Summit Mini Viper

Nice climber. Very comfortable. I'm a smaller in shape dude- easy to pack on back, carried it about a mile one way before no issues. Can't speak for harness, I bought a quick snap on aftermarket one.Easy to climb trees, I stick with pines, thick bark, grips well. Fairly experienced climbing stand user, always use caution.Its quiet enough. Slow descent yesterday morning, buck had been on other side of thicket for an hour, scraping, grunting, caught a glimpse. I come down slow and quiet, on ground, start packing stand, hear twigs and brush moving, here he comes crossing by in front of me about fifty yards. Boom.Good stand. The real way to hunt.

Being a small statue at only 5‘1“ is is the perfect stand for me. Lightweight and comfortable. Very user-friendly.

Been very happy with this stand after about two weeks of season. Purchased this stand as an upgrade from my Viper SD, and it definitely works in that capacity. The weight difference is appreciable, and the suspension is a moderate improvement over the SD's although still not great.If you intend to pack this stand very far at all, I would recommend fitting something like a MOLLE II ruck suspension to it in place of the straps it comes with. The stand has plenty of room for me, and the seat is comfortable. Also works well if you intend to stand. The padding pieces that come with the stand are comfortable, but the zippers are loud as installed. Easily fixable by wrapping zipper tabs with electrical tape.

I just used this treestand in November of 2019, bowhunting in Oklahoma. I'm 5'6" and 178 pounds, so there is the context. And, I like it so much that I would purchase it again. Very sturdy overall. Platform is sturdy making bow draw easier. USE the umbilical cord. Once while climbing I forgot to attach it. These new stands CAN slide down the tree. COMFORT: Awesome comfort in the stand. As you know if you bowhunt, being comfortable is key. Comfort reduces your movement. SQUEAKING: Yes, sometimes (RARELY) there was squeaking when standing up. I resolved this by slightly moving either the platform or the seat, left or right or up or down. Thankfully however, the squeaking sounded similar to creaking oaks in the wind. Another way I resolved the squeaking was to do nothing. It seemed the stand would "settle" after sitting a while. Another way I resolved the intermittent squeaking was to push my arms against the armrests of the upper portion of the treestand. I did this when attempting to stand and there was no squeaking. Mind you, the stand did NOT always squeak. I added the Third Hand Bow Holder to the left armrest on the upper portion of the stand. Now grabbing your bow is akin to adjusting your rear view mirror (before there were electric rear view mirror adjusters). The Bow Holder does get in the way when packing the bottom into the top of the stand. But, there is no way around that inconvenience. I like the straps for backpacking the stand. They are stretchy which makes them easy to adjust. The instructions could use MORE PICTURES!! And the instructions could be more clear that the same instructions apply to the Summit MINI Viper as they do for the Summit VIPER SD. This was not clear from the outset. 18 pounds is not super light. But you need the weight to make it comfortable. I'd rather be uncomfortable for the walk in to the woods, but be comfortable in the stand. Five stars for the design of the product and its successful use in the field.

Decent treestand. Works ok on the tree and fairly light to pack in. It is somewhat difficult to get the 2 pcs put back together as 'one' so you can pack it and if you don't pay attn you'll leave the seat/back material dragging. Will take some time to learn what's best. It is very comfortable and stable on the tree. Getting the cables to snap into place is easier than getting them to release when you need to take if off the tree. Instructions are easy to follow, packaged well. The safety harness is the basic cheapo that comes with every other climber and ladder stand now rendering it useless to most folks as it is a mess to keep straight. Invest in a quality harness.

I have 2 summit steel climbing stands. I wanted something lighter but still easy to set up with well thought out features. This stand is exactly that. Its comfortable to carry and much lighter. I know the dimensions are smaller but its very hard to notice. I certainly don't feel I gave up anything by going with the smaller stand. Love the noise dampening system and the improved shoulder straps.I would highly recommend this stand to anyone.

Excellence in every area. Compact. Quiet. Ease of use. Tree bands simple to adapt to varying trunk diameter. Does seem to hold better on more abrasive oak and pine surfaces than slicker tree bark, especially if wet. Has everything needed, to include hunter safety harness and extra strap for securing top to tree to prevent sideways slip of upper section if standing and turning. The 3 padded 'zip on' covers help reduce noise and are warm to avoid cold aluminum. Had to remove the zipper 'handle tabs' because rattled against aluminum stand when walking. Be sure to use the stretch band that connects top to bottom when climbing, as way to secure the two parts tight when stacked before walking. Otherwise rattles sometimes. Expensive, but quality product. Am 6'2" and 190 lb, and fit well in it. Maybe if heavier person, you may consider larger wider model made by same company. Just not this Mini version. But for me, perfect size fit both when climbing g up and down, plus sit or standing. Buy one and you will enjoy it immensely.

Bought as a gift for my wife who wanted to be more mobile in the woods, rather than be stuck in a traditional tree stand. Not only is the price great, but so is the quality and was super easy for her to assemble. She's 5'4" and was able to carry it with ease along with all her hunting gear. She's super happy and comfortable climbing with it. Highly recommended!