Random HME Durable Easy-to-Attach Secure Better Tree

Hanging a bow on a screw-in hook is flat-out banned on a lot of public ground, and that one rule is why the HME Durable Easy-to-Attach Secure Better Tree Stand Bow Hanger keeps landing in hunters' packs every October. Our editorial team went looking for a hanger that works on national forest land, folds into a daypack, and doesn't cost more than a box of broadheads.

Short version: this one's worth it if you hunt hang-on stands, ladder stands, or saddles and need a legal, no-screw way to park a bow and a couple of packs. Skip it if you're strapping it to a 30-inch oak or you need whisper-silent setup in the dark. Here's the full breakdown.

What it is

A bow hanger is a small steel arm that clamps or straps to a tree so a bow hangs vertically at arm's reach instead of on your knee. The HME version is the strap-on style: no screws, no bark damage, no permanent hardware. It uses a ratchet strap to lock a powder-coated steel bracket against the trunk, then swings an arm out to 25 inches with a main bow hook plus two accessory hooks.

HME Products (short for Hunting Made Easy) sits in the value tier here. Muddy Outdoors, Rivers Edge, and Third Hand Archery all sell comparable strap-on hangers, usually with a bit more machining and a bit more cost. HME's pitch is simpler: the same job, fewer dollars.

1. HME Durable Easy-to-Attach Secure Better Tree

Our team compared strap-on hangers against screw-in models across manufacturer datasheets and aggregate buyer feedback, and this HME kept surfacing as the default answer for hunters who can't use screws. The draw is the three-hook layout on one arm: bow, backpack, and a smaller loop for a release or rangefinder. It's the kind of accessory nobody thinks about until the first sit when they're holding a bow for four hours.

Setup and first impressions

Most buyers report the whole install takes under two minutes on a straight trunk, which is the number that matters when you're setting up in the pre-dawn dark. The package ships as a single assembled unit at roughly 2.10 x 7.00 x 16.00 inches, so it slides into a pack side pocket or lashes to a climbing stick without much thought.

Verified buyer feedback consistently flags two things about the out-of-box impression. First, the powder coat is thick and matte, not glossy, so it doesn't throw glare at first light. Second, the ratchet mechanism feels like a standard cargo ratchet rather than a hunting-specific part, which is exactly what it is.

That last point cuts both ways. The ratchet gives you serious clamping force (you can crank it until the bracket bites bark and stops rotating), but a ratchet clicks. Aggregate reviews repeatedly suggest the same workaround: set the hanger the afternoon before you hunt, or set it and back the tension off just enough to slide it silently on entry.

Manufacturer specifications indicate the arm extends to 25 inches, which is enough to clear most hang-on stand platforms and keep a 32-inch axle-to-axle bow from bumping your knees.

Daily-use experience

Holding power on the tree

The ratchet strap is the whole story here: mechanical tension beats friction-fit cam buckles once bark gets wet. Buyer reports across multiple seasons describe the bracket staying put through freeze-thaw cycles that loosen strap-and-buckle hangers, because a ratchet doesn't relax the way a cam buckle does under load.

The practical trick is bark type. On smooth-barked trees like beech or young maple, users note the bracket can creep a few degrees downward if a heavy pack goes on the outer hook. On rough bark (oak, hickory, shagbark), it locks and stays.

If you hunt smooth timber, load the pack on the inner hook closest to the trunk and keep the bow on the far hook.

Reach, geometry and clearance

Twenty-five inches is generous for a hanger in this tier. That reach lets you hang a compound with a 32-inch axle-to-axle spread so the bottom cam sits clear of the platform and the stabilizer isn't jammed against your boot.

Where it gets tight is the accessory hooks. They're spaced along the arm, so a bulky daypack on the middle hook can crowd the bow's cables. Reviewers who run a full-size pack tend to solve this by hanging the pack on the trunk-side hook and reserving the outer position for the bow alone.

Noise, scent and stealth

Bare steel against a carbon riser makes noise, and that's the one complaint that shows up most in buyer feedback. Two fixes get repeated: wrap the hooks in a strip of adhesive-backed felt or hockey tape, or slip a section of old bicycle inner tube over each hook. Either costs almost nothing and kills the clang.

The ratchet itself clicks loudly during tightening. There's no way around that mechanically, so the workable habit is to hang your sets during a midday scouting trip rather than during a dark-thirty entry. Hunters who prep stands in advance rarely mention noise as a problem at all.

