Doing some market research. I just built a 5x7 blind and LOVE the size. 3 men fit very comfortably. However it’s heavy and harder to get up on a tower, even as a panel blind. What size do you prefer and why? Do you prefer sliding or hinged windows?

4x6 on a 10ft tower.

4x6 or 6x6 ... efficient use of materials without much waste, plenty roomy for 2 grown people. I also prefer off the ground but height really depends on surroundings. I have one 6x6 that is 5' up in a series of small clearings in East TX, no need to be any higher.

6x6 is a good size for sure.

What height do y’all like? I did a 6’ and it’s perfect.

I got a 4x6 and a 5x8. Both work with two people, but of course 5x8 gives more room and comfort. I like an 8' tower.

all those I build are 6'6" inside minimum and I prefer going a little taller inside clearance. I am 6'3" and my son is only slightly shorter, so we prefer to not be banging our heads when standing.

Im sure 4x6 is most popular but I don't like at all. Anything rectangular seems to imply that the hunter is only looking/hunting in one direction. Maybe its just cause I always hunt big country where you can usually see in most every direction. Even when we set up in thicker brush we cut senderos in several directions. Round, hexagon, octagon or square is way way better for me and for the way most of our setups are.
The SIZE will depend on how many people you plan to get inside. 5x5 is about right for one and 5.5 x 5.5 is good for two. 6x6 is ok but any bigger is TOO big to be "huntable". If you have to move your chair around to see in every direction it is TOO big, IMO.
Also, on a 4x6 the 4' direction is not nearly enough to stretch out your legs. That may not be a big concern if you only hunt a few hours but I prefer to hunt from daylight till dark so the proper size and shape blind can make a big difference. I hate 4x6 so much ill keep going. What if the shooter is on the right and the deer is on the left? No one can tell me that its easy to just switch places. Of course if you don't care if the deer gets away while you change places then you probably aren't the type hunter that cares about the size/shape blind in the first place.
Tower height for me is generally the taller the better.

I just got a ASF on a 8 ft stand, I really like it. 6.5'x6.5' octagonal, with alternating bow windows and gun windows. That size is about right for two very comfortable or three (2 hunters one observer or all 3 hunting multidirectional).
Windows I like to be hinged, don't like sliders as it wastes wall or window space.

I also have a Hawk blind (they don't make them anymore) which I believe is around 6'x6' octagonal, and that is perfect for two hunters. hunted multiple times this season with two and no problems at all. That one is on a 10' stand, and honestly the difference in height between the ASF and the Hawk blind is not noticeable.

I Wholeheartedly agree with this. I think the 4x6 is way too narrow. Just adding 12" to the width makes such a big difference in the ability to stretch out. The 5x7 Ijust built almost feels too big when you're alone or just have one hunter. When I'm guiding or with guests in the 5x7 however, I'm glad its that size. Plenty of room for bags, guns, a heater and room to move around. I'm going to do a 6x6 next and see how it feels.

I think a lot of the blind size also has to do with how long you plan on sitting in it. In Kansas, we sit for 6-8 hours. In November in Texas, we're out of the blind in 2-3 hours tops.

Deer blind windows thus far have been a flop to me. I've built horizontal sliders, swing ups, swing downs, slide ups, and the nicer built framed out aluminum windows and every one seems to have its caveat. This last blind I did was horizontal sliders, but instead of doing two panes per opening, I did 4 panes. It gives me more opening options, but admittedly, they rattle.

I hunted in 5x7's to start and now have a 8x6 with a half-hex front and wish I had sprung for the 8x8 and I hunt alone. I sleep in mine, has a bed, etc. There's no such thing as too big and being tight/cramped just sucks when you don't have to be.

Being high in the air is nice, but a b*tch to move. Mine is on a trailer about 5ft high, hook it up to my Pioneer and we can giddyup anytime.

Charlie

Single - 5x5.

Double - 5x8. Can fit three comfortably if need be.

4x anything you can't stretch your legs out.

