If you're setting up a saddle hunting kit, one question comes up fast: should you climb with climbing sticks or climbing steps? Both get you up the tree, but they hunt very differently once you're on the move. Here's an honest breakdown to help you choose the setup that fits how — and where — you hunt.
Climbing sticks: the familiar option
Climbing sticks are the setup most hunters picture: a stick with several fixed pegs that straps to the tree, stacked one above the other as you climb. They're widely available and let you gain height quickly with fewer attachment points.
The trade-offs show up when you go mobile. A stack of sticks can be bulky on your back, prone to clanging together on the walk in, and awkward to manage on tight or crooked trees. And once you're up, you still need a platform or a ring of steps for the shot angles saddle hunting is all about.
Climbing steps: built for the mobile saddle hunter
Climbing steps are individual steps you place up the trunk and then arrange into a ring of steps at hunting height. That modular approach is what makes them shine for saddle hunting: you build the exact climb the tree gives you, then set your top steps around the trunk to move for shots.
Steel steps like the STALK APEX Ladder System lean into that advantage. Each step is ½" x ½" hot-rolled square steel tubing that bites into bark and holds fast, with a patent-pending V-Press crossbar for a stable platform underfoot. Packed in the custom ABS holster, the whole system rides flat and rattle-free on your pack — a real difference-maker when you're slipping into public ground before daylight.
Head to head: sticks vs. steps
- Packability: Steps in a holster pack flatter and quieter than a stack of sticks.
- Versatility: Steps let you build a custom climb and a true ring of steps for shot angles; sticks are more fixed.
- Bite and durability: Steel steps dig in hard and take abuse season after season.
- Noise: A secured holster carry keeps steel quiet where loose sticks can rattle.
- Learning curve: Sticks are quick to learn; steps reward a little practice with a lighter, more flexible system.
So which should you choose?
If you hunt the same handful of trees and want the most familiar setup, climbing sticks will get the job done. But if you're a mobile or saddle hunter who values a quiet walk-in, a packable load, and the freedom to build a ring of steps on whatever tree the deer dictate, climbing steps are hard to beat.
Ready to go lighter and more mobile this season? Explore the APEX Ladder System for saddle hunting, or shop the 5-Pack and 10-Pack with Holster and Do More Outdoors with STALK.
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