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Gear you liked/disliked 2022

After years of holding off temptation I finally bought Sitka pieces this year. 30% sale helped. Fanatic hoody and the bibs/coat. They are incredible. I know that given the price one is likely to develop a stance that justifies it, but they really are nice. I've never been that not cold when hunting snowy late season Vermont. The design details are so well thought out. These will not be resold, and I hope they give me years of the same joy I've had so far. They better at that price!

Those and a JX3 are making me a much happier rifle/late season hunter... something I had been losing interest in previously.

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That fanatic hoodie is a trip to church every time I put it on.
 
Like: Sitka. Expensive? Yes, but my God at the difference. Fanatic hoodie as mentioned several times already is perfection. Mountain pants are great too. Most of the SC season up until now I have hunted in Mtn Pants and a Core
lightweight hoodie. OOS I wore Stratus bibs and jacket a lot over the fanatic hoodie. Just added a pair of Core midweight bottoms and incinerator hat. Pretty sure that will get me through any deer hunting I’m going to be doing.

For duck hunting I have the Gradient bibs I wear under my waders, a Duck Oven for the boat rides and a Dakota hoodie if it’s too warm for the Duck Oven.

I also own a Kelvin Aerolite jacket that I wear A LOT whether hunting or not.

Yes it’s all Sitka and yes it’s expensive, but damn man, I have never hunted so comfortable in my life I think I’m worth it
 
Loving my Waldrop pac seat! So basically I scout my way in and if I see sign i can set up. Sound familiar? But the difference is I can do it with way less bulk and weight.

So initially if there is good sign i can set up an 'obversational sit' and then decide if I need an aerial sit.

So far, since all my hunts are on public, it has saved me numerous extra 11lb hikes in the woods.

This is especially beneficial during the rut because I can hunt the pockets between the preasure without lugging around gear I won't use. IMO...
 
This is a good topic. I'm sure you can understand my laughing emoji, some gear is a bit confounding and you've experienced that. It's why the pro-con debates help folks think it through.

The two most impactful adds for me (archery season) were 1. Frame packs. 2. Sevr 1.5 broadheads.

1. It was an eye opener that "heavy" backpacks can make loads feel significantly lighter and more manageable.

2. Sevr 1.5 mechanicals really did the trick for me. I had pre-ordered Vector Custom Shop MD3 coc broadheads. They never made it to market and I needed a last minute solution. Sevr shipped fast, shot straight, and did a heck of a job on my buck. I have exactly one data point on game, so take that for what it's worth. But I was nonetheless impressed.

what frame pack are you using?
 
I'm very pleased with my Recon saddle from Treehopper. I'm in my second season with it and it is very comfortable. I did an 8 1/2 hour sit the other day no problem.

I'm also really liking the 2TC method of climbing. It beats the 4 Lone Wolf sticks and aider I was using last season hands down on weight, bulk, and ease of use. I also feel a whole lot safer climbing 2TC than with sticks and a linesman's belt.
 
This goes on the hate-to-love, love-to-hate list:
My Spypoint Link-S-Micro cell cams. Got two, one worked perfectly right outta the box, the other needed firmware update and several calls to their customer service and finally they sent me a new camera over a month later, just in time for deer season to be over this past Jan. About 3 weeks ago, my other one stopped sending me pics. Checked with customer service, had to go get the camera out of the woods, update firmware as per their recommendation, and it sent me a dozen pics before it stopped sending them again. Gotta call the company…again.
When they work they’re so awesome. The one stopped working right after the pre-rut though, really sh!++¥ timing…again.
 
Liked:
-Ramcat broadheads: bounced back and forth between fixed and mechanicals forever, when shots approach that 30 yard range I’m always second guessing “is this fixed blade really dialed in enough for an awkward angle treestand shot”. I shoot once before most hunts, the Ramcats always shoot like field points, the cut is big, and they’re quiet. The replaceable blade durability is probably the weak point but I would bet that’s not going to be a big issue. Bottom line I’m noticeably more confident.
-Lite boots: for early / mid season hunts where I need to cross a shallow river, and because I still lean toward hunting in rubber boots (private land) these are a nice ultralight option. Also hunted with them with just the stick as my platform and for some reason my feet did just fine.
-Dan’s boots with wader chaps: for those who can put em to use, tough, comfortable, awesome.
-Drill and bolts: I see more bolted presets in my future.
-Recon: second year in it, lower tether and added a bungee belt. Much better than the first season and even had several sits just on the top of the stick. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty darn good and don’t see changing any time soon.
-Carter Quickie: went back to index release, this one is good no regrets.
-Cuddelink cellular: other than maybe some missed triggers almost a must imo for private land and maybe public, has taught me more than prior ten years of trailcams. Hardware is three years old at this point almost constant use.
-Releasable zipties: to not have at least five of these hanging somewhere on ones pack is insanity to me.
-thin flat webbing pull up rope: my search is over.
-Scent Lok: 6 known deer close dead downwind thus far, no busts. No mature bucks though. Make of this what you will.

Disliked:
-One stick climbing: never like it, but it’s the lesser of other evils for many situations.
 
Liked: I switched to the .75 from the beast stand. The size and weight of the beast stand is unmatched but the popping noise is a no go for me. Also the mesh seat is comfortable and a must for all day sits.

Dislike: the side kick from lwcg. I like the extended version but the bow is hard to get out sometimes and it’s leaving scratches on my limbs. I already covered all the extra metal with stealth strips so I’m not sure what’s causing it.

