Field Tested: Summit Dual Axis Hang-On Treestand

Just about every bowhunter — myself included — knows what it’s like when a shooter buck shows up while you’re sitting down in your treestand.

Caught off guard and out of position, usually with your bow hanging on a hook well above your head, panic sets in as you try to figure out how you’re going to stand up quickly, grab your bow and move into shooting position without spooking said buck. Sometimes it works. More often it doesn’t, leaving you to beat yourself up for not being prepared as that spooked buck sprints for the county line.

Experiences such as this are a great teacher, and that’s why I try to remain upright and at the ready almost all the time when on stand. Still, being on your feet for hours at a time, or even most of the day during peak rut, gets tiring. So, every now and then you need to give your legs and feet a break by sitting for a spell. Even then, however, it’s hard to truly relax knowing the buck I’ve been waiting on all season could appear at any moment.

If you can relate, you’ll definitely be interested in the new Dual Axis Hang-On Treestand from Summit, featuring a patented seat design that silently locks into two positions, providing support for your backside in both the seated and standing positions. In the down position, the Dual Axis provides a comfortable mesh seat 21 inches above the foot platform. But in the standing position, the Dual Axis offers a curved, pommel-style seat 34 inches above the foot platform. When in the standing position, the seat silently locks in place via a pair of rounded grooves in the seat frame that nest onto a set of grommets on the stand frame. To return the seat to the sitting position, simply lift up to disengage the grooves from the grommets and lower it back down.

Based on my testing — see a video review here — the unique Dual Axis seat really does remove a significant amount of pressure from your legs and feet while standing, allowing you to remain upright longer and more comfortably and helping you to remain ready and able to take advantage of shot opportunities with the least movement possible. To be honest, once I experienced the Dual Axis for myself and realized how effective the design is, I wondered why no one had thought of the idea sooner! The Dual Axis is a perfect stand for all-day hunts, and I intend to place mine in one of my favorite, prime-rut hunting locations.

In addition to the one-of-a-kind seat, the Dual Axis features aluminum construction with Summit’s DeadMetal Sound Dampening Technology that uses expanding foam inside the frame to reduce noise. The roomy foot platform measures 34 inches deep by 24 inches wide. The Dual Axis weighs 16 pounds, can accommodate loads up to 300 pounds and comes with backpack straps. It can be installed on trees ranging from eight to 20 inches in diameter using the included ratchet strap on top and a cinch strap on the bottom. — Editor Christian Berg