Author Topic: The Baker Treestand (Read 6752 times)

30-06man · « **on:** July 29, 2008, 05:48:23 PM »

How many of you remember these? How many of us did the "Baker Slide" down a tree?

I was talking about when I first started hunting and I remembered my old baker stand and I remembered all of the nightmares I had with it. I went out to the shop and found it today and never again would I use it.

Graybeard · « **Reply #1 on:** July 30, 2008, 05:21:13 AM »

Oh yeah been there done that and got the scratches and scars on my arms and chest to prove it. Killed my first deer from one but soon after decided that not killing a deer was prererable to going back up a tree with that thing.

tck · « **Reply #2 on:** July 31, 2008, 05:40:03 AM »

I had two of them. A mighty mite and a slim Jim. I sold both of them about 25 years ago. I sort of wish I had kept the Mity mite, It would be "OK" just to use as a seat on the ground.. I think I might have shot 7 or 8 deer from mine before changing
over to a TSS folding climber. I still have the TSS, Ive had some close calls with it also. I mostly use a summit treestand and climber these days.

jjas · « **Reply #3 on:** August 01, 2008, 07:53:29 AM »

I had a might mite too! The stands were dangerous enough but then to be on that little platform, I'm lucky I never did anything worse than the baker slide!

I replaced that stand with an Original Lobby Bayou climbing stand. It had a steel band that you adjusted around the tree and you could purchase an "optional" climbing aid. That thing cost a fortune and (while it was better than the might mite), It still would slip on you if you weren't REALLY careful.

Personally, I wouldn't get on either today, but back then they were state of the art!

Have a good one,

Jim

AtlLaw · « **Reply #4 on:** August 01, 2008, 09:18:36 AM »

I used one for years! Thought they were the best thing since canned beer when they came out... and, like GB, I got the scars on my arms, chest and chin to prove it!

I finally replaced it with a W&S Cottonwood that I still, believe it or not, use. 'course, that thing is getting to be an adventure in tree climbing itself!

30-06man · « **Reply #5 on:** August 05, 2008, 04:38:52 PM »

I have mine out in the shop and I wouldn't touch it. I use a Summit now days.

hazmt · « **Reply #6 on:** October 26, 2008, 09:20:30 PM »

Ahhh yes the Baker. I guess i could say "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, Ouch the baker, LOL!" I still have one with the optional 'hand climber.' Sounds like several of us are missing hair and hide because of these. Down East most of the 'straight' trees where I grew up hunting were pines. Nothing like bear huggin a pine while sliding 20 feet with a baker on your feet acting as an anchor. Thanks for bringing up some painful memories!!

Best regards!

Haz

squirrellluck · « **Reply #7 on:** October 30, 2008, 03:11:27 PM »

i lost my baker foot climber but not the optional hand climber so there i am hanging onto the handclimber 2o feet up a sweet gum tree

billy · « **Reply #8 on:** November 11, 2008, 11:20:58 AM »

Yep the stand of the old days ,how did we ever climb a tree with those stands? Stands have come a long way.

wareagleguy · « **Reply #9 on:** November 15, 2008, 01:54:29 PM »

Me too. Funny how the damn thing would go all the way down.

Anyone have the bottom come off your feet and left you hanging by the hand climber?

JonD. · « **Reply #10 on:** November 20, 2008, 02:13:53 PM »

I have an uncle who hunted out of one for 30 years. He is 5'3 and might weigh 120 lbs wet., but he had no hand climber, only a 15" X 15" platform Baker climber. He stood up the whole time and held his bow, and sometimes stayed on stand all day. I don't know how he did it. I remember him telling about how he would lose it off his feet when climbing and would have to shimmy down the tree. There ain't no way I could do it. I purchased a sit down/stand up climber from Cabelas one time. I took it out to a nearby thicket from our house to try it out. I climbed about 14 feet or so and had the stand to fall all the way to the ground with me sitting on the seat. My wife had to get a ladder and put the stand back up to where I could climb down. I sent it back. I did buy a Tree Lounge a while later and it was a great stand, but I sold it, after I quit smoking and gained a lot of weight. At 350lbs I don't trust any climber(Not many will support me anyway)

wncchester · « **Reply #11 on:** November 21, 2008, 12:42:53 PM »

My first stand was a Baker, complete with hand climber. A few practice climbs in the back yard quickly showed a few short comings.

First, while climbing, the platform could easily fall as my weight shifted to the hand climber. I put 1/4" x 4' nylon ropes on each side to connect the platform to the hand climber. (Still use that for security on my newer stands)

Next, there was no way I could stand still for long on that thing so I rigged a nylon fabric "sling" seat to the hand climber. Not an easy chair but it worked and didn't add much weight.

Carrying it was going to be a problem. I found a torn up back pack at a yard sell for buck, bought it and attached the straps to the bottom of the platform. Instant easy carry and reasonably comfortable too.

Saw it would be easy to lose those crititcal wing nuts. I drilled a small hole in one wing of each and tied a length of 60# fishing mono to secure them to the frame. And then added one spare nut and bolt to the frame, just in case!

The base didn't grip the tree very well, especially if I stood near the tree, because that bit of alum blade just didn't dig in very well. I replaced the blade with a couple of sharp "spikes" made of 1 1/2" heavy alum angle and it then held quite well.

