Ladder or lock on stand for bow hunting?

I prefer a lock on for placement but ladders for safety. I have move to using only ladders but may use loc ons again with life lines. I have had one break and a buddy had one break. Mine was the steal cable holding the platform the other was a year old strap. I have never had a ladder stand fail but I have been close with one that didn’t have pins in the ladder sections. Climbed it in the dark and about 5 feet up I realized the ladder had separated. Luckily the ladder was about a foot in he dirt and didn’t totally fall over.

My last 3 ladder stands have been the 20' x stand. They are as secure of a ladder stand as I have found so far.

9 years ago I was hang on only, the ability to hang them anywhere was a plus, cost was a plus, and storage was a plus. I'm 39 now, I am slowly selling all my hang-ons (sold 4 today) and buying nice ladder stands. Im mixing up the size I buy from 15' to 20' and dbls and singles. I truly doubt I'll ever buy a hang on again.

Nothing but ladder stands for this old man! :cheers:

No option for both. I like both for different applications. I like the ease of moving a ladder stand, but I like the ability to conceal better with a hang on.

Until I switched to ground blinds I had only used ladders for the last 15-20 years. They are much safer.

I Mix and match depending on the tree and situation. I have updated all my loc-on's and Ladders To Zero Gravity seats . As @bowhuntKS stated... If you go the ladder route make sure to purchase stands of various heights. It can be difficult at times to locate a tree in the right spot that will accept a 20 ft ladder stand. As for Loc-Ons go for the models that have the option to level the stand/base. Ive retired ALL of my stands that have a rubber coated cable supporting the platform. I'm also a big fan of the X-Stand Ladder Models.

I have ladder stands that I leave up year round! And I have hang ons deeper in the woods were its hard to get a ladder stand. Lately I’ve been using my climber so i can hunt a new spot each time i walk into the woods. My climber is by far the most comfortable stand I own.

Either my hangons shrank or my azz got bigger but I sure like full platform 2 man stands anymore. That being said I hung a hang on yesterday. And can still get one up pretty quick and quiet.

I like my ladder stands. Had a hang on for a few years. Never felt comfortable or safe in it. Even with my safety harness I always felt it was an accident waiting to happen.

I hunt public ground... climber for me.

I have both but these new ladder stands are so big and comfy you can cat nap in them. The only hangon I'll use now is Millennium. The Xstand is great but really tough to move since it's so heavy. These Field and Stream stands are perfect middle ground. They're built very strong and are manageable to move. I have 4 of the Outpost XL's now and use an aluminum ladder to fasten ratchet straps on them. I moved my Xstand 20 a couple weeks ago and vowed to let it rust where it is and not move again since it's so long and heavy.

https://m.fieldandstreamshop.com/search/SearchDisplay?searchTerm=Field and stream ladder stand

hangon and sticks with a lifeline. Milleniums are a game changer

both and a climber as well!

I am on the "both" and include a climber as well. What I have given using in screw in steps with loc-ons. Just stacking sticks now for this guy. Lifelines always in use

Gutpile said:

I am on the "both" and include a climber as well. What I have given using in screw in steps with loc-ons. Just stacking sticks now for this guy. Lifelines always in use

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im going to start incorporating lifelines, more for the kiddos, but I'll use them as well.

Look at a saddle. I'm tellin ya.

Bow hunting I prefer a lock on. Rifle hunting I prefer a ladder stand.

trailblazer75 said:

Look at a saddle. I'm tellin ya.

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What are the weight restrictions on a saddle and the platform?