Todd1700

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I am considering buying this tree stand. I will be primarily bowhunting. Anyone have any experience with them or know someone that does?

Matt / PA

I used one all of last season and LOVED it......I' ve never felt more confident and safe in a treestand, and I am not fond of heights at all. HUnting from a tree is now FUN for me as opposed to being something that just " has to be done" .

The Goliath might not be the best choice for a BOWhunting stand, but its no slouch.......There are times when that bar will come into play but if you don' t shoot primarily from a sitting position you should have no problem.
Just the overall feeling of security makes me a better hunter that I' m sure of.
And if you are going to also gun hunt out of it the stand is perfect.....I have yet to sit in a stand as comfortable.

Climbs quiet and with little effort (sit and stand style), grips the tree like crazy with no flexing or shifting.
Not a backpacking stand that' s for sure (I hunted an area where it was about a 1.5 mile hike in and out and that wasn' t exactly what i' d call fun, but wasn' t a killer either. If the majority of your hunting is done in short walks to woodlots etc, the the weight really isn' t a concern. (a little tip, if you get one scrap the nylon backpack straps in favor of a padded style.....its night and day. The supplied straps are not comfortable at all)
straps aside, it' s Just an all around great stand.

5 shot

Matt saved me a bunch of typing. His review pretty much summs up my feelings as well. It' s a great climbing stand with plenty of room.

rockytop

It' s a great stand with alot of room. I can shoot sitting with the mathews q2. It' s also a lot stronger built than the viper or their other models.

Todd1700

Thanks guys. I generally stand to shoot anyway so I don' t think the bar with be a problem. I do have a few places that are a fair hike to get into but I am planning on buying one of those two wheeled game carts to transport my stands almost all the way to my tree and then of course hopefully my stand and a deer all the way out. The thing that attracted me to the summits is virtually everyone talks about how quickly, easily and securely they attach to the tree. I have used an Ole Man climber for the past two years and it may seem nitpicky on my part but I hate the way it attaches to the tree. Those pins that you must get through the hole and the loop of the cable. The cable loop invariably turns sideways after you insert it up the tube with the holes in it. Add pre-dawn and post sunset darkness to the equation and the procedure gets even more difficult. Also, the web net seat on these ole man stands start out fairly comfortable but over time as the mesh stretches you end up with a narrower and narrower band of seating material under your a$$. Yes you can replace them but its a pain (you basically have to completely disassemble the stand) and they only last about one season each. There are some good features about Ole Man stands. They are reversable for gun or bowhunting which is nice, light to carry and are pretty stable on the tree. I' m looking for more ease of attachment and comfort for all day hunting though.

rockytop

Another thing, todd, they have a great safety harness that comes with the stand and a good video on how to use it all. I had quit using my harness a few years ago because I just never fell out of trees. Well, first day of bow season last year, my wife talked me into wearing it and I did and I fell backwards about 20 feet in the air and my big butt was saved from a nasty fall by the safety harness.

DuskDevil

Todd, I' ve been shopping around for one too maybe it' llsave you time:
cabelas - $279.99
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...=&cmCat=search

eders - $259.99
http://www.eders.com/catalog/showdet...ID=18974&DID=9

Basspro - $279.99
http://www.basspro-shops.com/servlet...rTarget=search

Treestands.com 269.99
http://www.treestand.com/Merchant2/m...oduct_Count=34