It has been a few years now that carbon fiber has been seeping into the world of climbing sticks for use with hang-on stands, saddle platforms, and general mobile hunting systems. Being famous for its stiff yet lightweight makeup, carbon fiber seems to be a logical choice for a climbing stick material. Heck, basically all of us trust carbon fiber arrows to take down big game animals all around the world, and God knows that arrows utilize much less material than climbing sticks do. My question is, then, why is there such hesitance around the use and adoption of carbon fiber climbing sticks, despite the growing market?
Being the new kid on the block is always going to bring with it detractors and nonbelievers. This is especially true when it is a new technology, and this is especially true when that technology's industry is chock-full of individuals who think they know more than everyone else in said industry - skeptics, critics, egotists and the like. Sometimes skepticism, or even criticism, is well-found and necessary. They provide checks and balances against shoddily-crafted products and snake oils. In some cases, though, certain individuals argue against advancement just for the sake of stroking their own ideology. They aren't interested in moving past a certain technological point, and they have every right to stand firm where they believe progress stopped being helpful. Just because they have that right doesn't make them right, though.
I am sure a good percentage of people thought treestands were a waste of time when they were first invented. "Why bother with that when my family have been shooting deer from the ground for centuries just fine?" they probably asked. Fast-forward to the modern world and treestands have been a baseline and mainstay in certain hunting cultures for quite a long time. If you joined a new hunting camp and someone handed you a map and said, "Here are our stand locations," you probably wouldn't think twice about it, even though someone, sometime, might've.
The same will be true of carbon fiber climbing sticks. Carbon technology is advancing by the minute and, as more and more sticks are introduced to the market, more and more hunters will adopt them. We have been using carbon fiber bows for quite some time now - why do we think something as simple as climbing sticks won't work just fine? They are inherently lighter and stiffer than metal in a head-to-head contest, and their ability to resist cold and remain quieter only add to their benefit list.
Lancaster Archery Supply currently stocks seventeen different mobile climbing sticks on our site, with four of them being made of carbon fiber. That isn't anywhere close to an outstanding majority, but it is a lot closer than it was at the turn of the year - when the total stood at only one carbon stick offering. That is without even mentioning the options on the market that exist outside our own available products. The fact is, carbon sticks are here to stay, and the market is going to reflect that. Maybe we aren't at the point where 'budget' carbon sticks are around quite yet - you can get multiple 4-packs of solid, metal climbing sticks for under $200 now - but I am certain the market will take care of that in due time.
If we face reality, hunters have been experiencing success utilizing carbon fiber climbing sticks for some time, now. Sure, you will encounter examples of equipment failures - but that proves nothing. Anecdotal evidence can be found to reinforce any and every opinion on God's green earth. I know of examples of stands, platforms, sticks, ropes, straps, etc all failing regardless of the material, brand, or use case. Sometimes, life just happens. That is no reason to dismiss an entire product class for the rest of your life.
The entire purpose of these sticks is to shed weight and stay silent. We should ask, "Do they succeed?" Well, I believe so. They are all, to varying degrees, exceedingly lightweight. They are also all high-end product offerings from companies with years of proven experience making high-end equipment. On top of all this, you just look pretty cool when you pull carbon sticks out of your truck on opening morning.
I guess I should eventually get to the part where I actually showcase some of these, so, as far as our examples of high-end carbon fiber climbing sticks are concerned, let's go over them, shall we?
Latitude Outdoors Carbon SS
Designed as a single, continuous piece of carbon fiber, the SS climbing sticks helped to kickstart the growth of carbon sticks around the industry. With no extra pieces or parts, these can be run hard without fear of failure or loosening over time. Their slim profile and silent Amsteel attachment system ensure stealth is paramount, too, while the carbon layup is stronger than many steels and 40% lighter than aluminum. They are also quite receptive to silencing strips around the main body, too, despite the skeletonized structure.
Length: 18"
Step-to-Step Length: 17"
Weight per Stick: 19oz (1.18lbs)
Weight Limit: 275lbs
Latitude Outdoors Carbon Synergy
Weight, comfort, and space-age carbon all wrapped up in a lightweight package. These incorporate a silent in-line nesting system for increased stealth and mobility, while the aggressive teeth and offset allow for incredible tree grip and stability. They also use Latitude's Amsteel rope attachment and, at just 14.9oz per stick, are the lightest of all the carbon sticks on this list. A 4-pack of these will weight under 4lbs total - an amazing feat.
Length: 18.45"
Step-to-Step Length: 17"
Weight per Stick: 14.9oz (.93lbs)
Weight Limit: 275lbs
Arsenal CarbonLite
Unlike the Latitude offerings above, the folks at Hunt Arsenal chose to go down an aluminum and carbon path - taking the best of both worlds and marrying them into one ultra-reliable stick. The CarbonLites utilize a super rigid carbon tube attached to high-strength aluminum steps to decrease weight but keep the traction-inducing grip strength of aluminum on your boots and against the tree.
Length: 18.5"
Step-to-Step Length: 17"
Weight per Stick: 17oz (1.06lbs)
Weight Limit: 300lbs
Timber Ninja C2
The second edition of the original carbon climbing sticks, the C2 sticks from Timber Ninja build off of that legacy. These are all about stealth and security. The teeth are sharp, the steps have awesome grip, the carbon tubes are super rigid, and they stack not only in-line, but also utilize a small silent magnet to keep everything simple and quiet. The tops of the tubes even glow in the dark to aid in early morning and late evening climbs.
Length: 18.25"
Step-to-Step Length: 16.75"
Weight per Stick: 20.8oz (1.3lbs)
Weight Limit: 300lbs
