Folks always laugh about the old days and Baker style climbers.
Especially descending unexpectedly.

Back when magazines would publish DIY plans to build your own.

Cleaning out the barn, and look what I found.



Seat was added later, after a few years of just standing, finest copper fittings I could find in the truck bin.
Folds flat too.
3/8.plywood, but reinforced, plus carry straps!



Hugged tree, pulled myself up. Got about 15' up a pine, lost climber off my boots.
SLOOOWLY slid down, leaving my shirt, T shirt and both nipples in bark.

So, made a hand climber, steel this time, to go with base, I was young and strong.



After losing bottom half again, stated tying them together.

Now days, I sit on a stump.

High class, you have a two piece. I had to hug the tree

I made a few of those when I was in school, but I used 3/4" plywood and bed rails for the steel
I never made a climber/seat though.
I also used to make climbing steps out of a piece of 2X4 and nylon rope
Ooh to be young again.

Made the 2nd piece AFTER about 5 years of pain.

Someone did me a favor and took mine I got the better part of the deal.

LOL, I'm betting I find that too.
Used 1x3s to save weight.
Called it Jacobs Ladder, and that ain't my name!

My 1st climber was also a Baker, and that is so very true, how did we survive!

Hahaha

Mine left me up a tree more than once. Hugging.

I still hug the tree with my loggy. Yes I still use it when the boys are in the summits. My dad and grandpa went in and got it from me when I was about 14. It was a huge step up from sitting in forks of trees. Kind of sentimental when I use it. my 14 year old has shot deer out of it as well. But very low to the ground in thick stuff when you can't see 5 yards on the ground or 15 20' up a tree but about 6 to 10 feet you my get shots out to 35 yards. and I put it in the tree and boost him up in it.

It will climb both larger and smaller trees than the summits and is half the weight and once in place and seat strap on it won't slip like the summits.


there is am old climbing stand still on a tree that looks just like that in a woods we hunt. I'm guessing it's probably really grown into the tree. I never walked through the thick stuff to look at it closely. it's in a good spot though.

True story. My first climber was a two piece Loggy Bayou climber. Climbed a big ol pine tree in the rain. Went to take my feet out of the toe bar and heel strap and the base slipped. Fortunate I was still facing the tree and was able to wrap my arms around it as gravity took over. Slid down with the base about 15’ until it caught again on the larger diameter of the base of the tree. If I wasn’t a young buck, probably woulda blown my knees out when the base caught again. About the time I realized the only thing that was hurt was my forearms from grabbing the tree while falling, it occurred to me that the top piece was still up the pine. I no sooner looked up when it slipped down as well and busted my forehead. Took the stand down and went straight home. Never climbed a wet pine again.

I bought a climber once, figured it would be great for those places you find while still hunting, it was kinda heavy though, found a tree to climb, set it up, looked up the tree and said screw this!...left the darn thing right there on the ground.... lol

I used to belong to a few hunting sites where some talked about being 30' up.How many of these claims were exaggerated I don't know but as some one who hates heights,I can't imagine that.I don't want a deer that bad.

Think I burned my old Baker so I’d never be an accessory to manslaughter!! I only had the bottom piece and hugged the tree on the way up and left a lot of blood on the way down. Killed quite a few deer out of it. Even got resourceful and would carry a bucket up with me to sit on.
When I got a “real climber” I was still nervous about going up and coming down and noisy as heck. I now fall asleep in them and can descend without spooking deer. Times have surely changed.