Mostly weight. More $= lighter materials/ different manufacturing process. Then you can get into the "hype". I've been tempted by the novix raider ladder stand but $800 is way to steep. But definitely would be lighter than any steel ladder out there. Really depends on your needs. I have a blind, a saddle and just got a millennium m50 today for $139. Which is not bad considering I may not even use it.

 

The number one factor is materials used, which equals weight. I bought a Muddy Boss XL several years ago which weighed in excess of 20# (steel), just for the stand. Then the mounting system added more weight.... running about $129. Compare that with an aluminum XOP Air Raid Evolution that is similar in size, 12.6# and runs $199. Then to a Novix Echo at 11.8# and cost $370. A Lone Wolf or Beast Gear is going to weigh less and cost even more.

Once on the tree, they all do the job....but some have more features like platform leveling and such. The issue for many who are hoofing it out to a mobile hunting spot and taking it down at the conclusion of that hunt is sheer bulk. Weight on your back carrying it in and out.....weight on the end of a haul line getting it up the tree......and weight you are holding as you get it in place. After setting that boat anchor Muddy up one time and leaving it for the season, I sold it the next spring because with size came with a significant weight cost.

 

It depends on if you're using as a pre set or hang and hunt. If its pre set, steel is cheaper, quieter and more durable and it should have a chain so squirrels can chew on the strap. A hang and hunt stand should cost more to get a good quality (quiet) stand made of aluminum and use straps or ropes for light weight and quiet hanging.

 

I’ll never buy another cheap hang-on. They are hit or miss, mostly miss, on making noise when you have to move. Anything Big Game or Muddy or similar companies make is a no-go for me. I think a solid platform like Lone Wolf, Novix, or XOP is the way to go. I wouldn’t be scared to get another Millennium, but that’s the only mesh platform stand I would buy, and it would be for a permanent setup. You get what you pay for, up to a point. The new Lone Wolf stuff is diminishing returns for me, so they’re out. Too much for too little.

 

Money factors into weight in price as stated above. Steel is fine if the stands are permanent, but if it’s a mobile setup you want it as light as you can afford. Long story short, if your stands are permanent or seasonal permanent then there’s no need to buy the expensive cast aluminum stuff. Hawk gets a lot of hate, but for my money I think they make some of the best affordable hang ons around. My hawk combat is one of my favorite stands. Super comfortable, everything I want but too heavy for setup and teardown every hunt. Which is why I set it up by the action and move if need be. You can get these for close to 100 on eBay. Use screw in steps instead of sticks and lifeline, your set.

 

All of our presets on private ground are steel and maintained. When public hunting, I use a climber or a saddle setup.

 

I took up saddle hunting in fall of '23 and might not even set up a fixed stand this coming season. I have a couple ladder stands on our private property, a Red Neck bale blind on the back corner of our home property and most everywhere else will either be totally mobile or pre-set sticks on friend's private ground. Carrying and setting a 4# saddle platform is a breeze next to even the lightest fixed stand. My entire saddle rig.....pack with basic contents, platform and sticks weigh in around 15#.

 

My #1 criteria when it comes to a loc on stand and/or say a saddle platform is what type of "teeth" or "standoff" not sure the technical term but like Lone Wolf called it the batwing. I've had a lot of different setups and that batwing style is hard to beat. When you can set your stand and cam it over and it not pull away when you put your weight on it, it gives you the warm and fuzzies. I've never used anything, and I've bought a LOT, that bites like that batwing style.

Trophyline's stuff uses the batwing as does
XOP
Novix
and of course Lone Wolf there may be others.

If I wasn't going to use a stand with a Lone Wolf batwing I'd use one like a Milineum for example that has a bracket. I have a Hawk loc on with a bracket as well.

 

Run and gun, get the more expensive stands. If you plan on leaving it out during season, get the stuff that is on sale after season at Dicks' or any box store. Steel stands, and use chains to hold it on the tree.

 

One reason I have that Hawk Ultralite and my old Hawk sticks still. I'm gonna hang that stand about mid Aug in a really good spot so I can hopefully come in o'dark thirty during season and just get in the stand without hanging and all the noise. I'll also have a camera high up a tree shining on it to hopefully see who tries to steal it.

 

I really love the cast aluminum stands. They are quiet to hunt out of. I have LW and XOP stands. They are a bit pricey but the quality is amazing. The other huge thing for me is the ability to level the platform. Nothing worse than trying to shoot an animal with your feet all wonky and at different levels compared to how you have been practicing on a flat surface.

 

XOP is the way to go

 

It's amazing that the guy who complains about people talking about hang ons in saddle threads, has found a way to mention saddles in the last 2-3 hang on threads I've read. I think it's a mental disorder.

