It is a sit and climb stand which I prefer and keeps the fatigue down alot. The foot stirrups are Okay but not the greatest I'll definitely add some bungees to help keep my feet locked in(my feet slid out a few times during the climb and even more so coming down).

One thing great about the backpack straps they also serve as the tethers tieing the upper and lower together.

The one down side would be the padding on the straps which is basically non existent! Unpacking and attaching to the tree is easy and today it was fairly quiet being it was my second time putting the the climber up. The apache is light and fairly easy to carry long distances, which is the number one reason I bought the stand. Once together the stand packs down easily and flat with two pre-mounted bungee cords(I added two of my own just as a backup as well). I found looking at pictures online is the easiest thing to do when it comes to that. Okay first thing first the instructions are decent until you start trying to attach the backpack straps. I purchased the xstand apache a couple months ago and for the first time yesterday I actually tested it out,so I could give it a review for everyone.

Xstand apache manual