#Portable ladder stands deer hunting full
#Portable ladder stands deer hunting series

The Lone Wolf Custom Gear climbing sticks securely lock into place on the stand with no rattling. I found it very easy to hang, producing the only sub-2-minute setup time of the test. 5 was very quiet while packing or hanging it, and I especially appreciated the compact profile for sneaking through thick cover without getting hung up. 5 is made for mobile hunting, and it has a lot of features that make it one of the easiest to pack hang ons. 5 was the lightest, easiest to hang, and nearly silent during setup. I tested a lot of impressive tree stands, but the Lone Wolf Custom Gear.

Seat locks in place to support heavy loads.

Comes with robust, high-quality backpack straps.

The Best Tree Stands: Reviews and Recommendations Best Overall: Lone Wolf Custom Gear. We tested each stand on trees of different diameters as well as straight and leaning trees. You’ll see notes on stability and shooting experience in the product description of each stand. We also shot seated and standing to gather notes on the shooting experience. So, any wiggle or bounce was noted as we moved around on the platform. We defined stability as movement felt while on the stand. We judged comfort sitting in the seat but also factored the stand’s comfort while standing. We gave each stand a comfort score on our one-to-five scale, with five being the most comfortable. We tested all the stands for comfort and stability and shot our bows from the stands. While we were hanging each stand, two testers stood on opposite sides of the tree and scored the perceived noise level on a one to five scale (five is the quietest). You’ll see these times in the key features section for each stand. Then started the clock once they began climbing and stopped the clock when they were standing on the platform. For the hang ons, we pre-set two climbing sticks.

For the climbers, the testers started at the base of the tree with the stand on their back and then climbed to ten feet (base of the platform). We timed how long it took to set up the stands on a straight tree with a 14-inch diameter. The packability score was determined by a stand’s carrying comfort, maneuverability, and perceived noise. Each tester gave a score for packability from one to five, with five being the best. We also carried the stands through thick woods to see if any part of the stand caught on brush. The two testers who weren’t carrying stands stood along the trail, listening for any noise.

Then, a tester carried the stand down a trail. To test how well a stand carried through the woods, we set up each stand in its pack configuration. Using our combined experience, we tested each stand with the following protocols: Scott Einsmann: Outdoor Life‘s gear editor and experienced mobile hunter. Josh Philips: Like his brother Billy, Josh is a four-season bowhunter with over 100 days spent in stands and saddles each year.

#Portable ladder stands deer hunting full

The Test TeamĮrik Barber: A mobile hunter that lives and hunts in Wisconsin, but hunts multiple states for whitetails each year.īilly Philips: Is an urban bowhunter who has the opportunity to hunt 365 days a year and takes full advantage of those opportunities with 150 days spent in a stand or saddle. Here’s the full breakdown of the test team and our protocols and scoring system. While a year separated the two tests, the test protocol remained consistent. The 2022 stands were tested in Virginia by Scott Einsmann, Billy Philips, and Josh Philips. The 2023 stands were tested by Erik Barber in Wisconsin. This review is broken into two sections: stands tested in 2023 and stands tested in 2022. How We Tested Tree Stands We tested the best tree stands on the market. Most Comfortable: Millennium M150 Monster.

Best Budget Climbing Tree Stand: XOP Outdoors Ambush Evolution.Best Climbing Tree Stand: Lone Wolf Custom Gear Crossover.

#Portable ladder stands deer hunting series

So, to help you find the best tree stand for your hunting style, we put 11 of the best tree stands through a series of tests. From innovative small manufacturers to large established companies, there’s never been more brands making better tree stands than there are today. Today’s stands are much more sturdy, they’re also lighter, more comfortable, and quieter than stands many of us learned to hunt from. We’ve come a long way from plywood and 2X4 tree stands that creaked like old wood floors and started to rot after several seasons in the elements. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.