ATA 2018: Top New Treestands, Ground Blinds & Accessories

It's time for the 2018 ATA Show in downtown Indianapolis. Here are a few of the show's new treestand, ground blind, and stand accessories that caught the eye of OSG writers and editors.

As the 2018 ATA Show kicks off this week at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, treestands, ground blinds, and stand and blind accessories are among the countless new items being seen on the show floor.

Here are a few such products that have caught our attention so far this week in Indy.

Primos Double Bull SurroundView Ground Blind

The word revolutionary gets tossed around a lot at the annual ATA Show, but in this case, that might be the perfect word to describe the new Double Bull SurroundView ground blind from Primos. With exclusive one-way, see-through walls that look solid outside the blind and yet offer a wide open view from inside the blind, this Double Bull model has to be seen to be believed. Available in three different models - the 180, the 270, and the 360 - the SurroundView blind has the patented Double Bull hub system that makes set-up and takedown a breeze. With the Truth camouflage pattern and heavy duty materials, this new offering from Primos truly is a "blind without a blind spot!"

Contact: 601-879-9323; www.primos.com

Ameristep Distorter Ground Blind

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Known for industry leading ground blind designs like the venerable Ameristep Brickhouse (redesigned for 2018, by the way), this leading ground blind manufacturer has upped their game again this year, stepping out of the proverbial box with the all-new Ameristep Distorter model. Add in the company's Deadwood Stump model and that's two new and game-changing hub blind designs, both featuring kick-out technology and a unique silhouette that conceals better than standard square designs. With plenty of useful space inside, up to three hunters and their gear fit comfortably in these new Ameristep blinds, making them perfect for filming a hunt, hunting with a child or a new bowhunter, or simply being comfortable out in the woods!

Contact: Ameristep; 877-296-3528

Hunter Safety System Lady Hybrid and Pro Series

New for 2018, this Alabama-maker of safety harnesses and innovative hunting gear moves the needle once again thanks to two new harnesses that include the Lady Hybrid and the all-new Pro Series. The Lady Hybrid's streamlined cut is comfortable and strong regardless of whether a hunter is seated or standing. Add in upper material of lightweight breathable mesh, six lower pockets (four storage pockets, two deep-well hand pockets), and a standard upper adjustable chest buckle for proper fitting and the Lady Hybrid is a solid new addition to the HSS lineup. Add in a convenient integrated USB port and hunters can insert a compatible USB battery pack into the vest, keeping mobile devices and flashlights fully charged up even 20-feet high in a tree!

Meanwhile, the Pro Series — first launched in 2005 — comes back to market this year as HSS unveils an improved, updated version. With lightweight interlocking fabric in the front and high-tech ventilating mesh in the back and shoulder areas, the new Pro Series model checks in at only 2.9-pounds, 40-percent lighter than the original. Add in binocular/rangefinder straps, two zippered chest pockets, six gear pockets, and the same USB charging port offered on the Lady Hybrid – a first in the safety harness industry, by the way – and the new Pro Series model is perfect for hunters who spends dozens of hours in a stand each fall. Both the Lady Hybrid and the new Pro Series model offer HSS' industry exclusive ElimiShield Hunt Scent control proprietary technology. That nanotechnology is said to kill over 99.99% of odor causing bacteria at the cellular level, forming a bond on the treated article that lasts for more than 50 commercial washes. Offered in different sizes and camo options (Mossy Oak Bottomland Classic for both models and the new Realtree Edge pattern for the Pro Series model), each harness comes with sound dampening buckles, deer drag, suspension relief strap, and a Lineman's Climbing Strap.

Contact: Hunter Safety System; 877-296-3528

Millennium M240 and M250 Climbing Sticks

New for 2018, the M240 and M250 Hang-On Climbing Sticks from Millennium Stands are perfect for quick-strike treestand hunting. The M240 sticks are made from single-tube powder coated steel construction with the sticks offering 300-pounds capacity while weighing in at 4.5-pounds. Checking in at 32-inches in length, each stick offers step width of 10.75-inches and step distance of 14.5-inches. The M250 model offers sticks made of single tube powder coated aluminum, a weight capacity of 300-pounds and a weight of only 2.6-pounds. The aluminum climbing sticks feature a length of 32-inches, a 6-inch step width, and a 10-inch step distance. Both models feature alternating steps with sure traction and an angled design for increased foot clearance. With double loop connection straps and an easy pull cam buckle system, these stackable sticks come in four-packs and offer hunting simplicity for bowhunters needing to move in quickly and silently.

