Summit Treestands Viper SD Climbing Treestand, Choose Camo

Bought to use for public land hunts, it's a nice stand. I was hoping it would be easier to pack than my heavy Ol'Man Vision, but not sure about that, the Viper is a little awkward. The pros are the climbing ability and comfort. I also purchased the footrest and am looking forward to long sits. The stand arrived w/some minor damage but nothing that couldn't be pried back into place. I'd recommend checking the cable track/stop/lock for uncorrectable damage before unpackaging everything but otherwise assembly is easy. Hope this helps!Update: After using it, it's much easier to pack than my Vision. Some upgrades I made were to replace the pack strap w/the XOP TTS, applied 3M grip tape to the platform and installed a universal bow holder. Now it's great and just in time for gun season.

Solid tree stand. Super comfortable, I could sit in this all day. Which I do. It’s lightweight in comparison to most climbers and it is quite, easy to set up and has safety features. I’m not sure how I didn’t see that it came with a harness too but I’m glad it did.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I ordered when ordered this stand. All I really knew was it had a stand, harness and climbing gear.This is a CLIMBING TREE STAND. You literally climb the the tree from inside the stand. It walks up and down the tree by lifting and lowering the upper deck with your arms and the lower deck with your feet strapped in. An online video will explain everything.It’s very stable. No movement of any kind once you are in place. Comfortable enough for all day use. The safety harness is pretty decent for being part of a kit.Get a bow holder and the extended foot bar for sure! I will also be seeking out a bag to hang from the upper deck platform to store snacks and or gloves plus a cup holder for some coffee.I love the way I can carry it like a backpack. I even strapped my supply backpack to the outside of this so I didn’t have to make more than one trip in.The best part is that I can change locations without having any trouble. No adding steps or a ladder.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The price of this climber is great for the value of the product. Summit makes the best quality climber in my opinion. They are light weight, easy to use, comfortable, mobile, quite, feel secure when you set the teeth into the tree, and great for archery hunters. I’ve heard people say it is Josie to setup, but I have no issues setting up this bad boy. My recommendation for this people is take your time, plan our tour route, your assembly in the field, and practice your climbing. Generally it’s the operator making the noise not the equipment.The only thing that would warrant some more attention is that the paint on the teeth has already come off, but I expected that to happen.Special note for those looking to buy this bad boy. I’m 5”11, 205 with a waist of 34 add all those layers on here and the width of the seat is just enough to be comfortable. I’m going to buy the Goliath and give this viper to my girlfriend. If you have long legs like me Best Buy that foot rest extension.5 out 5 stars summit I’ll be buying the Goliath next

Awesome stand. Used for couple of years before it was stolen from me. Very comfortable and clings on tree if you use right. When I save money up again will buy again

What I like: most comfortable stand on the market, lightweight as far as climbers go, cable wrap=no pins to lose. What I don’t like: shoulder straps are a joke. I bought an XOP Extreme Outdoor Products Tree Stand Transport System and adapted to the stand. Allows you to carry all the weight on your hips and not on your shoulders. I can comfortably carry the stand for miles now. Fall arrest harness is nothing fancy, but functional. Connect the two leg holes with a carabiner between the legs. I noticed that after only a couple of weeks use the cable shrink wrap was getting chewed up pretty badly (photo) and that the cable seemed to be getting hung up when inserting or removing the excess cable from inside the square tubing. Upon examination I noted the tubing was squared off on the end (photo) and that there was a two square holes (top and bottom) inside of each tube (photo), which the cable increment sledges were getting hung up in. So I made two mods. I beveled the ends of the tubing to help guide the cable into the tubing (photo) and I filled the square holes inside the tubing that the cable was getting hung in with JB weld epoxy. Now the cable just slides right in. Can’t believe Summit hasn’t already addressed these issues with these easy fixes. Also, buy the footrest attachment. It’s a VERY nice to have. Also, I removed the arm pads as they made the stand somewhat difficult to mate together and then put 1/4 inch self adhesive neoprene on the stand top, which holds my crossbow very securely and keeps it from slipping (photo). Seems like a lot of things to fix, but now it’s perfect....for a lifetime of enjoyment.2ND SEASON UPDATE: The seat on this thing is a blessing and a curse. BLESSING: once you are in the tree, you have to fight to stay awake it’s so comfortable. Height adjustability is nice. Also, when configured for transport, it makes a nice pocket to securely stow clothing, gear etc., in. CURSE: that three fold seat is a pain in the arse to stow and unstow, not to mention all of the metallic “pings” the seat S hooks make as you pull the seat back through the stand before separating or mating the upper and lower halves of the stand. I have seriously considered cutting the top backrest off the seat pad....but I haven’t yet. Still a great stand because comfort is at the top of the list after weight and sturdiness. A stand that you can’t sit in for any length of time is worthless.OBTW: I figured out why Summit hasn’t addressed the tubing issues mentioned in my original review.....because they want to sell you more cable shrink wrap. After I made the tube mods, my shrink wrap damage decreased significantly.

