Lone Wolf Hand Climber question....

[Jslotter]

The other day I bought a Lone Wolf Hand Climber stand. I read the directions on how to get up the tree and its not very fun. I took it out to practice a few times to get a feel for it. You have to put all your weight from the waist up on the seat and pull up the platform with your legs and repeat the process. I did that as the instructions said. the problem it seems is that the seat doesn't extend out enough to get good leverage to bring up the standing platform. I got about 10 feet up and was a little exhausted. It worked my abs real good thats for sure. Is there a secret or better way to do this? i searched online for videos and can't find any.
i love the stand, Just getting up the tree is the hard part.

[Jslotter]

I went to the Lone Wolf website and found the instruction video. There is a sit strap you can use to attach to the seat and looks like it works alot easier. Im going to give that a try. Here is the link.

http://www.lonewolfstands.com/videogall ... imber.aspx

[Qtswede]

I've got the alpha climber, and I don't think there is a secret. Just have to practice & play with it a little. My biggest complaint is that it's uncomfortable as all hell once you're settled in place.

[dmcianfa]

I've also got the alpha hand climber.  My experience in these last three years or so has been that it's a flat out awesome treestand.  Quiet, light, portable, easy to work with, and a simple design.  I will agree however, that it takes some getting used to shimmying up a tree, but with some practice that becomes second nature and you find your best leverage points.  I plant my forearms on the hand climber seat and grasp the frame closest to the tree, which allows me to climb using my elbows as a pivot point and my full range of biceps as the power.  I will also agree that it's not the most comfortable seat to have yourself in for a long sit.  Maybe, I'm a little bias because I only weigh 150 lbs and I can fit my arse on it.  I could see how it could be a difficult situation for those that sport XL or bigger.  So, if I plan on just sitting for a couple hours I will use the hand climber seat.  However, for those long all day sits I purchased the full chair seat usually used for the sit and climb unit from lone wolf and the footpegs for comfort as well.  This makes the treestand very comfortable and easier to work with for climbing up a tree due to using your entire body weight for leverage. 
 
Yes, the hand climber seat is difficult to use and somewhat uncomfortable, but its also a very light unit to pack in and doesn't take up a whole lotta space.  It's worth it to me to use, especially in those hard to get to long trek stands in the middle of nowhere.  Having two seats for this unit gives me the versatility I need as well and saves on the rear.  In my opinion, you can't go wrong with this treestand as they give you the options that will work with your desires in a treestand.  Hope it works out for you and look into the sit and climb chair if you needed added leverage and comfort. 

[Jslotter]

definetly a great stand. I took it out about 4 times now and kinda got my groove down on how to maneuver the stand. The sit strap is a big help. I heard at first that the traction belt doesn't get around knots on trees well. I figured out that if you tweek your feet and jerk a little on the standing platform with your feet, the traction belt straightens out nicely over the knots. going down the tree is so easy. Just make sure your standing platform is tied to your seat. And you are all right, a little practice makes a world of difference.