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.
