Update. Got over the sticker shock and after a phone call with one of the guys there who assured me that if I had a problem within 3 years they would take care of me, bought a set of 4 c1 carbon fiber timber ninja sticks with the cable aiders. When I looked I actually found very little first-hand experience with these sticks so I figure others might have some of the same questions I did. Have now used the C1 sticks for most of a season, probably hung and climbed up/down in the field on them about 25 times--some update here for anyone considering.
I mainly hunt larger areas of public land where a mile+ approach is standard, and I cant sit still too long and dont enjoy hunting the same set over and over, so a light, highly portable and snag-free tree-stand/saddle setup for bowhunting was my goal. Among others I already have a set of lone wolf sticks, as well as a single-stick setup and practice using it, reasons for buying these were to reduce packing size and weight compared to the LW sticks to minimize snagging while walking through brush, while also reducing the physical movement associated with single-stick climbing. despite 30 years rock and ice climbing and being physically fit and practicing quite a bit, i found single stick climbing to make a bit more noise and require a bit more movement than regular sticks and although the weight is awesome I was not really happy with it for a day-in, day-out climbing system.
I have factory cable aiders on all 4 sticks, and I use an amsteel daisy to attach all 4 to the tree. The entire package of stick, 8' amsteel daisy with bungee/ball keepers, and cable aider is 1lb 7oz on my kitchen scale, so 5.75lb for the set of 4 (to compare, my one-stick and rappel rope/tether is about 2.5lb, so even one-sticking would only save me about 3lb ) . If you are used to a 3-step stick then with the aider these ARE a 3-step stick, so however high you get with those is how high you'll get with these.
I'm using a simple 3/4" strap with a fastex buckle to hold them together, I shorten the aiders and loop them over the step to keep them compact, and then I strap that package and a hip-pack to my stand, or I put them and my saddle in the load-shelf in my MR Pop-up pack for the approach. Generally I'm liking to carry them horizontally and low across my back--they touch my elbows occasionally but it doesnt affect walking and I find this to be the best way to duck under and through thick brush without snagging behind my head and making noise, and they just barely fit over the sides of my smallest stand, a novix helo. I cant do this with any other stands I own, even a XOP vanish is a bit too wide which forces me to carry them higher than I like. One reason I did not go with the LWCG sticks/stand was because those are made to be carried vertically on the stand in a way that the offsets protrude to the side up by your shoulders and is more prone to snagging and this low horizontal carry has proven to the best solution I've found.
The TN folks told me they were fine to paint and wouldn't void the warranty, so I rattle-canned them with automotive primer. I didnt really care about the color, but they were fairly shiny--It works fine and cut the glare from the raw carbon fiber and it hasnt chipped off enough to matter, I doubt I'll bother to touch-up within the next couple years.
I am finding the offset brackets to grip the tree fine. With the amsteel daisy if you dont get it snug there can be a bit of sag when you set it, so if you snag the stick with a toe or a haul rope later while it isnt weighted it can loosen significantly, but I have not noticed any difference in this department compared to other sticks I have used.
The 2 main complaints I have heard were around the size of the steps and offset-distance from tree, and on the flex of the molded steps. I am 6'3" 200lb, and generally climb with my pack on--I figure I'm at least 220 with boots, clothes, pack, saddle, etc climbing the tree. Size 12 boots, either uninsulated rubber boots or 1600g rubber boots, so while I'm no giant I'm also not miniature. I have not had any problems with the offset distance and feeling insecure--on the contrary I think the sticks climb fine and I would not have commented on this at all except that I found others commenting on it when I searched for other users experiences.
Regarding the molded steps, they DO flex, and I CAN feel this when climbing. The guy I talked to at timber ninja told me this would be the case and that they do it to prevent them from cracking, and to make sure that the steps fit on the stick given the manufacturing tolerances in the molded material. The sticks also came with paperwork essentially telling you they would flex and that this is inherent in the design and not a sign of weakness. This made sense to me so it's been a non-issue. If I hadnt known ahead of time I'm sure it would have caused a phone call, but so far so good, they flex a little but no signs of wear or fatigue and I consider this a non-issue. So far I am happy with them and given the same priorities I would not hesitate to make the same purchase again. Hope this helps someone.
