# What worked and what didn't gear review 2016



## NVDuckin (Apr 18, 2016)

I really like these posts and hope that we can get a good number of us to contribute. We can get some valuable information together for when we are looking into changing out or upgrading gear, as post-hunt reviews keep the real world experience fresh.

Boots – Lowa Tibet GTX
This is my 2nd year with these boots and I still love them to death. If you are only day hiking they might be a bit overkill, but they are great if you are backpacking and worth their weight in gold if you are packing out an animal. They’re stiff, but I don’t think that they’re overly stiff. Before I was using some Irish Setter hunting boots and these really don’t compare. I’ll still use the Irish Setter boots for short hunts (pheasant, etc), but that’s it.

Pack – Kifaru Timberline 1
3rd year using this pack and it has treated me well. Lots of adjustments make the pack fit right and I can really load this down if I need to. The only think I would change is to get the external frame version which would make meat hauling easier. This would definitely be a bit overkill for just a day hunt, so if you don’t do multi-day trips I would find something else. This is my first nice pack purchase, before that I used an assortment of cheaper packs. 

Rain Coat – Kuiu Chugach
I had been hunting around for a rain coat when Kuiu had one of their bigger sales and convinced me to pick up their’s. The jacket got some use in Kodiak this year and it kept me completely dry, but I don’t feel like it was raining hard enough for me to properly evaluate it. It is super light though and easy to stuff into my pack. I don’t have anything to compare this to either since this is my first actual rain coat.

Puffy – Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer
I can’t say how much I love this thing, it weighs next to nothing and stuffs into its own pocket. If you hunt for deals you can find it for around 50-60% of msrp. In Kodiak I basically wore this and the Kuiu Chugach and I was plenty warm.

Baselayer – Icebreaker Merino Top and Bottom
I really liked these until I tried the First Lite bottoms, and now I want to buy more First Lite stuff. The fitment runs a little small on these, so I would go a size up. I can’t really complain though because I got them cheap on camofire, but they really are step below the First Lite base layers.

Baselayer – First Lite Bottoms
Love these, super comfortable and very warm. They are pricey, but they are also amazing.

Pants – Sitka Mountain Pants
These have been my go-to hunting pants for the past couple of years. I took the knee pads out and wear them after it starts to get cool in the fall. They are a bit too warm for early season hunts, so if you’re already hot while hunting I would look for a different pair. They have a lot of pockets, a grippy waist band to keep your shirt or baselayer tucked in and it comes with a belt. I have been interested in trying out a pair of First Lite Kanab pants though.

Rangefinder – Vortex 1000
I would rate this rangefinder as “OK”. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either. I got a really good deal on it so I couldn’t pass it up though. I have used friend’s rangefinders that range a little faster and are more user friendly, but for the money I think it’s decent. There is better stuff out there and maybe someone can chime in on that later.

Binos – Vortex Viper HD 10x42
These have treated me well; I have used them for two years now and have had 0 issues. The glass I would rate as good, but before I had tried my buddy’s Swaros I would have said the glass is really good. That said, there is nothing wrong with them and I think they are really good given the price point and the Vortex warranty. But I would definitely not complain if my wife were to surprise me with some new binos…

GPS – ONX Maps Android App
So the year before this I bought a chip to put into my Garmin, this year I opted to try the phone version. It works really well with one caveat; you need to be sure to download any overlays for the region you’re hunting if you won’t have service. I thought that just downloading the region would let me use the overlays for that region as well, but it does not. As of now, I’m not sure which is better in the gps chip vs phone app competition. This is will be my second year in Utah, so I hope to get some more use out of both this coming season.

Stove – MSR PocketRocket
Pros: super lightweight and takes up almost no space. Cons: Pretty much everything else. It has a small stove area so you want everything to be as even as possible. I have had too spills from the stupid thing tipping over. Wind makes this thing boil really slow and you need to have a separate pot. That said it still did its job. I think I am going to try and pick up a Jetboil this year to use instead. 

I might add more later, but hopefully this is enough to get a good thread going.


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## nocturnalenemy (Jun 26, 2011)

Boots - Salomon Quest 4D
Switched from Lowa Rangers to Salomons this year. The Lowas are a much better boot, but didn't fit my feet quite right. Salomon's are great, I just don't think they'll hold up as well.

Pack - Horn Hunter Full Curl Combo
Switched from a Badlands 2200. Badlands was nice, just a little heavy. It was fine under normal conditions, but every time I've packed meat with it my shoulders have been sore for days. Couldn't get it to adjust correctly on my hips. Horn hunter was great in that regard. Might have to do with having the weight right against my back with the bag around it, where the Badlands was the opposite.

