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Posted

Anyone have any experience with the API Grand Slam Extreme climbing stand? Thinking of going to a climbing stand but I have never used one.

Posted

I bought a Summit Viper X4 this season and it is one of the best pieces of hunting gear I've ever owned. It's light, quiet, easy to set up, and comfortable. It's actually quite a bit of fun to go up and down the trees with it. I was told by a reliable source that this was the best one to get, so I didn't really shop around. But I have not been disappointed.

Posted

BradB,

What store carries them?

Posted

I bought mine from Joe's Sporting Goods in Saint Paul, and it was the last one they had. The salesman told me that they sell them as soon as they get them in. You could try the usual online retailers as I'm sure they carry it. Also, check out their website to get a feel for what they have.

The Viper X4 weighs only 20 pounds and easily converts to a backpack. I was able to tie all my gear into the stand, carry it on my back, and move easily through the woods.

When you get to the tree you want, simply untie the two pieces and assemble them to the tree. Each part has a coated cable (for silence) that easily engages and disengages from the assembly. Disengage, wrap around the tree, and re-engage. Then I tie a rope between the two, climb in, and work my way up a tree. The bottom piece has foot holders that make it easy to pull it up when your weight is on the top part. I do bring a small saw to cut off branches (if necessary) and on most trees (popples, ash, etc., I can be 20 feet up about 10 minutes after I get there. I've actually fallen asleep in this stand, it is that comfortable and stable. The safety harness that comes with the stand is also very robust.

All in all, I found the design to be very well thought out. I think it is really a good product.

Posted

Bought a hunters view for 100 bucks at pamida last year. I woulndt give it up. Hunts as good as my friends 275 model. Easy to use,built like the 275 model, rated at 300#. tongue.gif

Posted

I too bought the Summit Viper X4 this year and have been as pleased as could be.. I cant believe how long I went without a climber stand. Soooooooo much more confortable than any strap on stand I have sat in.

Posted

Question for you Summit Viper users. Do you use your stand for bow hunting? I'm wondering if the bar will interfere with bow movement when trying to take a shot. Wondering if maybe the Cobra X4 might be a better choice for this reason?

Posted

I don't bow hunt (not yet, anyway) and haven't used it as such. I can't see how the stand would interfere, however, especially if you are standing up to shoot. Even then, it doesn't seem to me that the stand would be in the way if you are sitting.

Another benefit of the Viper X4 is that you can sit in it backwards and look behind the tree. On several occasions this year I did just that, sitting on the shooting rail and looking at the swamp behind me. I didn't find it uncomfortable or unsafe to do so.

Posted

Guppy, I dont rifle hunt, and I have the Viper X4 for my climber. The seat is ajustable, so, that means if you would like you can have the seat lower and use the front bar as a gun rest.. Or have the seat so that its pretty high and then it only sits at about your knees. I put it so its somewhere between and use it to hold my bow. I have never had a problem drawing the bow with it there. However I am 6'3"...I would think it should be fine for everybody.

Posted

i also bought a hunters view climber. it is rated for 3 bills and with myself and gear, i closely approach that number. i wish it had a higher weight capacity, but i know it will hold me without any problem. has so far, and it is comfortable.

the problem i have run into with this stand, is that you need to strap your boots into this arrangement to climb and then again to decend. difficult at best. the part where you climb down is very awkward and down right dangerous!

i quit using it for that reason.

now i have remedied the situation.

the sole purpose for the straps, is to be able to lift and free the lower part of the stand from the tree to enable you to move it freely up or down the tree trunk. thus the old addage"necessity is the mother of invention" comes into play.

i designed a bar that lays flat on the lower platform when not in use, but is easily flipped up by a small rod extension when needed. this bar extends from side to side and is bent to fit inside the square tubing that the cables slide nito. i ground clean the surface, and welded (it is a steel stand)a sadle type tube on the top of the square tubing, position the tubing/bar assembly so the ballance of the bar location naturaly allowed the stand to tilt downward freeing it from the tree.

it is not as confusing as it may sound.

i see some of the newer stands now have plastic clip on stirrups instead of the straps. a grand improvement.

i would be happy to take pictures of it if anybody is in the same boat, and looking for a way to avoid using them blakity blank straps!

good hunting smile.gif

Posted

My Viper X4 has the plastic clip you talk about. It is quite easy to put my feet (with big boots) in and out, and move about. It is also rated for 300#. I'm down about 105# since April of this year, so I didn't really have a problem. smile.gif

Posted

Yep.. the plastic clips are called "rapid climb stirups".. if you have older summit stands I believe you can order or buy them.. very easy to use for sure. I feel very safe in mine.