This is a great climbing tree stand super comfortable

Finally I pulled the trigger after 2 years of waiting& wanting the Viper SD hoping for a price drop (which never happened). I wish I would have bought one then!Assembly I recommend doing in an evening when it is dark out, so you can go out the next day without wasting time.The morning after I test tried in the backyard on a fir tree ( you want a speeces of tree with thick bark, fir is perfect).I ordered a set of stabilizer straps as well as it decreases the risk of the top platform sliding down when releasing pressure and make the stand way more secure in the tree, tho from my experience with climbing fir trees (thick bark) i won't even need those straps, because the teeth really dig into the tree and holding the platforms very securely without any weight on them... really have to yank them out to get them free.Once you get both pieces of the stand on the tree stand on the platform, !ALWAYS USE THE TREESTRAP AND SAFETY HARNESS!- hook everything up, adjust your stirrups for comfort level and boot size, lastly make sure seat platform is secure and check for seat height - adjust to your comfort level. All these adjustments take place at about 1-2ft height!When everything is setup correctly for you, start climbing, it is a joke how easy it is and how much fun!Take a 7" pocket folding saw with you because you will most likely need it, just be careful when cutting branches (unlike me) because you could cut into your safety tree belt, duhh!I am 150lbs, 6'1" skinny tall, but fit and the weight lugging the stand around is not too awful, tho I would not want to pack it 2 kilometers... at that point I would start looking into a treestand carry system with a waist belt for this Summit, as the backpack straps will not provide enough support for long hikes.Also my hunting backpack fits right on to the platform to transport, I just use the incl. Straps for the stand.The seat is comfortable, the weight is not bad (I was thinking the steel viper or viper SD, i am happy i chose the viper SD), it is roomy enough for me up in the tree, it fits great on the back of an ATV, harness is comfortable and quickly put on/taken off and very adjustable for bigger guys, the cables are good quality but the stand has sharp edges where the cables go into the frame which might take off the rubber coating if you are not careful, paint quality seems ok on the stand but if scratched on metal it will leave a mark of bare aluminium (can always be repainted)...I am very happy with this stand! Top notch, get one now and quit waiting like I did, also arrived in 3 days just in time for the long, -thanksgiving, weekend.Happy thanksgiving!Ps: to those wondering what kind of harness is included, it is just a basic seatbelt material harness, plenty of adjustment for any body type that could fit into the treestand. Quick on/off, and silent. I wish the strap that ties to the tree would be a bit longer as it gets your face too close for my liking while climbing, I might order a better harness all together, but hey, it does the trick to get you up into the tree safely.

It is a good treestand - lightweight and very, very comfortable to sit in. There are good YouTube videos on how to use it. I use it for hunting sambar deer in Australia. It is a good idea to quieten it a bit before carrying it if you don't want to risk spooking deer. I removed the dangling bits on the zips, and I strap the tree strap around both frames to stop them clanging. Biggest trivial safety risk is being a bit silly and not removing your finger from the metal cord-length adjuster when unfastening it from the tree. This type of treestand has its limitations - the tree cannot have branches and must be from 8" to perhaps 24". On the plus side, it is easily transportable.

I'm 5'9" 160lbs and it's a little tight with my SKRE Guardian suit. But, comfort, weigth, ease of use and all the rest are great. Needs more sound dampening though.

I bought this for my son, I have owned one fore for 15 years, these stands are absolutely amazing, they have only one problem, they are so comfortable and secure that the eye lids have to fight to stay open sometimes!