Best Treestands Under $300 for 2025 | Tested & Reviewed

Hey guys, I tested eight tree stands under $300. It seems like the cost on everything nowadays is going up and up, but you don't have to break the bank to get a really awesome tree stand. This video is going to summarize everything that's included in the article, which we'll have a link posted here. So if you want a deeper dive into these eight tree stands and what makes each of them great for different applications and whatnot, you're definitely going to want to read that article. It's a great buyer's guide if you're trying to buy a tree stand on a little bit of a budget. Sounds crazy to say $300, but that's a budget today. Before we dive into each individual tree stand, I think it's important to understand how we did this test. I tested the eight stands on four different categories. That's adjustability, noise, ease of hanging and comfort. I put them on a bunch of different trees ranging in sizes of 8 inches to 18 inches in diameter, got them set up and monitored each stand for each of those different categories. And I ended up putting together a list of what I think is eight of the best tree stands under $300. Obviously, I can't have all eight tree stands on this tiny little folding table I have in front of me. But on my right here, I have the Lone Wolf Custom Gear Patriot Assault 3, and on my left, I have the Millennium M7 Micro Lite. The Assault 3 came in right at $299. The Micro Lite came in at $209, making it the cheapest in the test. So we're going to get into the nuances of each stand, where they shine, where they're best used for, and we're going to start right here with the best overall, the Lone Wolf Custom Gear Assault 3. When it came to the best overall category, it was between a couple different tree stands, but the Assault 3 from Lone Wolf Custom Gear ended up taking that top spot. A couple reasons on that. Made in America, cast aluminum, but most importantly, the Assault 3 actually locks in to itself, making the seat serve as a load shelf for like a backpack or you know, anything else that you, even if you wanted to haul out a quarter, you can do that on that with this stand, and that seat's not going to be flopping around. I think that's awesome because one, it's going to be super quiet. Two, it's multi-purpose, and it's just a really smart way of kind of integrating the seat back into the platform and making the stand check more boxes than just serve as something that you can hunt from. Another thing about the Assault 3 that's awesome is it comes with backpack straps, and that's something that I'll touch on as we keep going into each tree stand, but you could absolutely use the Assault 3 for a true mobile run-and-gun system on public land, or if you're someone that wants a really high-end tree stand and you set it and forget it's set presets on your farm, this would definitely check that box too. But back to the backpack straps, what makes that awesome is if you did want to run this for a run-and-gun setup, you've already got them on there. Obviously you could add, you could swap something in like some higher-end backpack straps after the fact, but these are really great. They're going to get the job done for you, and it's all included right out of the box from Lone Wolf Custom Gear. Next up and the best option for permanent stand locations is the Novix Raider. What makes this stand awesome is the oversized platform and the super comfortable mesh seat. What I really liked about this seat is the fact that the mesh only connects to two sides of this post. It kind of creates like a hammock or a cradle, versus specifically on the XOPs, the mesh was connected here and then on the back, so it kind of made it a little bit tilty, whereas this, you just kind of sink right in. Super comfortable, awesome if you want something that has a really big platform, if you got a couple presets that, you know, you're really prioritizing comfort and you're going to hang out in all day during the ride. Novix Raider is awesome for those setups, not necessarily something that I would use as like a run-and-gun option. It didn't come with backpack straps, and because the platform is so big, it's harder to hang than some of the stands in this test. You just got to navigate your body around that platform when you're hanging it, which makes it a little bit more cumbersome. The smaller platforms are easier to hang, obviously, but the Novix Raider, awesome stand, especially ideal for permanent stand locations. Next up from Nested, we have the Z8. This is the most versatile stand in the lineup, and the reason it's super versatile is because it's ultra lightweight. 8.6 pounds means that this thing can serve as a true run-and-gun tree stand, and if you're willing on sacrificing a little bit of platform size, this thing will also suffice for your set-it-and-forget-it spots and that sort of thing. If you're not familiar with Nested, what makes them really cool is everything nests, no pun intended, together as a complete system. So you can get Nested's sticks and a backpack that all compresses together in one clean, unique package. Unfortunately, I don't have the sticks in the backpack, but you can check it out on the website and see how everything works together. It's really pretty cool. Because it is so lightweight, I really wish this stand came with backpack straps. You'll see I don't have any on there, and that's because nothing came in the box, but you can obviously add those for pretty cheap after the fact. If you're willing to sacrifice a little bit of platform size, this stand will really do everything for you. The best value of any of the tree stands in the test was the XOP Rubicon. What makes this stand so awesome is for $250, you're getting