Best:
1) Wild Edge steps (+knaider and swaider) - ability to keep climbing method in my pack all day, but be able to get 20 feet up if I want has been a game changer. I sometimes cover 4-5 miles scouting/hunting and having sticks poking out and catching on brush drove me insane.
2) Kestrel/Mantis - haven't figured out which one I'm going to keep, but as above, being able to keep a saddle in my pack and bring it out of I want to get in a tree, without needing to carry a stand, is such a huge bonus.
3) Ropeman 1. Lineman's belt and tether, it just works
4) High quality hunting clothes (Kuiu and Sitka) - given the amount of ground I cover, and the different weather, having a system based on western hunting with layers (merino base, fleece or breathable insulation mid, soft or hard shell outer), makes it so I can avoid sweating while hiking, but also sit for hours without freezing once I get where I'm going. Clothes that are super lightweight, warm, packable and quick drying. Most whitetail gear is awful and dangerous in the winter if you're in deep.
5) Gaiters - over my hiking boots, or over my Mucks if I'm not going somewhere with hills. Keeps your pants dry from wet grass, keeps things out of your boots, and keeps water out of your boots if you dunk yourself up to your knees. Another western hunting thing that has huge benefits for eastern woods.
6) FHF or Kuiu bino harness. Keeps binos on my chest with no noticeable weight, rides under my pack like nothing, also holds my coin purse full of milkweed, a grunt call and my range finder, protects binos, easy to take out with one hand, silent.
7) High quality western style pack. If I bring a stand instead of a saddle, it can go in the meat shelf. Lightweight, can carry extra clothes, water, snacks, kill kit, first aid, light. And can carry a deer out if I kill one - quarter it up, no dragging. And because they're made to carry 80+lbs comfortably, carrying 20-30 feels like nothing. I hiked 3600 vertical feet last week with 30 lbs in my pack and never really noticed I was carrying anything.
Bonus edit, because paracord keeps coming up: making a figure 8 between your fingers when storing paracord. Game changer, haven't had a tangle or snag since.
Worst:
1) scent control anything - the amount of time I spent trying to keep myself and my gear scent free took away from time in the woods, was a pain in the ass, did nothing, made me pay attention to the wrong things, kept me from buying high quality clothing. Now I just get dressed at home, drive where I'm going, grab my pack and bow and I'm hunting.
2) scent wicks, deer urine, buck bombs, etc. - even if they do work, they're blowing downwind, which is where my scent is also going. And putting out a scent wick out means I've walked to the spot I put it, leaving ground scent where I want a deer to come.
3) Climbers - loud, bulky, heavy. Can't believe how many miles I covered with one of those on my back. Ugh.
4) Lone Wolf sticks - too long, one step, annoying in every way
5) Outdoor Edge folding knife - piece of crap, heavy, dulls quickly