A few more comments. I never commented on windows. Never seen any horizontal sliders that I liked. They theoretically should be ok but the ones ive seen slide this way and that way but no way is the entire window open all the way. Hinged windows are ok but I prefer the vertical sliders. One reason is you can open them part way if want. Other reason is I like to have curtains that slide side to side to help keep the deer from seeing in. Vertical sliders work better than hinged for that purpose.
Im a big believer in not wanting a blind to be TOO big. I want to be able to sit in the very middle of the blind and stretch my legs out some and then spin the chair and not bump the blind or anything else but no more space than that. I want NOTHING on the floor of my blind. Backpacks and heaters and everything else should be hanging from hooks or on shelves. I want no wasted space in my blinds-not too little but not too big. Kinda like Goldilocks-just right. I realized long ago that i concern myself with more details than most but the OP asked for opinions and why, so there ya go.
Robert-im curious why you hunt 6 to 8 hours in Kansas but only 2 to 3 in Texas.

We built a couple of 4x6 blinds this past year, and I wished I would have done a 5x6 or even a 5x7. Not really from a leg stretching perspective, but more for the way I have my shelving set up. I have a shelf all the way along the front, one across the back, and a 3rd one that is my floater. It’s long enough to span the entire length (front to back) of the stand that I move depending on where I’ll be shooting. I put my rear bag rest on it for the longer shots. The rear shelf tends to hit the back of my chair while swiveling around.

As for the height, I used some 8’ long 4x4s, so the bottom is just a hair under 8 feet. I can see 360 degrees in this blind since I’m out in the middle of a pretty good sized field. I have shots out to 410 yards if needed.

This^^^^^

If with one of the grandkids a 4x6, but by myself a 4x4 is okay.

My favorite is a 5x8. Hunt the family of 4 comfortably plus gear and room to stretch legs out.

And I like hinged (flip) windows. Silent up and down.

I have two 4x6 since it's usually me and the wife. I would really like a 5x6 to stretch my legs though.

In Kansas we don’t bait/feed and it’s colder, so the sit is comfortable and somewhat suspenseful at all times. Plus, we live in Texas, so the week long Kansas trip means you spend your time hunting. In Texas, the feeder goes off and once the corn is gone, the deer move off and it gets HOT. Obviously once it’s later in the season it cools and the hunts get longer. Not to mention, I own the ranch, so I have the luxury of going out whenever.

I appreciate the details! I’d like to see your window set up. I can’t seem to imagine how yours are installed.

My "blind" is a shooting platform, so I build with that as my first criteria. I want to able to shoot from a solid position 360°. 54" sq. with full deerview windows on all sides. Two joining walls have 12" solid corners for a wind and silhouette break. I'm 6'-0", 180lbs and most of the time I hunt this stand alone. It is not uncomfortable to have my wife up there with me, kinda nice actually. With a small folding chair it works great. I build each wall independent, haul it to the 10' tower one piece at a time and put the whole thing together with about 15 lag screws and a cord less screw gun.

Onlysmith, thats a pretty well thought out blind design. I like a little forethought and attention to detail. To me the key is the 360 view and ability to get a rest in every direction. On ours that are round, hexagon or octagon this really works great. We put a shelf under every window so you can rest against the blind and elbow on the shelf no matter what window or direction you are shooting. Same thing for spotting scope or camera etc. Main issue I notice on yours is the one corner that blocks your silhouette allows you to "hide" in just that one corner. Theoretically if you want to hunt/view/shoot in all directions you could/should put a dead spot in all 4 corners but all of them would be smaller than the big one. Just my 2 cents but good design.

OnlySmith, one more thing. Im responding to OnlySmith cause his pics are useful to illustrate my points. To help hide your silhouette as well as block the wind, sun, rain you could put curtains across each window. They could be tied back out of the way at each corner or opened partially in any direction depending on anticipated deer movement and changing wind/sun. They wont work as well with the hinged windows for this purpose which is why I like vertical sliders. Good design and thanks for the pics.

Robert, I haven't tried to post pics on here so I don't think I can readily show my window design. Since you seem interested I will pm you and maybe we can figure something out if you want.

The vertical sliders don't provide a full opening. The hinged windows, that open up are out of the way and give a full opening. As long as you have the one small solid corner, you're hidden. It's dark in there, and the back wall is camo painted.

Who's stand base is that?

Big enough for three people. That way you can donate a hunt to the Texas Youth Hunting Program or some other hunter recruitment program, so then a guide, the hunter and the parent can all sit and hunt comfortably.