Whitetail Stand Setup

[AlwaysChasinTailNHorns]

Made some additions to the LWCG .5 and sticks I’ve been running for the past few years and wanted to share and also hear what setups you guys are using this year. I mainly hunt public land in north Alabama and in Zone D Florida so my setup is tailored for run and gun scenarios. Starting with the stand I’ve got a LWCG .5 with the lone wolf shoulder straps and just added the hip support and the hip support really helps for long treks back into large public tracks and maneuvering the maintains around here in North Alabama I felt without the hip support the straps were putting too much of the load on my shoulders and it just wasn’t comfortable when I would hike a few miles back. The hip support also helps when I load extra gear in the .5 seat shelf like my larger fanatic jacket or if I quarter a deer out and load him on the shelf it helps a ton with properly distributing the load. I also did away with all of the LW straps for the sticks and stand and I’ve went with the Ultimate Stick Attachment Pro Series from TheAmsteelGuy and it shed some weight from my setup but also I’m no longer dealing with bulky, loud, and sticking with the metal buckles anymore which on some trees just never got a nice tight cinch and when you would cam your stand or sticks it would sag a bit too much for my liking (small things but they bothered me). The USA Pro series amsteel straps are really a game changer I’m getting the sticks and stand setup way faster and they’re light and quiet I’d recommend them. These are the additions ive made to my setup and it’s been working out great so far with the season coming up I’ve been shooting out the stand a bit with the bow and I love it it’s very simple and straight forward yet effective! Might add their under the seat pack idk yet I’m kind of old school and utilize my pants cargos pockets for gear still so we’ll see if I feel the need for it but just wanted to share and I’m excited to hear about yalls setups! Good luck this season!

 

[Estrn_hntr]

Picked up a .5 a couple years ago, moved to a .75 then 1.0 last year now back to a .5 with medium seat and new style LWCG backpack straps as my primary stand unless I’m pulling a full daylight to dark sit in the rut.

Best additions to the .5 I have added are the extended sidekick and BWMG Underseat pouch. I can carry 99% of what I need in that pouch. Stand, dryad killdeer harness, BWMG 3 step moveable aider, cam buckle strap, 3 LWCG 17” v2 doubles and the under seat pouch come in right around 13lb.

BWMG Seat pouch on my 1.0 for reference

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[AlwaysChasinTailNHorns]

Picked up a .5 a couple years ago, moved to a .75 then 1.0 last year now back to a .5 with medium seat and new style LWCG backpack straps as my primary stand unless I’m pulling a full daylight to dark sit in the rut.

Best additions to the .5 I have added are the extended sidekick and BWMG Underseat pouch. I can carry 99% of what I need in that pouch. Stand, dryad killdeer harness, BWMG 3 step moveable aider, cam buckle strap, 3 LWCG 17” v2 doubles and the under seat pouch come in right around 13lb.

BWMG Seat pouch on my 1.0 for reference

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What size pack is that from backwoods?

 

[Estrn_hntr]

What size pack is that from backwoods?

They make them direct fit for any of the LWCG seats. This one is a medium seat and BWMG pouch for medium seat. I also have one for my 1.0 with mesh seat


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[Estrn_hntr]

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[JCMCUBIC]

I hunt NE AL/NW GA mountains and appreciate lighter weight stands. I use several different models. So far, the .5 is my first choice for mobile stand/hybrid. It has enough width between the cables that I can turn my size 12 boots sideways. I can't do that with the14" wide stands. I did upgrade to the large seat...tried the mesh but it was a little to large/heavy. The standard seat was usable but not comfortable for me.

I've been using a Sladder and will continue to use it. There's a learning curve and it's not for everyone, but I like the efficiency and light weight/low bulk. It also allows me to access preset stands/platforms without needing to install steps or sticks.

I've used a lot of different methods to carry the .5:
- LW straps/waist belt
- LW straps/Marsupial gear belt with luggage straps to clip to/quick release from stand
- Eberlestock Mainframe
- Mystery Ranch Popup 28 with .5 upside down in load shelf

On all the previous, except the Popup 28, I used either an Eberlestock Vapor 2500 or a compression sack buckled on for gear/layers. I walk in wearing light pants and base layer top to limit sweating. I've been playing with the Eberlestock Modframe this year but after a few trial runs, the Popup is just quicker and allows me to keep basic gear to one pack if I'm hunting a mobile, preset, or saddle. After comparing the weight of the Vapor + LW belt + LW straps to the Popup, the Popup was ~1.5 lbs heavier. The weight trade off for the simplicity of 1 pack for everything is worth it for me.

Sladder goes in one side water bottle pocket and repel rope (with prussic/carabiners/quicklink/etc) goes in the other water bottle pocket. Saddle or Holiday, knee pads, pullup/down, 2 HFAS's, etc are in the front pocket of the Popup. Top pocket has license, knife, protein bars, ammo, etc. Gunbearer on left side of belt, Nalgene bottle right side of belt. Layers in main compartment. I don't use dump pouches anymore and use both ends of my repel rope, one as tether, one as linemans, to simplify.

Often I'll be hunting preset lockons in hybrid form or using a preset platform, so the .5 won't make the trip. The other stuff still makes the trip and I'll often carry an OOAL Solo Scout just in case I want to make a move. It's an extra 1.5 lbs but gives me a lot of freedom...not my first choice for more than 4-5 hours though.

I keep trying different stands and platforms. I enjoy putting things to use and weighing the pro/con's of each. The .5 is really tough to beat all the way around.