Anybody had any luck with the Banded dog stands? Not a lot of reviews out there. I've read some good reviews on the Avery stand but 180$ is a little rich for my blood. Recomendations?

Here's what I did. An hour or so worth of time, $30 bucks worth of material, and a couple cold beers. Friend of mine did something similar but stapled back pack straps to the platform for ease of carrying. You can also make leg extensions if your situation calls for it.

The do it yourself route Is the way I went too...

I also cut the board in half and added hinges so it folds up and is easier to carry, but not as stable. It works though.

I also drilled holes in the pvc to help with floating issues.

^^^Do you have to add anything, like a ladder, for the dog to get up on the platform from the water? I have never had to use a stand so I am curious on the difficulty of the dog to get up on it from the water. Or is it like getting out of a pool for them, and they are easily able to pull themselves up?

For me, the limited times I've used it, the water and stand is low enough for the dog to jump onto it. Otherwise, the stand is low enough for it to pull itself up. I'm not opposed to dragging it on it if needed.

I built this same stand two years ago, best thing I ever did, the legs I made are about 28"'s long, works great siting next to the boat, standing timber, and vegetation. No need for a ladder, your dog should just jump up on it, if your dog can not jump 24"-30" on top of a stand you got another problem, your hands are going to get very wet.
I even use mine to put blinds bags and other stuff on even when the dog does not use it, my dog loves the stand though, she knows exactly were her place is when we use the stand.
You can also cut longer legs if you hunt deeper than that as well.

I built that DIY stand as well.....it sure is a pain to lug around and pretty tough to set up and break down IMO....once set up worked great....went with the Avery stand and VERY happy I did...in fact I'll sell you my home built one for $10.....I'm not using it anymore

pm sent to GigEm

So no body has any experience with the Banded or Avery stands?

I have a Banded dog stand that I picked up in the Cabelas Bargain Cave last year. Through 1 season, I have no complaints. Adjusts easily, sturdy, and solid.

I have a homemade stand, an Avery Ruff Stand, and a Sportstand.

The Avery is nice as long as it's shallow and you need a dog blind to attach on top.

But by far the Sportstand is my favorite. It's much easier to pack in/out if you have to walk and easier to set up.

http://stores.sportstand.net/

I have the Avery stand and love it. I have used it all over the US and Canada for four years. It has held up well, extends in deep water, and is light (easier to pack into the marsh). But, it is the only stand I have owned, so I can't compare it to anything else. But, if it breaks, I will buy another one.

I bought the momarsh invisilab and it's awesome. Serves as a flat ground blind and sits in water up to 32" deep. It's on the high side but all good hunting gear is.

49 dollar hanging tree stand from academy, take off the seat. That's what I've used the last couple years and it works great.

If the water is so deep that dog is swimming, dog can't jump. I got the Sport Stand, very stable. Pics below my dog pulls herself up with a big ol fat mallard.















Sport Stand stable enough I can sit on it as well, but if you are really fat it might not support you . What I do not like about the Avery stand (and I do not have one but considered this when making my purchase) is the bottom rails, this is helpfull if silty mud and stand legs are sinking, but sometimes you do not want that, either you want the legs of the stand to drive into the mud, or there is other objects in the way, and you want pointy legs to jam down in between stuff. With the sport stand, the straps can be connected when needed to keep from sinking (they act as the cross rails), and when you do not want it, unconnected the straps, you can see straps not connected here, I jammed the sport stand in between some trees and stumps underneath, no way an Avery would have fit in there..



My Sport Stand going on 7 years this season.

I bought the Avery stand, I (and the dog) love it! but I also have not had to try any other stand so I may just be biased!

All these stands look great and work well but think the OP wanted a less expensive option which the homemade ones work very well and can be made for less than $30.
However if you have to walk in or carry it very far it will not be a good option because it is heavy.

Yall must be getting discounts at Lowes.....no way I can find all the materials for $30....mine cost right at $50

At the time I really hated spending the money on my Sport Stand, I looked at all the cheaper alternatives. But if someone gave me $180 for it, I would turn right around and buy another one. You get what you pay for. If I did that DIY dog stand, I would get a decoy bag to put it in.

For a piece of plywood and some pvc?

yeh because that's all it takes, pvc and plywood.... .....more like ....plywood, pvc, pvc couplers, pvc slip tees, outdoor carpet to cover plywood, staples for stapling carpet down,carriage bolts, the thompson water sealer to make plywood last longer....just saying when I built mine and it rang up to $50 I was wishing I would have just bought one but was too deep to turn back

Do not know what he's talking about but cost me less than $20, I just used a small piece of wood I had laying around and some old paint. Just need four T's, a piece of PVC, and some nuts and bolts.

I would imagine the PVC legs get packed full of mud, and not much fun to clean out, or just leave them full of mud which would add to the weight and leaves the occasional mud clot where ever it goes.

Not everybody has plywood readily available. A sheet of 3/4 is typically going to run you atleast 30 bucks.

Not saying you can't get it cheaper but....

Not everybody has plywood readily available. A sheet of 3/4 is typically going to run you atleast 30 bucks.

Probably not but I used a small piece of 1/2 waferboard and painted it with house paint to make it last a little longer, mine has lasted two years so far.

As far as the legs getting mud in them, they do sometimes but I have holes drilled every 6 inches to let water and mud suction release, they are very sturdy that way though, sometimes I do have mud in my boat from the stand but I always have tons of mud anyway from everyone.
It is really not an issue if you carry it in a boat and it is very sturdy, more so than the Avery stand my buddy uses but not for everyone. Just a cheaper alternative.

Just another option