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Talk me out of a climber....

Fuse Dude

Fuse Dude

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2020
Messages
582
Location
South Louisiana
Please talk me out of a climber, specifically the Summit Open Shot SD, as an alternate platform option.

I've got sticks and platforms, but I feel as though this is the simplest means for a saddle hunter to use the lower portion coupled with a ROS, outside of 2TC.

Is there a reason other than the flexibility of sticks and platforms, crooked trees aside, that appreciably excludes the other?

What's your thoughts?
 
Fuse Dude said:
Please talk me out of a climber, specifically the Summit Open Shot SD, as an alternate platform option.

I've got sticks and platforms, but I feel as though this is the simplest means for a saddle hunter to use the lower portion coupled with a ROS, outside of 2TC.

Is there a reason other than the flexibility of sticks and platforms, crooked trees aside, that appreciably excludes the other?

What's your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Got a pin dropped on a viper someone left laying in the woods all packed up ready to travel. Spent some time under water at least last winter but looks like probably 2 so the cables are rusted and need to be replaced but other wise it was good to go. If it is still there in a couple weeks, I may bring it out. Supposed to have hunter info on it but there was nothing on there.
 
My first mobile season was using a climber, an old aluminum API I want to say??

Really it's the most comfortable way I ever sat in a tree to date. I felt extremely safe using it climbing and descending.

The main faults that I found in it were first it's bulk and weight. I hit and got caught by nearly every branch in the woods carrying it on my back.

Also, it made life very inconvenient if I got up to height and then for some reason or another had to get back down quickly.

And finally, tree selection. I didn't really notice it when I was hunting in open hardwoods, there was generally a tree straight enough and limbless enough to get up fairly high.
The main problem occurred when I was hunting in the marsh. More than once I had to be further back into the woods, away from the edge than I wanted to be, because all of the edge trees in the marsh were so thick with branches low.
 
I have an Open Shot SD hanging in my garage. It's been hanging there for 3+ years. I don't know why I haven't sold it but I've had 0 desire to use it in that time. I've had far too many instances of walking in with a climber and not being able to get in the tree I want to get in because of having a climber and that costing me deer. Plus, even with it being a small climber, it's just a PITA to walk through the woods with. No thanks
 
Wolverinebuckman said:
My first mobile season was using a climber, an old aluminum API I want to say??

Really it's the most comfortable way I ever sat in a tree to date. I felt extremely safe using it climbing and descending.

The main faults that I found in it were first it's bulk and weight. I hit and got caught by nearly every branch in the woods carrying it on my back.

Also, it made life very inconvenient if I got up to height and then for some reason or another had to get back down quickly.

And finally, tree selection. I didn't really notice it when I was hunting in open hardwoods, there was generally a tree straight enough and limbless enough to get up fairly high.
The main problem occurred when I was hunting in the marsh. More than once I had to be further back into the woods, away from the edge than I wanted to be, because all of the edge trees in the marsh were so thick with branches low.
Click to expand...
I remember hunting with my buddy 2 years ago. At the time I was using a knaider/swaider and WE stepps. He was using a climber. We had quite a walk in and I just remember laughing to myself and at him as he cussed his way down the trail. He doesn't hunt in a climber anymore.
 
Fuse Dude said:
Please talk me out of a climber, specifically the Summit Open Shot SD, as an alternate platform option.

I've got sticks and platforms, but I feel as though this is the simplest means for a saddle hunter to use the lower portion coupled with a ROS, outside of 2TC.

Is there a reason other than the flexibility of sticks and platforms, crooked trees aside, that appreciably excludes the other?

What's your thoughts?
Click to expand...

I have had thought of using the lower portion of my climber for saddle hunting. My only concern was it kicking out and falling down the tree If I put side pressure on it. Even if you are not using it as a platform you will need to worry about it sliding down the tree, so you would have to tether it onto the tree somehow or be setup to rappel down if that happened.
 
Are you thinkg about just taking the platform and using it with a saddle? If so, that doesn't seem like a good idea. I have a summit and I think trying to set up the platform at height with a linemans belt is goiing to be a royal pain (a). (b) while they're pretty solid it's not hard to kick em out if you would do any sort of side loading. (c) the way they connect to the tree is going to make it a pain to step out of onto a ROS. (d) they're pretty bulky and then what's the point of being a saddle hunter?
 
hokiehunter373 said:
I have an Open Shot SD hanging in my garage. It's been hanging there for 3+ years. I don't know why I haven't sold it but I've had 0 desire to use it in that time. I've had far too many instances of walking in with a climber and not being able to get in the tree I want to get in because of having a climber and that costing me deer. Plus, even with it being a small climber, it's just a PITA to walk through the woods with. No thanks
Click to expand...
Same... I've got an open shot up with my mallard decoys and neither have moved in like 3 years
 
WISCO said:
I have had thought of using the lower portion of my climber for saddle hunting. My only concern was it kicking out and falling down the tree If I put side pressure on it. Even if you are not using it as a platform you will need to worry about it sliding down the tree, so you would have to tether it onto the tree somehow or be setup to rappel down if that happened.
Click to expand...
Easy, I'd double strap it, top and bottom.
 
THill202 said:
Are you thinkg about just taking the platform and using it with a saddle? If so, that doesn't seem like a good idea. I have a summit and I think trying to set up the platform at height with a linemans belt is goiing to be a royal pain (a). (b) while they're pretty solid it's not hard to kick em out if you would do any sort of side loading. (c) the way they connect to the tree is going to make it a pain to step out of onto a ROS. (d) they're pretty bulky and then what's the point of being a saddle hunter?
Click to expand...
I'd just use a tether as my "upper" climbing section.
 
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