http://www.gomuddy.com/store/mainprod-Climbing-Sticks/477.html
I'm just under a month into RI's archery season, and I've been using these with a couple of fixed stands instead of my climber this year. They've been fantastic so far. This is only my second season, and I used a climber all last year. I wasn't a big fan of the climber. Some of the spots I hunt are through some nasty brush, so getting there with a climber is a pain. The other thing I don't like about climbers is that I always felt like if I moved wrong either the top half or bottom half would let go. I picked up a couple of cheaper lock on stands after the end of last season, and did a bunch of searching for what would be the best option for getting up to them over the spring/summer. After watching a bunch of youtube videos and reading a bunch of message board threads I opted to go with these. In the final round it was between these and lone wolf's climbing sticks (http://www.lonewolfhuntingproducts.com/shopping/departments/climbing-sticks.aspx). The main reason I wound up going with the muddy river's was I liked the idea of having a step on both sides of the stick. They're sturdy, easy to pack up, and really easy to use. I leave my stand up in the tree with a single steel gorilla climbing stick, and I have 4 of the muddy river's that I use to get up to it. I mostly hunt public land, so I didn't want to leave a ladder hooked to the tree. I figure if somebody is willing to shimmy 20 feet up a tree to steal a $30 stand and a $15 single climbing stick section, they probably need it more than I do. YMMV, but they've been great for me so far.
I'm just under a month into RI's archery season, and I've been using these with a couple of fixed stands instead of my climber this year. They've been fantastic so far. This is only my second season, and I used a climber all last year. I wasn't a big fan of the climber. Some of the spots I hunt are through some nasty brush, so getting there with a climber is a pain. The other thing I don't like about climbers is that I always felt like if I moved wrong either the top half or bottom half would let go. I picked up a couple of cheaper lock on stands after the end of last season, and did a bunch of searching for what would be the best option for getting up to them over the spring/summer. After watching a bunch of youtube videos and reading a bunch of message board threads I opted to go with these. In the final round it was between these and lone wolf's climbing sticks (http://www.lonewolfhuntingproducts.com/shopping/departments/climbing-sticks.aspx). The main reason I wound up going with the muddy river's was I liked the idea of having a step on both sides of the stick. They're sturdy, easy to pack up, and really easy to use. I leave my stand up in the tree with a single steel gorilla climbing stick, and I have 4 of the muddy river's that I use to get up to it. I mostly hunt public land, so I didn't want to leave a ladder hooked to the tree. I figure if somebody is willing to shimmy 20 feet up a tree to steal a $30 stand and a $15 single climbing stick section, they probably need it more than I do. YMMV, but they've been great for me so far.