Bibs: for you guys hating on bibs, I’ve never had a reason to wear them? I hunt in cold weather and hunted all weekend in the teens with high winds on all day sits with just the stratus pants and the furnace bottoms from fl. Just don’t wear your bottoms in, put them on at the base of the tree and you’ll be good to go.
 
what frame pack are you using?

I have 3 now. Kifaru Duplex Lite w/Stryker XL (Gnargali on the way). Kuiu Pro 3600. MR Popup 28.

I haven't been out much due to being tagged out early during archery season and now snowbound. But the Kifaru DL/Stryker is what I've taken afield.

I can make a case for any of these, which is why I kept my original comment general.

Why the Duplex Lite then? It does the best job of the three at making loads seem light (for me). When I loosen the shoulder straps and load lifters, weight stays balanced and on my hips like it isn't there. The other two still lighten felt weight a ton, but just not quite as good for me.

Still, none of them are perfect, including the DL/Stryker XL or I wouldn't hang on to all three.

Some thoughts on the others:

Popup 28: What's nice about the Popup 28 is it collapses to the size of a normal daypack. It also fits a .5 like a glove. I was trying "use the stand as a frame" setups...(e.g. added lumbar pad to LWCG belt, BMG Duplex/Nuplex shoulder strap mod, etc.)...Those options work well indeed. But a frame pack has advantages here; most prominently it completely removes from the stand, so no belt and straps dangle below the platform when setup. I will caution that the Popup belts suck, imo, and I swapped to a Seek Outside belt which makes a huge difference. I have an EXO belt I'm going to try with it as well.

Kuiu 3600: The frame is very light and the Pro suspension is comfortable. In particular the belt conforms well and draws tight with no slippage. But it's really the 3600 bag that keeps this in my inventory. I like this setup for simplicity and capacity.
 
Added this year and liked:

-Kenetrek Mtn Extreme 400g fit my feet amazingly well. I love em.
-Kifaru frame pack. I've been all over the place with their gear but have finally settled on a 24" lite with a 44 mag. Way more pack than I need most of the year buy I can fit all my late season clothes, saddle, pouches ropes etc, camera arm, camera and platform into the pack and still have some room if needed. I really wanted to keep everything inside the pack and eliminate strapping anything to the outside. This accomplished that and it compresses nicely once up in the tree. I'm going to have a Stryker Xl, Hellbender and 22" frame for sale soon fyi.

Thanks, lol. I may end up returning the Gnargali that arrives Wed for the 44 mag. The 44mag is close to what I want, but ideally I'd trade out a side pocket for an oversized water bottle pocket and I'd add a flap in the back like the Gnargali has for bow/rifle carry without having to add a Sherman pocket. The 44 is a better sized main pack than the Gnargali, but heavier. It definitely has better access to the main bag and Multicam, 2 thumbs up.

Are you still platform climbing with the Mission? And it fits in the pack?
 
What I like:
Scent like Reactor heated vest. Used the vest over the last three weeks and it has replaced my other 5 vests.
Because it is so well insulated, I have only needed to turn the heat on twice. Once with my Fanatic set at 24 degrees. And one at 16 degrees with my stand hunter. Normally my stand hunter works great, but I took off my gloves for something and got my hands cold. Don't know if this will keep working, but so far I give it a 10.

Waldrop pac seat. Best piece of hunting gear I own. I did a lot more scouting this year and did several observation stands. I found one hot deer crossing cutting across a field corner that I never would have emagened was so good if I did not see it by setting up a observation stand.
 
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I have a Sitka fanatic hoodie that I wear on every hunt as a base layer. Got it two seasons ago, love it. I never would have bought on my own, thanks to the Claus family up North.
I also hate pull-up ropes, added an IKEA retractable dog leash (yes, dog leash) for $4.99 plus tax and it’s rated for like 150# and it’s a little over 20’ long. Beats the hell outta pull-up ropes and I’m not pissed I spent $40 on a “hunting” version of the same thing.
Dog leash is an interesting idea
 
Dog leash is an interesting idea
Find ‘em in the checkout area at IKEA for cheap. I’m sure if you wanna spend a little more, you could get one rated for a St Bernard and be quite happy either way. I’m only hauling my bow through, maybe a small pack. I like that they have reflective properties and strong clips.
 
Likes:

REI 650 down jacket (folds into its pocket, easy to pack)
new-to-me LL Bean ragg wool sweater (found on ebay for stupid cheap)
merino wool neck gaiter (meriwool)

I am looking forward to trying out my Orvis "foul weather" jacket that is a wool quarter zip lined with a wind breaker. I have high hopes; it could be the ultimate mid-layer for those windier days. I will report back when I actually get some use out of it.

I don't want to say that I dislike my muck boots, but I have had to come to terms with their limits this year. In my experience, they have been cold due to moisture build-up (as others have noted) when used over any distance over a couple hundred yards (even when changing to dry socks), and they are noisier to walk in when the leaves are dry because they are not snug on my feet/calfs and move around more than laced footwear (I'm a skinny guy, so that might be why). Great boots, just not meant to hunt in any sort of steep terrain or over appreciable distance (especially when it is cold).
 
Mission platform only because it couldn’t survive a fifteen foot drop. Obviously I shoulda thought that one through a little better. Snap crackle pop. Still useable though
 
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