Summit Open Shot SD Climbing Stand Review and How to Use 

This is the first treestand I've ever owned. Some days I like it better than others but to me it being so lightweight and secure is the biggest advantage. Just wear a good safety harness and remember you'll never clamp it to the tree too tight.

I bought and used the first model of the openshot about 25 years ago… as I’ve aged, I really like the safety of the crossbar . Makes climbing a whole lot easier and as you mentioned it great for gun or crossbow. I gave my openshot to my nephew many years ago, but own 5 different summit climbers all with the crossbar.

Dude i have been rocking it a long time and my best bro even longer! things have slayed a decent buck or 2 for me just finding a random spot and heading up a tree...all because of the weight! Great video ! Great stand! I put a footrest on mine and changed the seat out with a tailmate well it was the company Hunt Comfort but now they are called Tailmate and those 2 add ons have made it a little leavier but i went and got the wide straps summit offered before they stopped and it made it into an incredible stand! any hunter gun...crossbow....compound bow....this stand will not let you down ... give it use and time and it will provide!!!

Thanks for the review, started with a Viper and took a few years off, looking to get back into it and really like this setup. Thanks!

Never used one of these stands but it looks like a great review. I would use one of these if I got to hunt more. Right now i just go with other people and they graciously let me use their stuff. I just dont get to go much. Great review and thanks for the opportunity in the gaw. Any vids you want to post would be cool

I am currently using the Viper but i am going to switch soon. I will definitely look at using this climber. Thanks for all of the reviews. Keep'em coming!!

That is an awesome stand! We have never used one of these, but interested in looking into maybe one day getting one! Great review! Any of the videos you said at the end of the video would be great and we would watch if you posted! Thanks for the giveaway!

Great looking stand. I might have to get one for archery season. I have the viper and love it. It’s heavy but comfortable. I bought the XOP Tree Stand Transport System for mine to make it a lot more comfortable to carry. I strap my pack inside of it and go.

I love this style. I’m running the xop ambush sit and climb and I love it.

Currently got a 33 lb climbing stand and I'm planning on buying this one. Gunna be a game changer

I have had an open shot for a number of years. I did add the foot rest to the front of it. I do like how light weight it is. I do like the openness of it when I am on a short hunt. I like my other Summit stands with the traditional seats with open front for longer hunts. Great video.

I love that it's very lite quiet love to use one when I go hunting

I own both the Openshot and a Lone Wolf Alpha. Both are great bowhunting stands. However a few comments on the Openshot. First being it is bulkier than a lone wolf and not as easy to pack around but everyone knows you can’t beat lone wolf as far as compactness. Second you can flip the seat up on the Openshot and flip the seat cushion over top of it to essentially have a cushioned leaning post when you get sick of sitting for hours and need to stretch the legs. Which is very nice for those all day sits. Third is the fact that the seat on the Openshot is not nearly as sturdy as the lone wolf. Because you don’t have the two security straps like the lone wolf does if you stand up and bump into the seat of the Openshot the wrong way it can fall down the tree and make noise (This only really matters if you plan on standing up in the Openshot sometimes) Hope some of you guys find this to be useful info!

I just bought this stand and can’t wait to use it. Great job on the video. Most all the info I was looking for.

My favorite climber. I also have an old one steel with v bar. Good stands.

The open shot is still to this day my favorite climber i have mine wrapped in silent strips with an xop backpack and a bow holder with 2 alpine ridge debree holders i replaced the seat with hazmore net its quite sturdy pretty light and very comfortable im 6 foot and 240lbs and id recommend this stand to any bow hunter

Great review brother. Definitely wouldn’t be anything I would want to try out. But without that bar it would definitely make shooting your bow a lot better

I've owned one for years always use my viper wasn't sure exactly how to climb with it.very useful video thumbs up 😊

Your reviews are solid , and entertaining…

The viper with the added footrest is just too comfy for me to ever change.

I love the summit series!

This was the climber I was gonna get. Since the property I hunt is private i went with a hang on instead but this would be a good investment in climbers. Thanks for the review brother.

Awesome video I am wanting to get one of those stands for hunting this year.

Haven't used it but I can see myself trying one out in the near future

Like the videos man! I got the viper SD on order and debating if I should cancel it and get the open shot. Equally bow and rifle hunt so it’s a toss up for me

I like all summit products brother majority of my deer been killed out of one , like you say the less movement the more likely you are to get a shot , all around good review 👍

Summit is a great line of stands, if u pull your cables and pack them in ur backpack it carries better without hanging on everything

"Great video".. I got the viper but haven't used it much. The open shot is pretty sweet! I appreciate what you do.

I was thanking about getting the open shot this year I have a viper now I like it but like you said you have to set the top so low to shoot with a bow and this review made me really wanna get the open shot

I'm ordering one of these, and, wanted to see how to use it. Your video was a tremendous help and wanna say thanks! I'll let you know what I think about it when it comes.

Great review before I went to saddle hunting I've used API for years. I like how they pack down flat but didn't like the chain cables. Be a good next stand review for ya. Keep up the good work

Just picked one of these up..nice and light

You’re spot on with all your findings. That’s a fine stand, had my stolen off some public ground. Thanks for the review, happy hunting !

I have a viper and I love it. The open shot does look nice

I’ve had this stand since probably 2010 I’ve lost count of the deer I’ve killed I used to have a lot of hang on’s but 1 got stolen so I bought this and never looked back sold all my hang on’s lol and it’s a lot easier to leave the seat down and put your arms on the cushion and crab the flat bars in the back while you’re climbing

My uncle gave me old summit 20 years old that is open like this it’s nice I thinks it’s bushmaster xls or something. Thanks for doing a video!

