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Gear you liked/disliked 2022

Like-

DryShod insulated boots. Best rubber boots I’ve ever owned. Feet never got cold. Very comfortable even when walking miles

Cruzr Xc saddle. Can hunt all day in this thing.

Latitude Vapor ropes. Super lightweight and compact. Can fit lineman’s and tether in one dump pouch.

Sitka Fanatic Vest. Works great as an outer layer, over the Stratus jacket on super cold, windy days.

Tethrd One Stick Gen 3. Best stick ever made imo…. Crazy light and as solid on the tree as beast sticks.

Badlands Super Day Pack
Been my go to saddle pack all year. Platform fits perfect on the front with the pack straps. Plenty of pockets for everything that I needed to hunt daylight until dark.


Dislike-

Under Armour HOVR Dawn boots. Comfortable but don’t hold up well at all. Already leaking after a season.

Kong Duck ascenders- I liked the ropeman1 better but they won’t fit the 8mm Vapor ropes, according to the specs.


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I mostly have things I really liked this year. This was the first year I bought expensive camo and I really liked it compared to the cheaper stuff I wore last year.

Major winners:
First Lite Source Jacket - This sucker is super light, packs super small, and is super warm. Shrugged off thorns and brambles without incident. Super versatile layer, both as an early season outer layer and later season mid layer.
First Lite Sanctuary 2.0 Bibs - Very warm and easy to get on at height
FHF Gear Blaze backpack panel - A great little blaze panel with a stretch pocket that can fit several layers in it

Winners I owed last year:
EDP
EWO Ultimate One Stick

Things I'm not sure about yet:
Eberlestock F1 Mainframe + Bagwings - Heavy and not a ton of organization. I like it, but think I need to experiment a bit more. I don't like climbing with this as much as I liked climbing with my SOG Opord; it feels like the center of gravity is further away from my back and pulls me off balance more than I'd like. I'm going to start hauling it up with my rappel rope.
Eberlestock Accessory Pouch instead of CGM Dropout for my rappel stuff: Fits a ton, but a tight fit. I have a Kong Futura + footloop, Pulldown rope + biner, autoblock + biner, madrock + biner, ATC + HMS biner (madrock backup), and 40 ft of CIV in it.

Things I wouldn't buy again:
FHF Gear Rifle Sling that clips into backpack - doesn't work well with the F1 mainframe IMO

Things I want to buy to try:
Latitude Method 2 (I tried my friend's and loved it, which is surprising, because I bought the Method 2 XL and tried it this fall and did not care for it over my Aerohunter)
Tethrd One Sticks Gen 3 + GC-One Aider (I like one sticking, but there's something to be said for the simplicity of running sticks.

Didn't make it long without needing an update:

I bought a Latitude Method 2 and it is amazing, but the real game changer was their kneepads. I got by with using cushions, my pack, etc as improvised knee padding, but kneepads making sitting easier at a whole other level.

I haven't gotten out with the One Sticks yet. Maybe late season archery.
 
Simms collapsible wading staff. I like having a walking stick but tend to lose them. this one collapses, has a case and tether that attaches to my sling pack so I always have it when I need it. also FLIR scout, never bump a deer again
 
Like
Mystery Ranch 2 Day Assault pack. Plenty big to stuff some clothes in it and it has plenty of organization. I strap my platform to the back and two sticks on each side. Big fan of everything mystery ranch.

Cheap bino chest straps. I tried the harness styles, but if you want to add or remove a layer in the tree it was a pain. The cheap strap style comes on and off very easy.

Homemade Amsteel USA stick attachments. Much quicker then my previous daisy chains.


Dislike
Kings XKG Lone Peak jacket
I’ve been picked off in the tree while wearing that jacket a lot more then other clothes. It may be in my head but it seems deer can pick up that jacket as if the material has a sheen or something.

Dynaglide pull up rope. This stuff just does not make a good pull up rope, too thin and slick. Lots of curse words were whispered in the woods this season because of it.

Tinks aerosole doe pee spray. Don’t spray this directly into a stiff breeze or it becomes cologne.
 
Likes:

EWO one stick with straight scout. It’s fantastic having such a light minimalist set up.

Dryad drey full size. Super comfortable sitting and leaning and very packable. I just have to figure out how to keep the hammock from falling down when one sticking.

