fine. way easier to climb with than the versa aider. The Versa aider takes some practice coming back down. I am also not sure I would trust all my weight on that LWCG micro button.
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Shooooottttt I may have found a winner then. Roughly do you know how high you could get with 4 and 4 cable aiders?

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@SETXsportsman6 heres a picture of the minis with cable aiders and amsteel daisy chains. Im 5’ 10” and can easily get 18’-19’ to platform and 20’-21’ if i really stretch them out
 

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enkriss said:
I have owned LWCG minis twice and 17” and 22” Shikars. My list of pros and cons of each
LWCG:

Pro’s-
*with cable aiders they are pretty sweet.
*compact, can stack a bunch sideways, even better without the grommets
*they seem very sturdy not much flex if any at all
*matched with the LWCG stand or ambush the packability is unbeatable.

Con’s-
*single step (some don’t mind but I do)
*ugly, let’s face it the waterjetting is sloppy and the finish is mediocre. New manufacturer may be better.
*heavier than advertised
*they don’t pack well with the straps attached

Shikars:

Pro’s-
*quality is second to none
*they pack extremely low profile in pairs
*they grip the tree like none other

Con’s
*the fiddle factor, it sucks
*very long folded which hurts packability 17s are 26.5” long and the 22” are over 31”
*flex, they flex especially the 22s, pretty substantially. They spring back so it’s not an issue but definitely something to note
*I think the stand off should had been notched to lock them in when deployed. When pulling down and weighting the stick on the tree the standoff will turn and loosen the step. Turning the step 45 and then turning it when the thumb screw is tight helps on the pull down but when weighted they will still turn and loosen the step. It’s an annoyance and I don’t like the step wobbling under foot.
*the are designed to pack in pairs.
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When you said standoffs I was thinking you were talking about the steps. Idk why I got my wires crossed there but I did. Lol. The shikars are solid!! Paired with a scout that's an awesome setup. I'm 314 lbs this morning and it handled side pressure like a champ. Didn't budge a bit. Awesome design for sure. I thought the scout would've been too small for me, however after trying it, it wasn't bad at all!
 
I've never had the shikars, but I used the LWCG minis for a good bit of last season. I killed 3 bucks off of them. Mainly used 3 sticks and their platform, but next season plan on using 2 sticks with the cable aiders.
Not the lightest or most compact setup, and you're obviously not getting very high up, but it's like hitting the easy button. I can set up in under 5 minutes very quietly, and the large platform is quite nice.

I have 0 input on the new machined stuff. The water jetted stuff is kinda rough and ugly, but once the money is spent and you get a little mud and blood on them, what's it matter? They seem to be holding up nicely.
 
Nutterbuster said:
I've never had the shikars, but I used the LWCG minis for a good bit of last season. I killed 3 bucks off of them. Mainly used 3 sticks and their platform, but next season plan on using 2 sticks with the cable aiders.
Not the lightest or most compact setup, and you're obviously not getting very high up, but it's like hitting the easy button. I can set up in under 5 minutes very quietly, and the large platform is quite nice.

I have 0 input on the new machined stuff. The water jetted stuff is kinda rough and ugly, but once the money is spent and you get a little mud and blood on them, what's it matter? They seem to be holding up nicely.
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Really curious to see how they pack. Which one is tighter? I know the lwcg are a little heavier by 4oz which I'm not too concerned with.
 
I am actually thinking about going with the .5 stand as a platform and 4 mini sticks with cable aiders.... haven’t decided.
 
I got the lwcg minis last season and its hands down one of my best hunting purchases ever. The packability and profile are legit!
 
So, I have both sets of sticks. I have found that the LWCG minis (minus the daisy chains, I carry separate) pack EXTREMELY well with the Ambush. I have also found that I can collapse and stack 4 Shikars together, with Amsteel daisy chains wrapped around them, and can get them to pack well with the Predator. My biggest con with each is as follows:

LWCG minis - I wish the standoffs were more aggressive & bit like the Shikars. They don't even bite as well as my original LW sticks, and I think I may eventually take a file to the standoffs to sharpen up.

Shikars - The slight loosening of the step when you set the sticks. I will put in my mental checklist to tighten each step after setting and before climbing, but it's a little disconcerting.

Let me be clear, I really like both of them and in my opinion both are winners. Both are way more packable than my original Lone Wolfs. If I use my Predator I'll have the Shikars, if I use the Ambush I'll have my LWCG minis.
 
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