I just got spurs this year for the first time as I got a piece of private that the landowner is allowing me to climb junk trees with spurs. Otherwise, most people cannot use them on public land as they could theoretically damage the tree and so are illegal in many states for public land hunting. But again, if you're hunting private property and you have permission from the landowner, I think they are a very viable option. I will say; however, a good one stick up and rappel downs system is very, very hard to beat. With decent spurs, you're at the same price point give or take than a decent one stick and as an initial investment into getting at hunting height, the one stick system will give you many more options as your investment will work on both public and private properties. You can also explore the 2TC climbing system which is very minimalistic and the EWO Ultimate One-Stick is absolutely a very high level product with many options as is the OOAL one stick and platform system. If you're a DIY person, you can add a platform to an existing stick or purchase the EWO Ultimate One-Stick (or others on the market) with your platform already on the top of the one stick and thereby eliminating the need to climb up with your spurs, install your platform, and then take them off, store them, etc. There's more foreseeable "fiddle factor" potentially. If you mean just staying on the tree with your tree climbing spikes for an all day stand or even a few hours, make sure you do some research on the type of climber you will using to be sure the pads that come with the climbing spurs are comfortable. I have Opsal aluminum pads on my Klien climbers and they are very comfortable but they are bulky and will require some stealth stripping. I would have to spend some significant time in them to give you an idea of staying in spikes the whole time but I believe in my few climbs so far with them, I would have no problem doing a morning or afternoon 2-4 hour hunt in them. If you plan on just using the leather "t" pads for climbing pads, I would say no way. Wes spur does a great extended video on climbing spikes options. A lot of guys on hear have modded Climb Right spurs to make the on and off easier and quieter (no velcro, noisy buckles etc.) but if you plan on leaving them on, you wouldn't have to worry about that. If you're just getting into this and want a climbing system with the most versatility and applicability, I would recommend a one stick system. I am no climbing expert and have no affiliation just some relevant experience to add to this discussion.
@GetHomeSafe and
@Topdog have good experience with climbing spikes and
@flinginairos has a youtube video on using climbing spurs as does
@g2outdoors. As far as other climbing systems, check out
@valerio024 latest minimalistic climbing method youtube video and also stuff from
@always89y and
@Red Beard. Good question though!!!