- GOOD windows - Deerview are top of the line and have given me zero issues over the last ~7 years on my stand. Think long and hard about the height and what configuration you want. Everybody is different on preferences - for example my front has 2 separate windows instead of one long one. I prefer that over what my buddy has with the single long window. Just me though.
- On window height - think about who will be hunting there. I wish I had made mine about 4" lower because it wouldn't have made a difference at all for me, but would have made getting set up to shoot for my daughter significantly easier.
- Shelves/shooting comfort. I had just the 2x4 window frame as support for a while on mine but added 5/4x6 deck board shelves on the 3 sides I have windows on last year. Game changer. Highly recommend, holds the sandbag way better and helps steady the rifle better.
- Solar setup with interior light (mine is a green kayak light that does great), phone chargers and a USB fan. That fan has probably been the best single bougie thing I've added - when it's hot out it is a Godsend. This summer I'm going to run another power line to the other side and add another usb station with a fan as well. I use my solar setup as a battery charger for my spare feeder and game cam batteries, which is also what I use to power the setup. Haven't run out of juice on a battery yet and it's been in place for 5 years or so. It is hella convenient to be able to swap a battery out right there instead of having to take it back to camp or the house or wherever.
- Porch ouside the door. Make it big enough you can easily access the blind without worrying about falling off or whatever.
- I put rubber mats in the floor of mine instead of carpet. Easier to clean, still keeps the sound down and chairs roll on them better than carpet. Plus it doesn't get the deer camp funk smell that carpet does.
- Wall hooks - think about your layout, where you'll hang your binos, rangefinder, hat, backpack, whatever and put good wall hooks. When I get in my blind everything has its place and I'm set up within a few minutes and can reach for anything there without having to look for it or at it. Get a system that works for you.
- Mr. Buddy heater for the 3 days a year it actually gets cold
- I added gun rack hooks on mine so I can put my rifles on the wall without them being in the way or me having to worry about knocking one over, etc. I personally prefer it to the lean the gun in the corner that I used to do. Access is easy and if it's any slower than grabbing it out of the corner, it isn't enough that it's made any difference on my ability to shoot deer or pigs.
- Seal it up. A dry stand is far better and far more comfortable than one that leaks when it rains or lets the wind blow through cracks and openings. The old "I grew up hunting in a rickety stand with holes everywhere, so I don't need anything more!" is a dumb argument to me.
Couple of things I need to add -
Footrest. I failed to put a 2x4 in front of where I sit that would serve as a footrest for when I take a nap. Easy fix that I need to do.
Beer can shelves. Need more random shelves for the empties because I don't clean it out every hunt.
I often have my daughter with me when I hunt, so the urinal wouldn't work for me. I just piss off the back porch when I need to, havent scared a deer off yet.
Not something I need to add to the stand - but I need to make a place I can go in the woods and take a solid dump instead of squatting like a 3rd world refugee when the whiskey kicks in. My buddy made a crapper out of a protein tub and a toilet seat that works awesome, so that will be one of my next projects.
