Rapid Sticks vs. Steps / Chain-on vs. Saddle?

[Army GI]

All right, check it out. I recently went out a bought a Rivers Egde Rapid stick and also got one more section to reach 20'. My walk out to the area where I place my stand is only about 1/3 mile but it is through very high (chest high) grass that has deer trails and places where they have bedded down. So the walk out consists of me having to lift my legs much higher than usual. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't tired, but by the time I got to my stand I was sweating so bad my glasses were fogged up. Carrying those sections and a bow is hard work. Are the Cranford steps relatively easy to get into the tree?

I went out to where my stand should have been last year and saw that it had been snagged. Now, I know this happens but my goal is to have a good experience outdoors whether I see a deer or not and when I saw that it was gone... I was pissed.:rant: I quess it was my fault for leaving it up, with no padlock:bash: , and I had left the steps in the tree. So this year I bought the $50 chain on stand and a rapid stick so as to make it extremely difficult for someone to get it down. Now comes the main questions:


Are the Cranford steps worth the $5 each? Do they screw in easily?
Are the tree saddles really that comfortable?
Would it be safe to say then, that if I buy a number of steps and a tree saddle I would solve the problem of 1. not having a stand stolen again 2. much lighter load to carry 3. more stealth when setting up and/ or moving?

[uptracker]

I'm somewhat in the same position. I bought the Saddle this year and I absolutly love it. It is comfy and quiet, but most of all it's fun being able to move in it, I feel like a circus freak in the thing because you can use your imagination to get comfy, sleep, and move around.

I started using the Saddle with EZY strap on steps, they were a pain in the a** in my book. Try putting 15 of them up in the dark with Scent Lok gloves on. Actually don't try it. It took me 25 minutes..... Sweating so bad.......stuck in awkward positions and then retrieve your bow, put in a holder, get everything else ready....and then hunt....nope. SCREW THAT. So I got the Rapid Rails and they are impossible to set up and be noise free doing it. Mine are aluminum so they only weigh 11 pounds which isn't bad IMO.

If you can put those EZY screw in steps somewhere and leave them...DO IT. That's what I'm doing now and forever. Just take out the last 6 or so and carry them with you to each location. The pilot hole will already be there and many people won't notice the other steps up high.

[newbostonmike]

I've tried just about everything out there up to this year. I finally went out and got a climber. Just my opinion but, I can't even imangine using anything else ever again. From transporting it afield to the ease of going up or down a tree. I would recommend it to everyone. The climbing sticks work great but to much work getting to your spot.

[William H Bonney]

It sounds like you had "screw in" steps, where your stand got "stolen". Were you on private land? If you weren't,, it may have been the DNR that took you're stand.( I had it happen to me). :rolleyes: Personally, I have carried in "sticks" and steps, I just went REAL SLOW, to avoid sweating.

[Riddle]

I use a tree saddle, lone wolf sticks, and ameristep strap ons (4 of them on a ratchet to stand on when I'm strapped in w/ the saddle).

Takes 10-15 mins. to get up in place, bow ready, backpack hanging, etc. I get up to about 20-24 feet with 4 lone wolf sections.

Getting better the more I do it. Not the quietest, but it hasn't stopped me from seeing deer yet. I've also set up in 3 different trees over about 6 times I've been out. Setting up somewhere else this weekend. Rails/sticks/strap ons are the only way to stay within the law.

Not too heavy for me to carry in, I pack it in along with flashlight, clothes, etc. and sometimes a couple gallon zip lock bags of bait, although the bait seems useless right now, there is so much browse. I'm going to stop carrying the bait in until it gets cold/first good frost. I have about a 20 min. walk to where I set up, also.

Riddle

[jme]

I've heard a lot of good things about the saddles. John Eberhat, a Mich hunter who wrote "Bowhunting Pressures Whitetails" raves about them in his book. They aren't cheap so I'll have to save up a couple years. This year I did buy some climbing sticks. Right now they're chained/locked at the base of a tree. That way I don't have to carry them in. They go up pretty quickly and if you don't rush they're pretty quite. So far I'd say it was a good buy. John-Ypsi

[john eberhart]

Lets start with the steps. Cranford makes the best screw in steps available. My suggestion on the steps is this, buy 5 or 6 double fold cranford steps for the bottom of the tree. Use cheap $1.99 steps the rest of the way up to your location in the tree and leave them in the tree. If you are going to use a saddle buy 5 or 6 single fold cranford steps for placing around the tree at the elevation you will be located in the tree, these will be used as footrests and to manuever around the tree for 360 degree shooting mobility. The tops of the single fold steps are flat and much more comfortable to stand on for long periods of time.

Concerning the Ambush Saddle, lets see , you have no noise factor (it is made from fabric), you never have to worry about stolen stands or someone sitting in it when you are not there (because it is always with you), it fits in your backpack, you can shoot 360 degrees around the tree (no dead spots), you can hunt crooked, large, and small trees, you can use the tree as a blocker when the foilage is down, and once you get used to it, it is a lot more comfortable, you can freelance and set up close to bedding areas because there is no noise associated with the setup.

Or you can hunt from a 7 to 10 pound hang on or a 10 to 20 pound climber, and hope the right tree exists where you want to hunt, and hope the buck your after does not come in behind your tree where you can not shoot. And don't leave it in the tree because like you said, it might not be there when you come back, or worse yet someone else hunted from it without you knowing it. I really can not see a positive side to the treestand or climber.

[Ack]

Well said John...Cranford steps are without a doubt the best you can get...they even go into rock hard oaks without a problem. I had to set up a tree the other day and used some of my old Cobra screw-ins, and by the time I was done putting 13 of them in the tree I was beat and my hands were pretty sore...they just turn in so hard! I actually prefer the single fold over the double fold, and I have been using these for about 20 years now...one set will last a long time. As far as the answer to your 3rd question, yes, the Tree Saddle will meet all of those expectations.

[john eberhart]

Right Ack, they last forever. They are also the only step I know of that has the case hardened number on the ends of the pivot pins. My son Chris had some cheap folding steps fold up at the joints once and he only weighs 150 pounds. Oh by the way, on the standard steps, they go in very easy if you use an Ameristep stepstarter.