In our ongoing quest to obtain product for Test and Tune, we frequently end up in a sales pitch to the manufacturer. Everyone needs to be educated of course, and we want these manufacturers to know we are going to be brutally honest, but there are some who are literally coerced into participating. To be honest with you, there are also, unfortunately, manufacturers who thrive on marketing hype and misinformation. These guys dread the call from BowCountry.com, Test and Tune. "Someone is actually going to compare what we say our product will do with how it truly performs?!" Well, let me be the first to tell you, Bill Goodwin, owner of North Starr Treestands, is not one of those who runs and hides. Bill took all of 15 minutes on the phone with us and immediately shipped us three units! The first treestand to be evaluated was the Arrow Starr climber.
The first thing you'll notice when a North Starr treestand arrives and you begin to unpack it is how the product is packaged. No loose fitting box and parts flying around inside. The Arrow Starr arrived with shrink-wrap securely around the foot platform, with all hardware, straps, adjuster clips, and assembly instructions tucked neatly under the shrink-wrap. The upper seating unit was snugly nested against the foot platform with foam padding protecting the contact points between the top and bottom halves. We found this packing particularly interesting because no other manufacturer we know of takes the time and effort to protect their product and we felt this said something about North Starr's attention to detail. All three (3) units were packed this way.
Assembly of the Arrow Starr takes some time, and unlike the Climbing Starr (which we also tested) you need to be very careful where you thread the backpack straps through the foot platform. The Arrow Starr has the "all too familiar" mesh grate, and if you're not careful, the backpack strap placement will wreak havoc with the sharp and exposed edges of the foot grate, and can potentially shred the straps. These exposed edges are not a danger to the hunter. You won't have this issue with the Climbing Starr and some of the other North Starr models, because their foot platform is a welded square tube frame.
Lighter than Light
After the Arrow Starr is all assembled you'll see that it is lighter than light.
The powder coated gray aircraft aluminum fame literally floats on your back, and we carried it all day long with little noticeable fatigue. At 15.5 lbs. we appreciated the engineering that must have gone into shaving weight without sacrificing stability or safety. When the top and bottom sections are properly nested together the "ride" on you back is sweet! Attention to detail adds up, and here are a few that we truly appreciated in the ingenious and comfort categories.
Like all North Starr tree stands, the Arrow Starr has a closed cell tree pad that provides comfort when the stand is fully deployed and your back is against the tree. This same pad tucks into the nested top and bottom and provides a comfortable buffer between the metal of the stand and the tender bones of your spine. Nice touch! You'll also appreciate the same closed cell padding is installed along the forearm rails you use when climbing. A trend was emerging. The attention to detail was beginning to add up. It was as if someone took the time to really take a look at the balance between comfort, safety, and convenience!
In the Field and Loving It
We finally got the Arrow Starr in the field for a typical 8-10 hour field test. As already mentioned, we felt the ergonomics of a comfortable stand on our backs, and the absence of weight were immediately noticeable and key factors in our evaluations. Once in the field, other innovative and truly remarkable aspects began to emerge.
OK, so now you're at a tree and it's time for the unpacking ritual. Will it go smoothly and quietly, or will you make so much noise setting up you probably should have just stayed in camp? With little practice with the stand, we managed to quietly and with little effort, situate the Arrow Starr and get it ready to climb. We felt the reason why is many of the straps and ratchets that are used when the stand is fully deployed serve double duty during the packing of the stand at the end of the day. No extra stuff to clank around and spook the game. One thing of note that is both beautiful and frustrating is the plastic coated bow holder that comes with the Arrow Starr stand. There's no doubt, the bowhunter will totally appreciated this accessory, but installed on the stand we found it snagged frequently on brush and when traveling through thick stuff. This is a case of the lesser of two evils and is not the manufacturer's fault. You want and need the bow holder to reduce the fatigue of holding your bow all dang day, but you need to be super stealthy getting into the stand. The installation is simple enough, that we suggest you just throw it in your pocket and install it once you're in the stand. One hex bolt with wing nut and wha la!