Modified, I used that thing for several years, safely, but it was still a pain to set up (slow), especially in the dark, and somewhat heavier than I wanted, so eventually I got a new stand. But my old Baker is still in the attic, ready for use if needed!

Walleye Magnet · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:57:48 AM »

Remember it well. Hanging on to the hand climber / seat while the platform is at the bottom of the tree.

carolinahunter53 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 05, 2009, 03:27:55 PM »

Oh yeah. I had one too. My brother-inlaw gave it to me. Gee. I thought he liked me

. I left it covered with brush at the bottom of a tree and somebody stole (thank God !!!!!!!!!) Don't miss it one bit.

surveyor47 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 20, 2009, 05:49:57 PM »

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah I had a Baker Tree Stand. After sliding down a tree one last time, I rid myself of that thing. I have not even touched a tree stand since.

flintlock · « **Reply #15 on:** January 20, 2009, 11:58:53 PM »

Quote from: JonD. on November 20, 2008, 02:13:53 PM

I have an uncle who hunted out of one for 30 years. He is 5'3 and might weigh 120 lbs wet., but he had no hand climber, only a 15" X 15" platform Baker climber. He stood up the whole time and held his bow, and sometimes stayed on stand all day. I don't know how he did it. I remember him telling about how he would lose it off his feet when climbing and would have to shimmy down the tree. There ain't no way I could do it. I purchased a sit down/stand up climber from Cabelas one time. I took it out to a nearby thicket from our house to try it out. I climbed about 14 feet or so and had the stand to fall all the way to the ground with me sitting on the seat. My wife had to get a ladder and put the stand back up to where I could climb down. I sent it back. I did buy a Tree Lounge a while later and it was a great stand, but I sold it, after I quit smoking and gained a lot of weight. At 350lbs I don't trust any climber(Not many will support me anyway)

Tie the bottom of the stand to the top so you can still reach it with your feet to prevent this...

alleyyooper · « **Reply #16 on:** January 28, 2009, 06:42:14 AM »

I have one of the biggest they made I think the platform is 24" wide and 36 inches long, I could measure it since I still have it. I also did the mods so the wing nuts didn't get lost. I sharpened up the alum strips at the back because a fellow at work had his slip down a power pole while he was trying it out. Talk about splinter removal, about 4 hours in the hospital ER if I remember right. Got the back pack straps for it when I bought it. Got the so called seat for the hand climber and found it was a real pain. I stuffed it with a big chunk of foam rubber.

I weigh about 60 more pounds now than I did back then but still use that stand some.

Al

Greenhunter · « **Reply #17 on:** February 06, 2009, 07:16:05 PM »

My first climbing tree stand was the Baker Deluxe. It had a huge base and swivel seat for stand up/sit down climbing. I made more than one express flight down a tree in that thing! Each time ,when it finally stopped, I thought both my arms were dislocated! Made my first bowkill out of it and took a nice Doe.
I finally sold it and got a Warren & Sweat Bowhunter climbing stand. It was similar to the Baker, but it never slipped down a tree on me.
I still have the old Warren & Sweat stand. Lotta good memories with that oldie!

chamois1 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 21, 2009, 01:51:12 PM »

The last time I saw mine , it was in the middle of a sink hole on Three Lakes hunting reserve in Florida. That was after it droped 20 feet on a pine tree with me standing on it. I thank I might have thrown away the pants I was wearing also.

Chamois1

Spector · « **Reply #19 on:** August 04, 2010, 07:50:46 PM »

I bow hunted out of one back in the 80's. I got the bright idea that it needed a seat and I was proud of my solution. I made a bracket and mounted it to the front edge of the stand and used alumium channel to mount a seat on. It was hinged at the bracket. I climbed trees and then jammmed the seat in against the tree trunk. I never had my baker get loose, but I did have a nice little buck come in on me. It walked right up to my tree as I expected. I did not move. Then it went to my right instead of to my left as I had expected. And I am right handed. No problem I thought. Just be quiet and turn for the shot. Except that darned aluminum channel ran right between my legs and I wound up having to lift my legs over the channel to reverse my footing. When I finally got squared away for my shot the buck had walked a distance and my arrow hit a tree limb near the buck. My arrow streaked skyward.

I took the seat off and I think I finally gave the Baker away. At 280 pounds I believe I'm going to buy a 2 person ladder stand this year. When I used the Baker I weighed 185. Now I'm afraid I might push the limits on a one person stand with a 300 pound weight iimit. I know a hand climber would be useless to me. ha ha

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I used to think I was the ''great white hunter'' in that thing. I remember almost falling one day when a turkey hen landed in a tree about 20 feet away........Mike

steve · « **Reply #20 on:** September 04, 2010, 04:59:49 AM »

Have one of those, the last time I used it going up the tree and it came off my feet. Sure did hurt sliding down the tree. Next day went out and bought a Summit. It is still hanging in the shed.

srussell · « **Reply #21 on:** September 20, 2010, 08:07:30 PM »

baker treestand death from above i have scars too

buckeye509 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 11, 2010, 05:42:12 PM »

I had the smallest model they made and got the hand climber in 1978-79. I had just got out of the Army and was in shape then. Still it took alot of concentration to get up a tree, and sure there was a learning curve. I got one WV buck with it. I left it down there with the land owner and never went back for it. I use the ladder stands, only double wide now, for the extra room