Pulled the trigger on a three pack of Hawk Aluminum Climbing steps. 30” tall and 2.9lbs each 55% off on camofire.
DIY didn't work out?
those steps make a nice system, though not so compact or theft proof
Glad to say I have hunted Northern BC
Simon Fraser had pretty good judgement on what he found in BC
DIY isn’t out of the picture. I would have liked to buy the metal steps from Wildedge and then rigged them myself using rope to make a ladder like my friend has. Did find some brackets at the dollar store that could work for DIY tree steps, if they’ll hold any amount of weight.
The deal was just too good to pass up. They’re light, which will make packing them in easy. might try and rig a rope ladder to Hawks to extend the reach too. We’ll see.
really wanted to like the wildedge type step system for mobile whitetail hunting but found them problematic on the thick barked trees we usually hunt out of - fir, larch & bull pine. on hardwoods & younger trees they seemed to hold well but they really dig into the thick spongy bark of the bigger trees & can loosen as they work themselves ever deeper under the stress of your weight. just my experience for what its worth.
the hawk helium sticks you just bought are superb. we use both the long & shorter versions & like them both a lot. numerous manufacturers make similar sticks & probably any of them would work very well. some are even lighter than the heliums. the hawk sticks though are very cost effective.
depending on the tree, I use 3 or 4 sticks usually with a single step aider at the bottom of first one or two sticks. the aider is just a black diamond climbing runner looped over the standoff of the stick. adds another foot or bit more to each step. the runners are inexpensive & very strong. we carry a spare with us in case you drop one on the way up. of course, you can also girth hitch a runner onto each step so they don't go missing in action. quality tubular webbing works well too.
I used to try to get as much height as I could to avoid getting picked but with age & experience I now concentrate more on picking the right tree with good back/side cover & then height isn't so critical. the ability to move & setup on just the right tree for the day is a game changer for sure. got sick of moving tree ladders & stands that weren't quite in the right spot. now its mostly sticks & a tree saddle (or lightweight aluminum stand) & let the sign tell you where to set up that particular day. next day or week might well be somewhere completely different. the first sit in a spot is usually the best anyways especially if there are a bunch of nosey does in the neighborhood...they don't miss much & are quick to adapt, the bucks then follow the does. being mobile lets you keep a step ahead - theoretically at least!