Innovations
Brand new to the stand this year is a totally redesigned cable system. This plastic coated cable system has swaged blocks on the end and are held in place within the frame by coated lynch pins inserted through predrilled holes. North Starr calls it a Flex Bar. The uniqueness here is worth noting because not only does this stiff cable easily slip over any bark configuration, (we tried three different kinds of trees) but it absolutely, positively, will not sag as you ascend your tree of choice. This is an important safely issue! You won't find yourself messing around at odd angles high above the ground, and the speed and agility with which you'll be able to climb builds confidence. There's nothing worse than a cable system hanging up when you want to be comfortably and quietly sitting in the tree waiting for sunrise. But then, you already knew that. You'll definitely want to practice the insertion of this cable and lynch pin before you enter the woods. The Flex Bar is so stiff that you'll be extremely frustrated locating the swaged end of the cable and lining it up with the lynch pin if you don't practice.
Climbing Claws
We liked the climbing claws a lot! Most stands have this flying "V" arrangement with serrated edges that grip the tree as you go up and down. North Starr stands, including the Arrow Starr, have a very unique "Climbing Claw" arrangement. These are separate 2" deep x 2" long x 1" wide anodized steel claws affixed securely to the frame. There are four claws in the array that surround the tree, two claws on each side and six points per claw. There are two things that make these anodized claws unique. First, the rigid angled flying "V", which we typically see permanently cast or integrated into the frame is gone. Instead, what you'll find is a more form fitting circular arch. Not exactly half mooned shaped, but definitely more ergonomic to the cylindrical shape of the average tree. Next, because of the placement of these claws on either side of this form-fitting arch, you will discover there is simply not a more sure-footed grip with any other tree stand! Different bark patterns, different size trees (it's rated for trees 6" to 22"), wet conditions, dry, didn't make a bit of difference. This design is the absolute best we have ever seen! While it's true, the claws can be bent and distorted through repetitive use, the good news is that unlike other designs where the gripping surface is integral, on North Starr stands, these claws can be unbolted and replaced. No problem, a simple 5-minute operation and you have brand new sharp claws to go back at it.
Slip your boots into the no stretch strap and buckle foot system with heel strap, connect the top to bottom with the 6" nylon quick connect strap, attach your safety harness, swing your "no frills" butt sling made of seatbelt material into place, and up you go. With little or no practice we made it up safely, quietly and quickly. You will learn, as we did, to appreciate the closed cell foam covering the armrests when you apply your full body weight to the upper climbing unit.
Once up to the desired height, the ample foot platform, 18" x 34", and the ratchet attachments provide a wonderful feeling of security. Very stable, very safe, and very little flex or torque. The mesh foot grate will inevitably cause popping and creaking as the years wear on and moisture works it's "magic", but, in general, as far as this design goes (there are literally 25 manufacturers who use this familiar design), we can say that the placement and number of the tack welds was high quality (as in, no excess slag to catch your boot).
The Big Easy tm Fold Up Seat
This is a bold but unanimously true statement from the BowCountry.com staff; if the light weight, the climbing claws, the excellent nesting, and the comfort features weren't enough, you would buy this tree stand for the seat alone! We're not kidding! This seat is 1" thick closed cell foam, oval shaped, basically 9" X 18", and very, very comfortable on an all day sit. No sore butts with the Big Easy tm!
Here's the cool part about the Big Easy tm, this comfortable and secure seat easily flips up and out of the way for those of us who occasionally like to stand up, and when you are climbing, the seat is out of your way. But wait, there's more! This seat is designed in such a way so that it places you above the cross bar. No brace or cross bar ever pushes into your back, and we felt this design provided infinitely more of a balanced feel.
Summary
If the 15.5 pounds total weight, the sure-footed "climbing claws", the Flex Bar cable system, the liberal use of waterproof/scent proof closed cell foam, the bow holder that comes standard, the 300 lb. capacity, and back pad that makes the sit and the walk comfortable weren't enough, there's the Big Easy tm seat! This product rocks! We give it a 4.5 stars out of 5. The half point deduction comes from the foot grate design and placement of the backpacking straps. If you're not careful when you install the straps, they will surely shred. We'd like to see a more formal connection of strap to frame. Other than that, the Arrow Star is by far one of the best products we've tested this season.
Check out the other fine North Starr products at http://www.NorthStarrTreeStands.com. We would like to extend a special thank you to Bill Goodwin for his generosity, confidence in his product, and his patience as we conducted our field testing.
