Bought my first climbing stand

[Ifishandhunt]

Thanks for your input. Very helpful. I am looking forward to getting out with the climber.
Sounds like these are the main points in no particular order:

1) Don't climb a dead tree... pick the tree in daylight ahead of hunting so you knwo what you are climbing.
2) Strap the climber on the tree tilted in an upward position to allow for the tree narrowing as I get higher up.
3) Practice, practice, practice until I am compfrtable climbing with it.
4) Secure platforms together with straps/heavy ropes on the ends to keep them from dropping away out of reach.
5) Always wear my harness.
6) Don't fall asleep.
7) Get used to moving around in it.


DeanoZ... what did you mean by 'have your sling around the tree as you climb and descend'. Are you talking about using something like a 'lineman's belt'?

[DeanoZ]

I use a climbers rope/line with a prussic hitch on it an fasten that to my safety harness.  As soon as I step up on my climber the first thing I do is fasten my harness to the tree.  Regardless of what safety apparatus you use the point is to use it as you are ascending or descending, and not just when you reach your hunting height 

[vipertech]

Well, I hate to interject some negativity here but.....I hate climbing stands.  I owned two of them and am glad to be rid of them.  The first was some no-named brand that I got from a clearance sale and my second was an Ol'Man Original.  For me, there are just too many issues with the climber to make them worth it. 
 
* For one, you need a perfect tree.  It has to be straight and free of branches.  So that in itself can limit where you can hunt.  Assuming you found a good tree, you still have to stow your pack and your weapon somewhere.  Most people like to hang stuff from hooks in the tree.  So now you have to screw in some hooks unless you put them there beforehand.  All time comsuming stuff that causes you to create motion.
* They are cumbersome.  When I hunt I use a medium sized day pack for my gear.  Add on hauling a climber and I'm weighed down with too much gear.  I always felt like that little brother from "A Christmas Story" who couldn't put his arms down when his mom over-dressed him in a snowsuit. 
* Another problem I had was with the noise of setting it up.  No matter how hard I tried or how careful I was, I would make noise when attaching the climber to the tree.  It just could not be helped. Clanging and banging the stupid arms and clips while trying to set the perfect angle of the stand on the tree.
* Climbing up the tree in them...for me....was always a lesson in fear.  More than once the bottom piece dropped out on me.  An experience I don't even like remembering! Nearly 1 in 3 times, one of the sections would shift while climbing or descending.  That brief moment can send a shiver down your spine not to be equaled. 
* At best though, even if the climb is going smooth, I could never control how sweaty I got while setting up and climbing.   Once you sweat, you are cold and worse, smell!
 
I guess if you are forced to hunt public land, the climber is really your only option if you want to stand hunt.  I definitely can see the benefits here.  My Ol'Man was actually very comfortable once I was up and in. But for me, I'm WAY happier using ladder stands.  Climb up, sit down, hunt.