I hear you on the cables. I typically leave my stands up all year (have about 15 out in the woods) and then check in the spring when shed hunting and again late summer when pruning then leave them alone. But I change my rachet straps every 3 years (MAX) and the cables, well that is a different story. This past fall I was checking on a stand and had just buckled in to the harness and i felt the stand move just a bit. So i was check around and sure as SHIET a cable snapped on me! So I check the other and it was rusted right at the compression clamp too. Needless to say, I check all my stands then. I had come older stands in storage so I pulled those cables off and switched them out. Now I soak that compression clamp and the lead section of cable in a rubber coating paint to seal it better. I had 4 other stands that were rusted at that clamp to the point I did not like it and replaced them all.
On the straps, go with the 5000 lbs straps. Those 2500-3000k straps last about 1 year maybe 2 due to the UV on them. It eats them away. The 5000 and 10000 lbs straps are a little more heavy duty and last a little longer.
When I take them off the lock on stand after a couple years I will use them in combination with newer 2500 lb strapps on my climbing sticks. Also I never, ever trust that pull start on the treestand. Two rachets per stand for me!!!
Hope that helps. But again, this is only MPO and what I do, by no means take this as gospel. It is just what I feel comfortable with.
. I choose to have back-up's in place on all my stands- I put a chain and lock on (pry won't wear out for LONG TIME and I buy extra ratchet straps. Even if one strap fails, I have a solid 2 or sometimes 3 back up plans (more straps or chain). I have also had 2 ameristep tree steps crack- put in properly and I am 180 lbs- should NOT have happened.