Take your time and you can be xtra quiet I’m looking to buy the open shot been hunting from viper for 20 years. I hunt from the xop loc on for bow but want a climber.

ive been looking at getting one of these bad boys

Awesome review man!

Buying 1 Friday great video

I like this stand. Kinda wish it was offered with the larger platform. Good job on the review again!

Just bought one also just subscribed!!

I got this tree stand this year. It won't work in ever tree but with lone wolve hang on in the pick up for back up... its a deadly combo. I really like the stand. Killed me some deers already out if it too. 😉

I used to have this exact stand and my feet practically hung off sitting down. Stand up and you don’t have much room to turn unless you lift the seat. Then you have a lot of room. Right? Nope. Don’t forget it is a Summit, so it’s got the rather sizable gap at the back of the platform. (Keep in mind I’m only 5’9” with a size 10 shoe.) But you can add the footrest Summit told me. Yes, but then I found out it doesn’t pack nearly the same or as well. Wish the guy with Summit would’ve told me that little tidbit. For the positives, YES, it climbs ok and the seat is nice. It should because it’s a Summit lol. Honestly though, I’d only recommend the top part with a full size platform. I’ve thought seriously about pulling the trigger on an Open Shot top for one of my Vipers but they’re too dang proud of it, especially seeing how the stands are now made in China. Doesn’t matter anymore because now Summit’s site says the top alone is DISCONTINUED. This video makes me miss my old Lone Wolf hand climber.

Yes I love that type I hate that 1 something like that

I have one of these stands and you have to be young and in shape to climb with it there is alot of pressure on your fore arms

New to bow hunting and this may very well be my 1st climber

But how does it hold up in all day sits? It seems to be just like a lock on seat wise.

Killer stand!!

I like 👍 summit there great I have one I just also bought a new real tree stand

Bet there is good old camo dust in the giveaway 🤣

Love this stand

Great review, I am relatively new to hunting so I am still undecided as to what I want to try first. Should I go with a climber or a hand on. Looking at the Xop cold wear, or novix helo.

Merci pour cette vidéo je vais l'acheter

I had an open shot I liked it the weight and the bulk never bothered me it felt light to me

Great review in my opinion Summit treestands are the best in the world

Great Stand!!

I wish this is available in India🇮🇳 Want to own one for myself

I love that stand I have the Goliath

I use the Open Shot. Tell me, is that seat cushion completely removable? The reason I ask is because I never leave my homemade seat cushion on my stand overnight when it's on a tree I plan to hunt in the morning. Why? Because on my very first hunt with my brand-new Open Shot fifteen years ago, a bear came by during the night and tore the seat cushion off and apparently ate it. Search as I might, I could never find one single trace of that cushion! When I learned that a replacement cushion from Summit cost $40, I made my own, and it spends the night in camp with me.

I have one. Easiest way to climb with it is sitting down. Get the seat high enough that you can just use your toes can break the platform away from the tree. Then grab the rope under your butt that holds the seat and platform together and pull up while lifting your knees. It’s a lot less strenuous on the upper body. I can go up just as fast as I can my Summit Viper. I face the tree and use my forearms when coming down.

Well I was dead set on getting a hand climber but now I’m not sure. The open shot is smaller than I thought but still looks like it’ll stick 3 foot off your back and be awkward once you carry it very far. That was a deciding factor in wanting a hand climber because it was flat to your back! Decisions decisions 🤔 I’d also like to see a review of what you think about the nap bloodrunner broadhead. I can’t find the actual broadhead anymore but there’s some cheaper copies on eBay and Amazon!

I never used a climbing stand before, but I would like to learn or at least try it out to see if I like it.

Can you attach the “Universal Strap System” on it?

I had the lone wild hand climber, but got rid of it just to do it. Now I’m wanting another and can’t find one. Which one do you like better?

Just buy a viper sd which is cheaper. It is possible to raise the seat up even higher on the viper sd if you wrap the seat straps around the bar once before locking them. I can shoot from a seated position in all my viper sd's with a compound bow. For rifle season i lower the seat back down. But bang for your buck go with the viper sd.... there is no reason why the open shot costs more than the viper. You don't get a full seat and it requires less material to produce.

Good lookin stand other than it sticking out.

Love it

How do they pack together?

This looks way better than a hang on stand, I think this is what I'm gonna switch to

Do you have any suggestions on how to make the stand quiet including the cables going in and out going around a tree

Lone Wolf - Made in USA Summit - Made in China Lone Wolf - lasts for years, quiet to attach and detach from tree Summit - Rubber on cables wears off quickly exposing metal, noisy to attach and detach from tree Lone Wolf - thin profile Summit - Bulky profile Lone Wolf - more expensive than Summit Summit - More expensive than many, but less expensive than Lone Wolf

Does it dig into your hips looks like it's touching

Leaving my comment for a chance to win, good luck in Florida, I am back home now.

What the dimensions of the bottom

Openshot or Summit Viper mini? Im conflicted.

If summit would come out with a stand that folds flat I would have one

You might be better off using a clip and a small strap on the seat and snap it to your back belt loop. It's out of the way climbing and it's always there.

You orta review the grim reaper carnifour or the whitetail specials. They look like a dang good broad head ain’t got a chance to put one through one yet though.

👌👌

Heck no! I can’t see myself doing this. This is way too hard.

Weighs an actual 15. I've been using one for 15 years they're great until you pull a muscle in your stomach.

would you still buy it today?

6ft is OSHA requirement for a harness 🤣

Bruh!! When you first started climb your cable on top was not even in the slot!! Be careful dude!

nice stand my friend, thank you and let me know if you need my address to send it to me. have a nice one

Ok you're an archery only hunter, you hike in a mile at the most, and you can only buy one climber which is it? Lol