Welp
I’m a huge fan of the bolt system and will be trying it out soon but to say there is no other bark penetrating system that comes close is a little excessive in my opinion.
How much research? I'm entering my 50th season hunting. Been climbing trees since about my 6th year of hunting which was around 1976. I started using EZ Climb screw ins in 1980, almost 40 years of screw ins. I tried the Americrap style probably a dozen seasons ago and I literally gave 100 of them away PLUS the step tool after I realized how much better bolts are. I'm not a rookie when it comes to climbing trees.
I owned about 100 Ameristeps and I also owned the Ultimate step tool, I've owned strap on steps, sticks, 100 EZ Climb Deluxe (which I do like and still have), and now...bolts. I've been up and down trees
of all species a few times over the years. Tree species is important to this discussion.
I never did a comparison of the specs...bolts vs ameristeps, but I know what I know. Your post has challenged me to check the specs...
Lets start with bolts vs Ameristeps.
1 Ameristep...6 oz.
1 bolt 3oz. But bolts wrap up in a nice, parallel packackage. Steps have two 90 degree angles. That alone make bolts
far easier to pack. Plus bolts don't have a sharp tip that wears hole in packs like1 piece steps do.
When I referred to bolts being quieter, I wasn't talking about the climbing part, I was talking about the transporting part. Steps tend to have a louder "ring" to them when they clank together. It may be a minor difference, but bolts are quieter than steps in the pack.
Price...Grade 8 bolts can be purchased on Amazon and other places for $1 or less. Show me where Ameristeps are that cheap.
The tools... Tree step tool weighs 12 oz. My Treehopper mini with folding handle weighs 4.5 oz.
The U tool is 12" long. Treehopper mini is 5.5 inches long. And that length is more important that how it fits in a pack. I'm spit balling here, but a revolution of the tool when installing the step is probably around 24" - 30" circumference. The treehopper drill requires around 10". You will find out what a PIA a 24 inch crank is under certain circumstances...branch clearance, movement, and even clearance of poison I've vines or other undesirable obstructions.
The price of the Treehopper drill without the folding handle is $60. Add a little more for a folding handle, but the step tool could only dream of having a folding handle, so lets keep this apples to apples. Save $20 on the step tool, but you won't have the versatility. Guys spend 2-3 K on a bow rig, another few thousand on clothes and other assorted gear...I'm not gonna worry about $20 extra for a quality tool that performs the way I need it to. The U step site says $40 plus shipping...yeah, cheaper than the Treehopper, but you need to look at the total cost (bolts ARE cheaper) but more importantly...what you are getting. Not trying to be a smart ass, but I've been doing this for a long time. I actually tried bolts a little more than a year ago and it was like a kick in the gut. I've known about them for quite a few years and thought they seemed odd to me. Boy was I wrong!
I'm just trying to give you some good advice. Take it, or ignore it, or get insulted by it. I'm just trying to share 50 years of hunting experience. Bolts beat the crap out of screw ins...even the high quality screw ins like EZ Climbs.
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I plan on ordering an entire bolt set up after reading your posts. I didn’t get insulted I just was more curious on the specs. I was thinking in large scale I suppose. I was thinking you meant 10 lbs.
I do appreciate the info and didn’t mean for it to come off as not believing you I was more curious in terms of specs.
I am headed to order bolts and drill now.