Contact: Millennium Stands; 601-932-5832

NAP Mantis Ground Blind

New Archery Products is known all over the country for their great broadheads and bowhunting accessories. For 2018, NAP is entering the ground blind market with the new Mantis series blind. With a new hub-design, this blind is said to be a snap to set up and take down thanks in great part to the collaboration of Keith Beam, co-founder of the original Double Bull design. With Beam's help, NAP has endeavored to create a five-hub blind design that is 30% to 50% lighter than most models on the market. With an innovative shape that will melt into the surrounding woods, the use of NAP's WICKED INTENT camouflage helps give the blind a depth of field effect thanks to a large 66x36" camo pattern.

With vertical and angled highlights, the blind blends in perfectly at short and long distances. Add in the patent pending DragNet adjustable window system and the windows on the Mantis blind can be infinitely adjusted quickly and silently as the hunter opens the shooting window, stretches and hooks the elastic net, and sneaks a peak at the game that is incoming. With plenty of room to maneuver a bow, crossbow, or gun, this is a simple and effective blind as a hunter gets ready for the shot of a lifetime. With brush and tie-down loops, six stakes, 38-square feet of floor space, a width of more than 80-inches, a front-to-back depth of 74-inches, and a cased weight of 22-pounds, this is a homerun addition to the ground blind market in 2018.

Contact: New Archery Products; 800-323-1279

Redneck Blinds Big Country 6x7 Platinum Blind

The well-known fiberglass hunting blinds made by Missouri-based Redneck Blinds are utilized by a number of Outdoor Sportsman Group TV show hosts including Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, Michael Waddell, Buck Commanders' Willie Robertson and Luke Bryan, and the Heartland Bowhunters. Since those professional hunters always have at least one cameraman in tow, the new spacious Redneck Blinds Big Country 6X7 Platinum Blind should be a big hit since they'll easily accommodate three to four adults.

They're also perfect for families, offering plenty of room to quietly maneuver, film, and hunt – even sleep in! – thanks to the spacious dimensions and tempered tinted automotive glass windows. Add in things like 46" tall vertical windows, large oversized horizontal windows, a 2" roof overhang, spray foam covered ceilings, acoustical covered walls, high-density foam floors covered with marine carpet, and three pre-installed gear consoles with shelves and holders, and you've got a great hunting blind. Coming completely assembled and with printed instructions and an instructional DVD, the Big Country can be mounted to Redneck's powder coated steel stands, to trailers, or used on a blind sled.

Contact: Redneck Blinds; 877-523-9986

Rivers Edge Treestands Lockdown Bow Pro Ladder Stand

Designed for bowhunters, the Lockdown Bow Pro Ladder Stand from Rivers Edge features the company's Lockdown system to enable a bowhunter to ratchet the stand to the tree before climbing up. At 20-feet tall, the stand sits close to the tree like a hang-on does, allowing a hunter to conceal their silhouette and avoid being spied by approaching deer. With the security of a ladder stand, a TearTuff mesh seat that flips up, and vinyl armrests, the 20 ½ x 30-inch platform is perfect for stand-up shots, not to mention being quiet and comfortable.

Contact: Rivers Edge Treestands; 715-822-2415

Tree Stand Buddy

A unique treestand bracket and receiver system, the Tree Stand Buddy gives bowhunters the chance to install hang-on stands quickly and easy, not to mention safely. From attaching the stand bracket to a single or double-post hang-on stand to attaching the receiver to the desired tree location to hoisting the stand up with a rope that goes through a special opening, the need to climb up and down a tree with a hang-on stand is eliminated. Once the stand is hoisted up, it can be quickly and simply connected using the stand bracket and tree receiver. That offers hunters a stand that is ready for both silent and rock-solid hunting. In addition to making the process of stand installation safer and simpler, the Tree Stand Buddy system allows hunters to take their stand down after every hunt, eliminating the threat of treestand theft. And by purchasing multiple tree receivers, a bowhunter can use the same stand to hunt multiple stand locations throughout the season!

Contact: Tree Stand Buddy; 877-987-2723

X-Stand Single Leg Ladder

Call it a hybrid stand, a combination of both a ladder stand and a hang-on, that's the aim of X-Stand's new Single-Leg Ladder Stand. With the company's Jaw Safety System, users are able to secure the stand from ground level before ascending. Light enough for one person to conveniently move from one spot to another as the season progresses, the Single-Leg Ladder weighs in at 36-pounds. Rated for loads up to 300-pounds, this convenient and versatile stand gives hunters an 18x11-inch seat and a 32x18-inch platform. And since every hunt needs to be safe from the ground up, X-Stand gives buyers a full-body safety harness to use each time they climb aboard.

Contact: X-Stand; 540-877-2769