I see a lot of guys asking for best climbing sticks or recommendations but im wondering what makes them the best.

what features do you love and wouldn’t go away from?

I’ve been hunting a climber for 13 years now(mostly public) and im hunting private property now.
I’m thinking moving toward a m150 hang on stand with sticks.

I don’t have super long hike but its thick getting in there and I’ll often sit for 4 hour min but not uncommon for a full day sit.

Currently I climb high.
Often 40-50 feet off the ground(I hunt alot of hill side which leads to one deer trail being damn near level with me if I hunt at 20-30 feet.

Wondering what you guys really value in a good set of sticks and do you guys carry 3 and then stand on the top and pull the bottom up to get more height? Or do you carry more sticks the more height you need?

If you are climbing 40-50’, you would need some kind of cart to cart all of the sticks in you would need to go that high. For that height a climber is your best option.

 

double steps is a must for me now

 

Not a must.....but doubles are way more convenient, especially after an all day sit when your dexterity is not the same.
I use a combination of single piece ladder sticks and nested sticks.
Stick with common brands. Some of the less expensive sticks will not lock to the tree well and the bottom will pull away from the tree as you climb.
I have had good luck with the Novix triples ($$$$) , Hawk (all types) and Rivers edge sticks.

 

LWCG 20s double steps or beast sticks are the best options available now IMO for mobile

CLIMBING STICKS

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DOUBLE STEP™

D'ACQUISTO SERIES -DOUBLE STEP™ STANDARD CLIMBING STICK STICKS SOLD INDIVIDUALLY TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR PERSONAL SETUP 17" & 20" DOUBLE STEP™ STICKS are OUT OF STOCK- These have been replaced with: V2 DOUBLE & V2 DOUBLE 20 The LWCG Double Steps sticks are the first of its kind! Our Double Step...

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for those you leave out there these are good options along with Novix (if you choose single step)

Climbing Sticks

Vertical Treestands™ has set out to curate the ultimate elevated hunting system. Demanding top tier efficiency from all of our products to ensure you have the ultimate treestand hunting experience - allowing you to stay elevated all season long.

verticaltreestands.com

Climbing Sticks

By adding modern innovation to a timeless formula, we're breaking the mold on quality hunting gear. From treestands to climbing sticks and accessories, Novix hunting gear is made to stand the test of time.

www.novixoutdoors.com

M210 20’ Climbing Stick - Millennium Outdoors

Climb with Confidence. The M210 20' Climbing Stick is perfect for hunters who need a secure and reliable climbing solution. Its sturdy construction, dual top step, and adjustable sections ensure that you reach your hunting height easily and safely, so you can focus on the hunt ahead.

millennium-outdoors.com

 

I saw the beast and I want to add some aiders. i also saw the XOP X2

not understanding the differences between the two. Are they worth the cost?

 

One stick or SRT for me. I prioritize saving weight as much as possible. I have some sticks but don't use them much. When I do use sticks it has to have a double step and a decent standoff. I wear size 13 boots so a stick with a shallow standoff isn't very comfortable for me. Attachment methods can be changed out so that's not really a worry for me.

 

Your use of sticks is not the same as mine, but I have been where you are thinking of heading. It sounds like you want to set up in a good location before season and leave it out for a while...correct? In that case, the old heavy steel River's Edge type work fine because most are not interested in stealing them. However, I must say that hunting from 40-50' makes a very difficult shot angle on any deer/animal that comes into bow range...plus a REALLY long haul line. As noted, a climber would be a better option if those are real world heights you are reaching...and a lot of tree trunk without limbs.

For saddle hunting, I have tried a variety of sticks...Tethrd Skeletors, Tethrd Grit Workhorse and newly acquired Tethrd One Sticks. Also Beast Gear 20" and recently sold Latitude Carbon SS. Each has pros and cons...I wasn't a fan of the Skeletors or the Hawk Heliums before them. The One Sticks are super lightweight and very packable, but expensive per unit and you will need the proverbial "crap house full' to reach 40-50'. Overall, the Beast Gear provide a really quality balance between cost and high end function. I replaced the stock BG cam straps with DIY Amsteel daisy chains and they work great, plus cut down on weight.

 

@TheWatchMker - the features that stand out are:
17" or 18" step distance.
Double steps.
Cable aider (or rope aider) compatible.
Adjustable foot-aider compatible.
No cam buckles (amsteel daisy chains or other amsteel attachment method / buckle-less.)
Weighs two pounds or less per stick.
Inline stacking, or side-stacking. (No staggered stacking.)

Absolutely nothing made by Hawk.

 

Double steps & cam cleats are my preference on sticks.

 

40-50 feet! Geez man, i hunt hills like you stated so end up like 15-20 feet above deer below me and pretty much eye level with deer above me. However, i’m not sure it matters much tbh. I shot a doe last year that came in not at eye level but above eye level that worked her way all the way in to 15 yards before i sent it.