Durability across seasons

Powder-coated steel handles a season outdoors fine, but the contact points are the weak spot. Where the bracket teeth bite bark and where a bow hook takes repeated load, the coating wears, and bare steel plus rain equals surface rust within a season or two of being left in the woods.

That's not a defect so much as a material reality at this price. A quick shot of matte black enamel on worn spots each spring, or simply pulling the hanger at the end of season, keeps it going for years. Buyers who leave hangers permanently in the timber report faster wear than those who pack them in and out.

Who should buy it

Buy it if you…

You hunt public timber and you've already read the rule that bans screw-in steps and hooks on most national forest districts. The U.S. Forest Service and many state wildlife agencies restrict anything that penetrates bark, and a strap-on hanger sidesteps that entirely.

This also fits the mobile hunter running a hang-on stand and three or four climbing sticks. If you set up on Thursday afternoon and hunt Friday morning, the ratchet noise never matters, and having your bow, pack, and rangefinder off your body during a long sit is the whole point.

Skip it if you…

You hunt one permanent ladder stand on family ground where a screw-in hook is legal and permanent. Screw-in hangers are lighter, quieter, and never slip, so there's no reason to carry a strap if you don't have to.

Also skip it if your stand trees run large. The strap has a finite length, and hunters working mature bottomland oaks or cottonwoods past roughly 20 inches in diameter report running out of webbing. Same story if you plan to hang a heavy crossbow and a fully loaded pack from the same arm at once.

Better alternatives

Muddy Outdoors Pro Hanger: a screw-in bow hook for private land where permanent hardware is allowed, quieter and lighter than any strap system.

Third Hand Archery Bow Holder: a strap-mounted holder with a padded cradle rather than a bare hook, worth the upgrade if riser noise is your main worry.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will it hold a crossbow?

It will hold most crossbows on the primary hook, but you should load it as the only item on that arm. A modern crossbow runs 6 to 8 lb, and the leverage at full 25-inch extension multiplies that load against the bracket. Buyer feedback suggests crossbow users pull the arm in closer to the trunk rather than running it fully extended, which cuts the moment arm significantly and keeps the bracket from creeping down smooth bark.

Is it legal where screw-in hooks are banned?

Yes. Because it attaches with a ratchet strap and never penetrates bark, it complies with the standard "no nails, screws, or spikes" language used across national forest districts and most state wildlife management areas. Always confirm your specific unit's regulations, since a handful of properties also restrict how long any equipment can be left in the woods.

As of 2026, strap-on accessories remain the default legal option on federal ground.

How loud is the ratchet strap, really?

Loud enough that hunters plan around it. The mechanism uses the same pawl-and-gear design as a cargo ratchet, so each click carries in still timber. The practical fix that shows up repeatedly in buyer reports: install the hanger during a midday scouting trip, leave it in place, and simply climb to a ready stand on hunt morning.

If you must set it in the dark, cover the pawl with a gloved hand while cranking.

Does it fit around a treestand's existing strap?

Usually yes, and that's how many hunters run it. You mount the hanger a few inches above or below the stand's own ratchet or cam strap so the two don't compete for bark. Positioning it slightly above eye level on your strong-hand side is the common recommendation, since it lets you lift the bow off the hook without twisting your torso against a full-body harness tether.

Can I leave it in the tree all season?

You can, and plenty do, but expect faster wear. Powder-coated steel resists rain well until the coating gets scraped at the bark teeth, after which bare metal will show surface rust in a season. HME Products builds these for seasonal outdoor use rather than permanent installation.

Pulling the hanger at season's end and touching up worn spots with flat enamel is the difference between two seasons and ten.

Final verdict

4.4 / 5 stars.

The HME strap-on hanger wins for one specific hunter: the person who hunts public ground, moves stands often, and needs a legal way to get a bow off their arms during a four-hour sit. It does that job for less money than nearly anything comparable from Muddy Outdoors or Third Hand Archery, and the ratchet gives it holding power that cam-buckle competitors don't match.

The trade-offs are real and easy to plan around. The ratchet clicks, the bare hooks ring against a riser, and the strap won't wrap a giant oak. Add a strip of felt to each hook, set your stands in daylight, and pick trees under about 20 inches, and none of those matter.

For everyone else on private land with permanent stands, a screw-in hook is simply the better tool.

Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes my recommendation, I only suggest gear I'd actually buy myself.