I mainly hunt larger areas of public land where a mile+ approach is standard, and I cant sit still too long and dont enjoy hunting the same set over and over, so a light, highly portable and snag-free tree-stand/saddle setup for bowhunting was my goal. Among others I already have a set of lone wolf sticks, as well as a single-stick setup and practice using it, reasons for buying these were to reduce packing size and weight compared to the LW sticks to minimize snagging while walking through brush, while also reducing the physical movement associated with single-stick climbing. despite 30 years rock and ice climbing and being physically fit and practicing quite a bit, i found single stick climbing to make a bit more noise and require a bit more movement than regular sticks and although the weight is awesome I was not really happy with it for a day-in, day-out climbing system.
I have factory cable aiders on all 4 sticks, and I use an amsteel daisy to attach all 4 to the tree. The entire package of stick, 8' amsteel daisy with bungee/ball keepers, and cable aider is 1lb 7oz on my kitchen scale, so 5.75lb for the set of 4 (to compare, my one-stick and rappel rope/tether is about 2.5lb, so even one-sticking would only save me about 3lb ) . If you are used to a 3-step stick then with the aider these ARE a 3-step stick, so however high you get with those is how high you'll get with these.
I'm using a simple 3/4" strap with a fastex buckle to hold them together, I shorten the aiders and loop them over the step to keep them compact, and then I strap that package and a hip-pack to my stand, or I put them and my saddle in the load-shelf in my MR Pop-up pack for the approach. Generally I'm liking to carry them horizontally and low across my back--they touch my elbows occasionally but it doesnt affect walking and I find this to be the best way to duck under and through thick brush without snagging behind my head and making noise, and they just barely fit over the sides of my smallest stand, a novix helo. I cant do this with any other stands I own, even a XOP vanish is a bit too wide which forces me to carry them higher than I like. One reason I did not go with the LWCG sticks/stand was because those are made to be carried vertically on the stand in a way that the offsets protrude to the side up by your shoulders and is more prone to snagging and this low horizontal carry has proven to the best solution I've found.
The TN folks told me they were fine to paint and wouldn't void the warranty, so I rattle-canned them with automotive primer. I didnt really care about the color, but they were fairly shiny--It works fine and cut the glare from the raw carbon fiber and it hasnt chipped off enough to matter, I doubt I'll bother to touch-up within the next couple years.
I am finding the offset brackets to grip the tree fine. With the amsteel daisy if you dont get it snug there can be a bit of sag when you set it, so if you snag the stick with a toe or a haul rope later while it isnt weighted it can loosen significantly, but I have not noticed any difference in this department compared to other sticks I have used.
The 2 main complaints I have heard were around the size of the steps and offset-distance from tree, and on the flex of the molded steps. I am 6'3" 200lb, and generally climb with my pack on--I figure I'm at least 220 with boots, clothes, pack, saddle, etc climbing the tree. Size 12 boots, either uninsulated rubber boots or 1600g rubber boots, so while I'm no giant I'm also not miniature. I have not had any problems with the offset distance and feeling insecure--on the contrary I think the sticks climb fine and I would not have commented on this at all except that I found others commenting on it when I searched for other users experiences.
Regarding the molded steps, they DO flex, and I CAN feel this when climbing. The guy I talked to at timber ninja told me this would be the case and that they do it to prevent them from cracking, and to make sure that the steps fit on the stick given the manufacturing tolerances in the molded material. The sticks also came with paperwork essentially telling you they would flex and that this is inherent in the design and not a sign of weakness. This made sense to me so it's been a non-issue. If I hadnt known ahead of time I'm sure it would have caused a phone call, but so far so good, they flex a little but no signs of wear or fatigue and I consider this a non-issue. So far I am happy with them and given the same priorities I would not hesitate to make the same purchase again. Hope this helps someone.