Posted

LT01, to answer you original question, I hunt out of Grand Slam and like it a lot. Works good for gun and bow. Nice and light and easy to set up. Climbers are definetely the way to go if you plan on sitting all day.

Posted

LT01, I have an API GSX like you are looking at. Works great is very comfortable. Sat in permanent tree stands for 35 years until my daughter got me this for Christmas and now I wouldn't go back.

I agree with Jigglestick about the straps. I wouldn't mind if you posted a picture of the attachment that you made. I would modify mine for sure.

That's the only complaint.

Posted

Lt01- I have a Warren-Sweat from Cabellas. The best thing I have ever bought for hunting. I like the belt system for adjusting to the size of the tree, it adjusts in about quarter inch incraments and is very quiet. The absolute bomb in Ripley.

Posted

I also have a climber and the one thing not mentioned here is the diameter of the tree needed to use it. Mine recommends a 12"tree and I have used it on trees down to 8-9" but the stability can be touchy. I also agree on the straps being a pain. The rapid climb stirrups sound great and I would be interested in the mod mentioned above for mine. They are comfy and nice way to hunt.

Posted

Here is a picture of the Rapid Climb stirups in case anybody is interested.

85052-f.jpg

Posted

47b4cf11b3127cce9d2c0de5f4e100000016108AbuHLVy3Zt_

just email me and i will send interested parties the pictures of the modification

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • rundrave
      that just gets you hdmi out to broadcast to tv otherwise its the same transducer  
    • leech~~
      Yep have one that's been sitting for about 4 years now about to get shipped off to the grandsons to play with.  It was fun for a while, the last time I used it was on a few trout lakes and to fish my digital camera out of Red Lake when it got bumped off the table!  🙃
    • Wanderer
      Yeah but I’ve come to hate using cameras anyway.  Too much hassle.  I have 2 that I could easily be talked into selling.  I rarely even think about em anymore unless something gets dropped down the hole and you want to make an attempt at getting it back.   Like our daughters cell phone last weekend!
    • leech~~
      Kind of like a old school, cheap camera. 🤓
    • Wanderer
      I like seeing what direction they’re going and that I can usually ID fish by profile, movement and speed.  Not 100% but probably 75%+ positive ID based on location and presentation.   I can set the one transducer to cover all the lines fished in the house, see if they’re all set at the depth I want and see how many looks the baits get before being hit - or not hit.   Sometimes it’s the first bait a fish comes to no matter what, sometimes they come through and check em all then go away.  Sometimes they check em all then turn around and go pick the one they liked the most.  Move it or leave it alone?  Are the minnows swimming hard?  Are they crossing lines?  Will fish lift up to check the high sets?  Do they do that more aggressively?  Is a high set a trigger or do they want it low so they can just swim into it?  Is the fish that bites the one closest to the bait or is it one that rushes in from further away to steal it?   That last one has been an eye opener for panfish.  So many times you’re working one fish that won’t go but it’s one that bum rushes the bait from 10’ away that you catch.  All the while with regular sonar you think finally coaxed that first one to bite.
    • leech~~
      You should have bought the $5,000 make um bite Garmin, instead of just the $2,500 look at um Garmin.  🤣🤣
    • rundrave
      It’s so rewarding to see them come in and everything comes together and equally frustrating to see them come in and do nothing lol 
    • Wanderer
      This was our overnight, last night.  The smaller perch were kept because of barotrauma.  
    • Wanderer
      2/3 houses were running them.  And one of them had both a Mega Live and Garmin going at the same time last night.  That house did the best.  We did well.  The one without only got a few fish.     I think there’s also some of this going on.  We just see more.  That’s all there is to it.   I’m always wondering the fish are sensing them too and avoiding or not biting as aggressively but I would shut mine off for periods of time and our catch didn’t go up.  It really went down, but that could also be because the bite shut down and I was tired of looking at a blank screen, hoping they would come in with it off.   Now to say the house with most FFS power won because of that?  I don’t think so.  They were probably on a little bit better spot but they’re also very good fishermen.   The house that had none and did the worst was put ON the spot that did the best last year.  They were also the greenest fishermen that had a loud generator and may or may not have rigged their lines correctly.   What FFS has told me so far: there are no absolutes and things happen differently than we assumed in the past.
    • Kettle
      I think we're just seeing fish we previously hadn't seen. I've realized a lot in the boat on clear lakes in shallow water a fish won't let you get within 50 ft. Last opener i was catching walleye in 4 ft. If the boat got within 50 ft the fish were gone
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