Pants - Eddie Bauer Guide Pro Pants
These are great pants, though a little cold during the rifle hunt (and the snow right before the muzzy). Wore them over a base layer, but still got cold a few mornings glassing. I found they have a lined version of the same pants and picked up a pair around Christmas at 50% off. I've worn them a few times this winter and seem like they'll be the perfect pants for rifle hunting.

Binos - Meopta Meostar B1 HD 10x42
Love these. Had the Razor HD before and much prefer the Meopta. They are heavier but are worth it to my eyes. Put them on a tripod and now I'll glass many hours longer than I use to.

Tripod Head - Outdoorsman Pistol Grip with Panner
New to me this year. Had an old junky pan head before that was okay with the binos on, but pretty bad with the spotter. I love the Outdoorsmans head for use with the binos. Spotter is not quite as good, but passable and considering like 80% of my glassing is with the binos, I think it's a good trade off. Didn't have great gloves during hunting and the metal head and trigger got my hands pretty cold.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

What worked:

Danner Pronghorn boots - I wish they made them in hard toe, so I would wear them to work. 

Wall Tent Shop Canvas Selkirk Spike Tent and Wilderness Stove - No idea, how I toughed it out for so long without a tent with a stove in it. 

HSM Berger VLD's out of the 30.06 - A gentle push and a mild arc and the 168gr pill hit it's home. 

Boyd's hardwood gun stocks - My Mosin is now a Nazi zombie killing machine. Zombie green with bayonet to counter all my undead foes. These stocks look pretty and fit me well. 

What didn't work well. 

Magnum tents spike tent. The stitching is no match for high winds. 

All in all a good year for gear.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> What worked:
> 
> Danner Pronghorn boots - I wish they made them in hard toe, so I would wear them to work.
> 
> ...


Have you ever tried the archangel stock on your Mosin's? Been looking at possibly doing an upgrade on mine


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

LostLouisianian said:


> Have you ever tried the archangel stock on your Mosin's? Been looking at possibly doing an upgrade on mine


No. I have heard good things about them though.


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## hossblur (Jun 15, 2011)

Worked:

CVA Acura with 3x9 Konus scope pkg: Never heard of the scopes before, but the pkg deal was cheaper than the gun. Scope is fine, not sure I'd put it on one of my rifles, but muzzy hunting where I do, 100-150 yrds is long distance. The gun on the other hand is a beauty. Accurate, easy to clean.

CVA bore blaster: Where has this been all my life of muzzy cleaning. Simply spray down the barrel, let it foam for 20 min, push a patch down, all the nasty shoots out the barrel.

Vortex Diamondback 10x40 binos: As many of you, my hunting gear is clearance sale, end of year, discontinued, etc. Got these binos last spring in a huge sale. They are very nice, very clear(replaced old Cabelas brand), lightweight. Good value.

Kings 6 pocket mtn and desert pants: Again, clearance sale. These get used only for the muzzy hunt, and they are cheap, they hold up, and they are local so a positive.

The rest of my gear is older, or from previous years.

Didn't Work

Cabelas Instinct 400gr hunting boots. They replace Meindls, so perhaps not a fair deal, but they are just odd. They look like moon boots, yet are suprisingly light. They didn't leak, but I felt like my toes were awful cold for an insulated boot, almost like they aren't insulated throughout. Last, at 8" it took untold miles before they stopped rubbing and stabbing my ankles. Not a fan, and last time I was in Cabelas the bargain cave was full of them so I am thinking that opinion is universal and Cabelas is moving on.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

Worked:

Danner Pronghorns 8" 400g Thinsulate - This was season 3 on these boots and they have yet to disappoint. The insulated version is a bit much for anything but October + hunting but that's when I hunt so they're great for me.

Cabelas Alaknak 12x20 w/ Vestibule - This tent replaced our old GI Surplus canvas tent. I was concerned about condensation, but never saw a drop. Not even when it rained for a full evening/night and we were all inside with the wood stove running. Definitely an upgrade and so far worth every penny.

Tenzing TC 1500 - I picked this pack up to replace the Camelbak I had been using. Seems to be a very well thought out design for a day pack, zippers operate with 1 hand (can't tell you how awesome that is), plenty of pockets and it rides higher on my back which I enjoy. I was even able to strap my rifle to it while dragging my cow elk out which was a nice touch.

Classic Accessories ATV Handlebar Mittens - For $14 these things do a fantastic job of keeping the cold morning air off of your fingers. Too many mornings with numb/frozen fingers.

Didn't work or unimpressed:

Badlands bino harness - Works as specified but too bulky for my tastes and it takes too much time to get the bino's out in a hurry. This is especially true if you have multiple layers on. My leupold elastic harness is much faster and works better for me.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> * HSM Berger VLD's out of the 30.06 - A gentle push and a mild arc and the 168gr pill hit it's home. *


Liking the Hot Rod Hundley tribute there....


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