All that aside after using sticks for 3 decades now this is what i find most important in the order of importance:

1. weight
2. how they stack
3. double step
4. how they attach to the tree (i prefer amsteel or rope type attachment)

Currently the Latitude Carbon SS fit the bill almost perfectly so i’ve run those the past 2 season. Others i would consider to check the above boxes would be the LWCG compact doubles or the LWCG ones where the double steps can be flipped up or down, but they’re also double the price of the Latitude sticks.

 

I didn’t used to think it made a big deal but after hunting with a buddy 250 yards apart and me getting busted on scent hunting low. Meanwhile 10 minutes later and 250 yards away he kills that same target buck hunting high. I’m convinced. We’ve hunted together a lot and he’s way less stringent about keeping his hunting gear in a sealed box in bags and spraying everything down.

we basically get ready in the mornings, hunt a lot of the same places. Sometimes really far apart and sometimes really close.
He hunts does low but if bucks are at all in the equation it’s always high. So I have adopted that same mentality and I’ve killed more target bucks high than I even saw low.

 

If I was hanging permanent and going 40-50' my main requirement would be an ATV to get them back there. Other than that, if I was hanging permanently I wouldn't have too many prerequisites because I could double strap, etc to make them safe.

If I'm carrying sticks in and out each hunt, my main priority is connection method, stock connection method. I want amsteel and some doo-dad I tie it around in an "X" or something like that. I don't want them to come with cam straps and do a DIY modify. For example I have Tethrd sticks with their amsteel and X wrap thingy where a versa button would be on cam straps.

 

40-50 ft really ! I would just stick with the climber ! U would need about 15 sticks to get there ! That’s a lot of hanging !

 

I assume you are only climbing pines at that height?

 

A lot of tulip poplar, with some hickory, American beech, and red maple.

I hunt more older forest so trees naturally want to self prune so it leads to trees without a lot of low branches

 

My guess is you think you are 40 -50 feet but aren't. That is REALLY high. I hunt at 22 - 25 and people think I hunt high when they see that. I know I'm that height because my pull rope is 25ft and not by accident............lol. It's so if I get on a big pine in the dark I know where I'm at. I have climbed and thought I was high and the sun comes up and I'm low.....or I have climbed and thought I was average only to be too high. The rope is a sense line.

If you get a 50 ft rope I doubt you'll use it all. There was a Michael Waddle show where they found and old stand that was really high and all try to guess how high it was and they were all wrong......and these guys hunt for a living. I think it was 37 ft or something like that and they were guessing much higher.

 

I appreciate the thoughts on the height not being realistic.
Any input on my question about the climbing sticks?

 

Agreed, I believe most people over-estimate how high they are. Not saying they aren’t some people going that high, but that is up there. I couldn’t imagine the number of sticks I’d need to carry to get that high

 

One stick or no stick saddle hunting would be my 1st choice at that height. You can always hang presets while scouting or if you know where you’ll be hunting ahead of time and be up that tree in no time.

 

Another thought. I often install aluminum ladders in my trees. 24,28 and sometimes 32's. I tend not to use the full extension and leave a little more overlap so you can minus about 4 ft. Ratchet strap the two halves together and electrical tape anything that makes a noise (pulley,etc). One of my ladders has padded rungs and is easily the quietest thing to get in and out of the tree without anyone knowing. You can usually find them used for around $75-$150. Little more expensive than cheap climbing sticks but way safer. Fiberglass tend to feel a little quieter but usually used ladders have the coating Sun bleached from being stored outside and you should paint them. I always knock them down with some sort of paint to get the shiny off anyways but use something more substantial/thicker than spray paint on fiberglass to seal the fiberglass fibers. Heck one year we were already painting the house with a sprayer and I set up a bunch of tarps and cardboard and we painted three of them primer Gray. It's kind of a pain to the shape but on the bright side you don't have to care about too much paint or paint dripping.

As a side note I have friends that run a very large scrap yard. Every year they get piles of ladders from Fortune 500 companies. For OSHA compliance they often have to throw them out for very minor things. Broken extension rope, minor ding on a rung, etc. stuff that isn't consequential. I mean sometimes they have other defects that you wouldn't want to use like they fell and have a crack. But many of them are good. Last fall I bought a (3) 28's for $100 total. I used to make quite a bit of money on the side buying ladders from them for $10-$30 and selling the good ones. Of course I inspected everything before I bought it.

Ladders are my go to when possible. Obviously this isn't a public land thing and it helps for property you can get reasonably close to with a vehicle. Although my friend helped me carry in a 32-footer once a full half mile so my daughter who was 7-8 at the time could get in the tree with me. Once set up, very quiet and feel way more secure than climbing sticks in the dark. None of that 'Did a squirrel chew on my strap?' thoughts that your mind pops up when you're 10 ft off the ground. I've never had it but I also run second straps most of the time these days as a mental backup spare.

If you set the ladder on the uphill side you might gain a few feet. Might get you the first 25- 30ft of the 40-50 foot climb.

Pro tip: put a ratchet strap over the top rung and wrap it around the tree. A ladder nestles pretty good on small to medium trees but if it starts getting windy it can slide and make noise. You might have to primarily ratchet one of the side bars to the right or left to get it tightened properly.

Happy hunting