Arctic shield boot covers. These are indespensible for keeping my feet warm and so cheap and packable.

Astra optics range finder. All the features I wanted at a great price. Red reticle, range scanning, angle compensation. It’s been great so far.

Kuiu peloton 240. Blocks wind great for what it is and very versatile in my layering system.

Kuiu pack. I like my gear and layers in a bag on my back so I can carry it efficiently. A good pack is night and day. The no pack or tiny pack crowd make zero sense to me.

Ebike. Such a time saver and keeps me from sweating.

Oboz boots. Got these on a whim for cheap and they kept my feet dry and have held up so far.

On the fence:

Amsteel daisy chain gear hanger. The loops getting caught up on the knots when girth hitching has been surprisingly frustrating at times.

First lite tundra balaclava. Super warm and comfortable but the gaiter part gets damp from my breath after a while. Not sure if that’s avoidable though.

Dislikes:

Dynaglide pull up rope. Tried it once and that was enough.

Tree stands. Tried my buddy’s .5. My back can’t handle sitting like that for too long and if I’m going to stand, I’d rather lean from a saddle.
 
Likes:

1. ESS clone that I sewed up myself.
2. Modded primal steps for climbing and ROS
3. Mossberg Patriot 350L, it’s a tack driver

Dislikes:

1. Wild edge perch, love the shape, hate the fiddle factor

2. Three step movable amsteel aider, prefer a 3 step cayg etrier.

3. Gripr for WE stepps, kydex holster FTW

4. Saddle hunting in general. I feel like I’ve over complicated hunting once I started saddle hunting. I bought a new XOP climber over the weekend and I’m very excited for it. If I like it, it may become my new primary hunting style. Not giving up on the saddle though. I’ve been at it since 2018. Maybe just taking a pause.
 
Likes:
1. EXO K3 pack system with 1800 bag.
2. Caribou Gear Carnivore game bags.

Dislikes:
1. Marsupial Gear Chest Pack

What do you not like about the chest pack? Are you talking chest pack for storage or bino pack? I’m thinking about trying their new bino pack to replace my cumbersome AGC bino pack


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What do you not like about the chest pack? Are you talking chest pack for storage or bino pack? I’m thinking about trying their new bino pack to replace my cumbersome AGC bino pack


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Either. It gets in the way when I climb, it hangs up on my bridge when I twist at all, When I add another layer it needs to come off. When I discovered that it was interfering with my navigation equipment quite a bit, that was the final straw.

For anyone who tells you to just hold your navi items at arms length, I call bs. I experimented at home, the distance the pack needed to be from my compass so as to not cause any interference was 7 feet. I NEED to trust my navigation equipment in the dark.
 
Either. It gets in the way when I climb, it hangs up on my bridge when I twist at all, When I add another layer it needs to come off. When I discovered that it was interfering with my navigation equipment quite a bit, that was the final straw.

For anyone who tells you to just hold your navi items at arms length, I call bs. I experimented at home, the distance the pack needed to be from my compass so as to not cause any interference was 7 feet. I NEED to trust my navigation equipment in the dark.

I’ve got a pair of Swarovski binos I’ve used for 10 years, so I’ve always been kind of hesitant to use them without a bino pack. However I’ll admit they definitely are in the way most of the time saddle hunting.


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Sitting in a treestand is the WORST. Absolutely dogs*** on my lower back. Leaning in a saddle FTW.

Same. I sat in a friend's double ladder with my wife 2 or 3 years ago. It was torturous. I'll never sit in a stand ever again unless it's a Millennium style seat.
 
I’ve got a pair of Swarovski binos I’ve used for 10 years, so I’ve always been kind of hesitant to use them without a bino pack. However I’ll admit they definitely are in the way most of the time saddle hunting.


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I use a monocular and just keep it in my pocket.
 
I bought a monocular 8 power Vortex. But then realized my range finder is 6x. Is it worth carrying both?
I may sell both and try to find an 8x rangefinder.
 
I bought a monocular 8 power Vortex. But then realized my range finder is 6x. Is it worth carrying both?
I may sell both and try to find an 8x rangefinder.
I use my range finder if I just need to take a quick look at something close. Monocular is way better to me for anything else.
 
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