In my opinion, hang on tree stands are an acquired taste. Generally speaking, they're not as versatile as a climber, which can be thrown on basically any reasonably stable but straight tree. When the sun comes up and you realize you made a mistake you climb down and move. No matter how efficient you are with a hang on, there are all those strap on/screw in steps or the assembly of climbing sticks. There is no debate that hang ons aren’t nearly as convenient and readily accessible as the venerable ladder stand, yet hang on stands remain an important tool in the tree stand arsenal. We find in the surveys we do that you either love ‘em or you don’t. You’re gonna love the Leveler 1 from Innovative Treestand Systems!! InnovativeTreestands.com. Rather than save the surprise, let’s just get the rating out of the way, we give the Leveler 1 a perfect 5 out of 5. Please read on!

If you can’t imagine how a hang on treestand may fit into your hunting strategy, the average retail cost of $130 should tempt you to find the extra bucks and buy this stand. Granted, there’s the extra cost of screw in steps or climbing sticks, but the price point is just right. If you shop around you could actually buy two of these stands and the climbing hardware for less than one high-end climber!

The Leveler 1 weighs in at 10 lbs. Yup, 10 lbs! The stand is ingeniously engineered to collapse to a compact, rattle free profile and is barely noticeable on your back. If you prefer to pack in great distances and maneuver through the thick stuff, this stand will amaze you. The engineering and design are rugged, lightweight, comfortable, and well thought out. You’ll easily be able to maintain a stealthy entry into your favorite location without fatiguing prematurely lugging around a 20+ lb behemoth.

The Leveler 1 is constructed of square shaped ribbed tubular aluminum. We found the greenish brown toned, powder coated paint job to be of extremely high quality. We would have preferred to see continuous welds at all strut junction points, but what we did examine was extremely consistent weld quality, no doubt, the result of robotic assembly. Regardless of this slight, we all unanimously agreed the strength to weight ratio was exceptional. The real proof of quality was in our field test. We packed in the Leveler 1 over some severe terrain and extremely thick brush. We installed and reinstalled the stand in several different kinds of trees, including the most gnarly, mis-shapen looking apple tree you’ve ever seen. Most hunters would take one look at this particular tree and keep on walking. The Leveler 1 remains installed in it's final resting place, where it’s been for the last 6 months and it’s still going strong. We logged at least 20+ hunts out of this stand with some of our hunters weighing as much as 250 lbs. and 6’ tall. The reports from all our field test staff came back the same; rock solid, quiet, and extremely comfortable.

If you’re an outfitter who buys lots of stands and you want to reduce the "whiner factor" from hunters who never seem to be happy, this is a great product. It’s true, you can’t please all the people all the time, but the Leveler 1 comes darn close!

We’ve talked about the weight factor (as in the lack of), we’ve talked about the price factor (as in a reasonably priced $130.00), now let’s talk about the adjustability factor. Without any doubt in our minds, you won’t find a more adjustable and versatile hang on stand. The secret to this adjustability are the four telescoping support tubes that come in contact with the tree. Rubber coated lynch pins pass through the tube and through holes in the support. This allows you to put this stand in unusually formed trees, and, therefore, kill zones other hunters would never even dream of attempting. Add to this a three-position, cable to platform slotted adjustment and you are almost always guaranteed a level shooting platform. Nice! We’re not done.

The vertical height of the seat can be adjusted from 21” to 27”. Our hunters were able to comfortably handle all day sits without any hassle. A quick, safe, and simple seat height adjustment meant a lot to our hunters, as did the seat design. The amply padded seat is an oval shape made of high quality, closed cell foam padding, which comfortably supports your backside and is covered in Mossy Oak New Break-Up camo. This is more cosmetic than practical, because when you sit down the camo is covered, not to mention that the deer will never see the camo from below anyway.

This may not seem like a big deal but, the oval shape creates a predictable front edge when that moment of truth arrives. The general consensus was, the lack of corners, which you find on rectangular or square shaped seats, means no corners are digging in and no fabric is snagging when you pivot to take a shot or get a better angle. To top it all off, the seat easily flips up and out of the way when you’re ready to stand. The padded seat cover is easily removed by the plastic snap buckle underneath, so if you want to take it with you when the hunt is done, it’s no problem. The Leveler 1 is an extremely bowhunter friendly stand.

Innovative Treestand Systems is a relatively new player to the market, emerging 2 years ago. Owners Tony Muhich and John Fredendall should be very proud of The Leveler 1. There is absolutely no doubt in our minds that this product will become a standard and a hot selling commodity.

A perfect 5 out of 5 stars means Innovative Treestand Systems has scored a direct hit. Please visit their website at www.InnovativeTreestands.com or better yet, buy a Leveler 1!