Muddy sticks are the cats meow, I love them and they're easy enough for me to use... which is really saying something....
The rope system is so simple and quiet, its a big selling point for me, two steps is always a plus...
As far as tying them off, all I do is wrap the rope around after pulling it through the cams...
My only complaint is how short they are, I may just add a couple more to my set of four so I can get up the heights that I need too.