 

Weight, size, and comfort, plus ease of use need to be considered. I have found they get smaller the higher you go. At ground level they all feel fine, 20’ up they seem to shrink 😯. There is no reason to have to spend a lot of money on a hang on, there are plenty to choose from under 250.00.
What I ended up with for light weight and quick and easy hang is an XOP Air Raid Evolution and added a quick hang cable loop for easy hanging. I wrapped the outer platform frame with paracord.
For comfort I also have a Millennium M60 Ultra lite. I also wrapped the outer platform frame with paracord to quiet down the aluminum tubed frame with some Stealth Strips added to the stand, it’s very quiet now. The ever have chain mounts for leaving the stand out and not have to worry about the weather or squirrel. Also, a must have is a foot rest. This is my long sit hang on.
For sticks I use Muddy Pro sticks, a bit heavy with todays standards but I have to cart my gear in so weight is not a big issue for me. They are easy, fast, and quiet.
For lightweight sticks I bought a set of new Skeletors that were on sale last month or more, these are very lightweight and quiet. The steps angle up slightly and out away from the tree, a big advantage coming down the tree in the dark.
Everything I listed is 250.00 each and I am very happy with them.

 

Millenium is a great option. Of all my stands that’s my favorite and will be my go to from here on out when buying additional stands

 

This is true. You have to be realistic between being light weight carrying into the woods and what you're comfortable with as far as a small platform at height maneuvering your feet around. Generally the lighter the stand the smaller the platform.

I'll carry more weight, within reason, to be comfortable. It does me no good to walk 10 miles into the woods with a feather lite stand and want to climb down and go home after 30 minutes.

Everyone has a different criteria for weight and comfort, you just have to find YOUR balance.

I built an elevated shoot house on my property once. It was like hunting in my man cave and was so comfortable, but I wasn't gonna put it on my back and carry it anywhere and I was limited to deer in ONE spot. I've also hauled a tiny piece of aluminum with a strap that I forgot was on my back and let deer walk because all I wanted to do was get down and go home.

 

One thing about climbing sticks. I got tired of hauling full length sticks for weight and packability. I bought some Trophyline Double Minis. They are light, strong, pack well and bite like crazy, but I don't do aiders and I have to carry more of them and it almost defeats the purpose.

If you have to carry 5 18" sticks compared to 3 30" sticks, you're hanging 2 more sticks increasing chance of failure and packing 2 more sticks, are you better off? I'm sure sometimes yes and sometimes no.

 

I use to use full length sticks but found they seem to increase the possibility of kicking out on me, with the shorter sticks that hasn’t been an issue.

 

If you have big feet, like me, you definitely don't want a small platform. Rivers Edge makes some reasonably priced stands and climbing sticks that aren't terribly heavy. If you want very light, spend $$.

 

I like the M-150's heavy yes but comfortable for all day sits, seat height is adjustable as well has the platform if your tree is not perfectly straight
I use the stick ladders , I actually leave them in the woods year round, but take the straps with me, going on over 20 years doing that way

 

FWIW, I bought a hang on stand and climbing sticks. IMO, it's a waste of $$$. Too much trouble to set up even after looking at YouTube videos. Advertised it at my gun club for over a year and never got one call. Wish I had spent the extra $$$ and bought a climbing stand.

 

What stand and sticks?
For me a hang on and sticks are a special purpose set up when I can’t use a climber. But actually, with the right stand and sticks with a developed technique it’s not much harder than a climber, but it can be a big hassle until you get it down. I remember years ago when I started with a hang on, I almost left it in the woods, I sweated like a pig. I couldn’t believe people used them for a hang and hunt. But years ago they weren’t very developed either.
As stands and sticks got better and I developed a good technique the gear better gear. Now it’s my warm weather set up because it is so effortless taking my time I don’t work up a sweat.
The trick is picking the right stand and sticks, you either have to be really lucky or go through a few sets until you the right one for you, kind of like a saddle.
I hunt in climber friendly woods so that usually what I take, but I have a few spots that only a hang on will work.
Another advantage I have is in my area people mostly use climbers so they pass on areas they can’t use them. We do have a few tree dancers but not many.

 

we hunt next to some public hunting. This last season we were parked in our pasture and a guy walks by on other side of the fence. He comes over, has his saddle stuff and climbing sticks strapped to his pack. He told us he had walked all the way back in( he was still a mile from his truck) and could not find a tree to climb. So he sat on the hill and watched a big buck chase off several smaller bucks.
It is almost all willow trees and if you find a trunk that is vertical for 3 feet you have found the holy grail of trees. On our side we use ladder stands or tri-pod stands shoved into the willows.
Climbers, not going to happen