X stand mini X1

[Garrymny]

I just got this climber stand. World's lightest. After I wrapped it in silence tape it weighed 11 and 3/4 lb. Pretty happy so far. But I agree with other reviews, the cables are too short. Looks like the tree will need to be 18 inches or less.

 

[Bwhana]

FYI, the way the arms come in toward the tree when weighted requires you to put it on a steeper angle at th3 bottom of the tree than other stands. Took me a few trips to get that ingrained in my head. Great stand, the only one I still own and use on occasion.

 

[Garrymny]

FYI, the way the arms come in toward the tree when weighted requires you to put it on a steeper angle at th3 bottom of the tree than other stands. Took me a few trips to get that ingrained in my head. Great stand, the only one I still own and use on occasion.

Thanks for telling me that! I just emailed them asking for longer cables.

 

[AnotherJoe]

Thats the stand I used before I was introduced to a saddle. Its pretty solid once you get it set up and the straps tightened down between the platform and the seat. I would definitely recommend a few practice runs with it before taking it out. It does like the smaller trees and the starting angle is steeper than most climbers.

 

[sworrior]

Are the cables loud? I believe I saw a review from Ikes Outdoors and it really looked like he struggled to climb with it. Just curious.

 

[Bwhana]

Are the cables loud? I believe I saw a review from Ikes Outdoors and it really looked like he struggled to climb with it. Just curious.

I use a rubber twist tie around the cables in the middle and it eliminates any noise from them. The stand climbs as good as any Summit, even better in my opinion due to the light weight. Easier to pick up the platform and maneuver around knots on the tree being light. The only downside to the stand is the cables will get caught on limbs and such walking in. Just go slow when you are getting close to where you plan to setup and take your time.

 

[Garrymny]

I'm thinking also I could just use the bottom part and climb with my saddle. It only weighs 1.5 lbs.. that's only for hunts where I need the lightest possible stand. So then I'd be down to about a 7 or 8 lb unit.

 

[Bwhana]

I will warn you about using the foot piece to climb. I did so last fall on a tree I had already climbed before with the whole stand. It was a hard, slick, leaning sycamore. Zero problems climbing with the stand on the high side of the lean. With my saddle, i wanted to be on the low side and about 20 ft up, the foot piece fell out from under me with no warning. I only fell about 1.5 ft until the tether caught me, but it was still a violent stop and hurt for a few days. I think it would have been worse, but the fleece saddle stretch took away energy before the rch caught. It would not have happened on a summit foot piece, but the the way the arms move on the xstand contributed. Just keep it on straight trees and check out the thread on the danger of static fall, it is real.

 

[Garrymny]

I will warn you about using the foot piece to climb. I did so last fall on a tree I had already climbed before with the whole stand. It was a hard, slick, leaning sycamore. Zero problems climbing with the stand on the high side of the lean. With my saddle, i wanted to be on the low side and about 20 ft up, the foot piece fell out from under me with no warning. I only fell about 1.5 ft until the tether caught me, but it was still a violent stop and hurt for a few days. I think it would have been worse, but the fleece saddle stretch took away energy before the rch caught. It would not have happened on a summit foot piece, but the the way the arms move on the xstand contributed. Just keep it on straight trees and check out the thread on the danger of static fall, it is real.

Will do. I only climb straight trees. Also I always tie the stand to the upper part, or in the case of using a saddle, I will tie it to myself so it can be dropped. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Bwhana]

Will do. I only climb straight trees. Also I always tie the stand to the upper part, or in the case of using a saddle, I will tie it to myself so it can be dropped. Thanks for the advice.

Good point on tying it to you! I had a rope from the foot piece tied to my rch, but it was too long, so no bueno. I also had a bungee cord around my ankles to it, but that popped off in the process. Once I gathered myself, I tried to pull it back up to me, but it was wedged in a way that it wouldn't pull up. I had to pull myself up on the tether, squeeze the tree with my legs, then move the tether down until I could get my feet to the stand. This incident triggered my desire to always have a spare 7/64 amsteel daisy chain on me and accessible (not stuck in a pocket that a weighted saddle prevents access) that can be used for emergency descent.

 

[Garrymny]

The stand broke this morning! First time I used it. JUNK. The hand climber handle broke and this where the cable attaches so it interesting getting down from the tree. Also, very difficult to climb with. The cable on the platform constantly grabbed the tree and made it almost impossible to lift the stand up. This is the second climber I have had that are very difficult to use. The other had a flat ribbon instead of a round cable and it would flop down instead of holding it's shape. Grabbed the tree every time. Here is a pic of the broken climber. I have no confidence in the stand now, it is obviously going back.

 

[10essee]

That sucks. Hopefully you didn’t get hurt. FWIW I have their Expedition loc-on with that same shape seat and pad. It is brutal on the a**. I’ve never been to prison but I imagine that couldn’t be much worse. On the bright side it will keep you vigilant cause there’s no relaxing in it

 

[BoHuntsKy]

I have this stand and it sucks. Its hard to clime with and the platform and seat are way too small.