a tree stand that's capable of being a primary mobile hunting rig. So if you want to test mobile hunting without breaking the bank or you're unsure if you're going to like it, try out something like this. For $250, you have a little bit of room to spare and budget money for climbing sticks or whatever else you need. Or if you need something that you want a couple of these for permanent sets around your farm, the Rubicon is going to do that for you. It's the little brother to the ION from XOP that we're going to get into here in a minute. But it comes with backpack straps. It has a really nice mesh seat. It also has this foam pad that integrates over the seat. And on the bottom, you have MOLLE. So what's cool about that is you can integrate pockets or anything else that you want, especially for those guys that are looking to maybe do away with a backpack and go to a fanny pack or something like integrating a couple more big pockets on the bottom. You can free up that storage on your back. So again, the Rubicon from XOP, best value, $250. You can't go wrong with this thing. The ION from XOP is the big brother to the Rubicon. So you're getting essentially the exact same stand, just scaled up a little bit. A little bit bigger platform, larger seat. This one's going to come in at 11 and a half pounds. Still comes with the backpack straps. And this one's going to ring in and right at $299. It does have the same features on the bottom of that seat with the MOLLE webbing for pocket attachments. These bigger platform stands like either the ION or the Novix Raider are going to be great for people that might have a little bit of a fear of heights. But again, a great stand from XOP. Next up is the Hawk Rival Micro. Admittedly not my personal favorite of the stands in the test. Reason for that is this was the only stand that came completely disassembled. It actually took me 41 minutes to set up. I'm not a great tree stand center upper, so keep that in mind. But the other thing with the the Hawk was it was also the only stand that used a traditional ratchet strap. Why I didn't like that is obviously that's more unnecessary noise. I wish they would have just swapped that in with a traditional push like whoop style ratchet strap. But nonetheless the stand is really comfortable. I did really like the cut the mesh seat on this one and I do like the kind of teardrop looking platform. Gives you a lot of space up front and can can tuck into some of those smaller trees or if you're trying to get between two big limbs it'd be a really great stand for that. We touched on the Millennium M7 Micro Lite up at the start of this video specifically because it came in at the most affordable of any of the stands in the test. At $209 it was definitely the cheapest but it also came with some really cool surprises in the box that I didn't necessarily expect. It comes with backpack straps. It came fully assembled right out of the box. Backpack straps were even assembled which is pretty cool. And it even included a safe link safe line. So none of these other stands had that. A safe line if you're not familiar is awesome because what you can do is once you reach the top of the tree you tie that safe line around at your hunting height. You drop the line all the way to the bottom and now next time you go up and down the tree you can just clip in your carabiner and go up connected to the tree the whole time. Really slick setup. But the Micro Lite is again similar platform dimensions to the Hawk in that kind of teardrop shape. So you're getting a lot wider up at the front and a little bit more compact at the back. I do wish it had teeth on the back to kind of bite into the tree a little bit better. Really cool stand for the money. This is a solid setup. Last but certainly not least the Summit Dual AXS. I actually don't have this stand with me because it's in a tree right now in Iowa. But this stand is awesome. What I really like about the Dual AXS is the unique seat design. At 16 pounds it's by far the heaviest in the set in the test. So not something that I would recommend is using for a mobile run and gun setup. But the seat is really cool. It's got this kind of unique shape to it that is comfortable to sit on but then also when it's in the upright position it serves as a lower backrest. So if you're sitting all day and you want something super comfortable it'll accommodate a variety of like you know different standing positions and styles. The Dual AXS is awesome for that. What also makes the Dual AXS neat is the injected foam. What that foam is going to do is it's going to dampen any unwanted noise. So let's say you drop your cell phone or you know a rattling pack or something onto that that platform it's going to really deaden that. Even if you get any unwanted noise from your bow cam dinging it, it's going to be more of a solid hollow thud and less of a that tinny high frequency noise that you might hear in other stands. So the Dual AXS, another awesome stand. Don't have it with me. We'll throw some pictures up over the top of this just so you guys have some reference. So there you have it. Those are the best tree stands under 300 bucks. A lot of great options. It'll accommodate a ton of different hunting styles whether you are setting up your own farm and you want a bunch of different permanent sets or you want to get into mobile hunting without breaking the bank. A lot of options that'll do a ton of different things for you. But again be sure to go to the article where we break this down in even more detail and really help you pick apart the different nuances that makes each of these stands unique and best suited for different applications. We've got a ton of information in there so go check that out. Good luck this fall.