For alot of us archery has come to a close or is getting close. For this year what are some products you liked disliked(doesn't have to be new stuff) and what changes do you see for next year.
Liked:
1. As always my beloved beast stand. The incident last year where it squeaked when the bug buck was in front of me must have been devine intervention in behalf of the buck because after 25 climbs this year it hasn't made a peep. Perfect in every way.
2. This one is a love/hate relationship. The Tactisaddle RC harness. Ive crapped on it before and it feels like a prototype. However, I just kept coming back to it all year. It's extremely light, and it's the first harness I've ever used that feels like I'm not wearing one. My buckles are nothing like Jason shows in the videos where his adjust effortlessly. Mine are difficult to adjust with even 2 hands. See if I can send mine back to get a buckle upgrade.
3. Kuiu Proximity pants. I love love them. So glad I finally could ditch the stratus bibs. They're not 100% windproof, but def 90% windproof. I wore them on a 25° day with just FL Furnace bottoms on and my legs were toasty. I can't say the same for the top...
4. FL Source Jacket. This jacket finally dethroned the Celsius Midi for me. Its without question warmer. It's more stretchy. It's soft. It's cheaper. Perfect mid layer.
Disliked:
1. Kuiu Proximity Jacket. This one was weird to me and can't back up what I say with empirical evidence. According to the Kuiu website the jacket and pants have the same amount of insulation, but there's no question the pants feel heavier, are much warmer, and block the wind alot better. The jacket I consistently kept feeling wind on my arms and shoulders and wasn't as warm as I felt I should have been. I like the layout and fit alot but the top needs some work.
2. Beast sticks. I love these sticks are recommended then whenever I can. But holy God are they awful for walking through Mtn Laurel. The snag factor is 10/10 bad. Rage inducing. I might try the Tethrd 1 sticks for next year. When I briefly had the gen 1 sticks I was able to tuck them beautifully behind the stand so they didn't get snagged.
3. Fanatic bibs. They are extremely warm, but suck for mobile hunting. They are way too bulky for me and heavy. Might see if I can just use the proximity pants in even colder temps with more layering. This will sound weird but they give me an awful headache every time I wear them. The weight on the bibs suspenders pushes down into my traps and causes a wicked tension headache. It never happens when I don't wear bibs/suspenders.
4. Mtn bike. The bike cut my time down dramatically from a 2 hr walk in to 40 minutes. But it's still miserable. You get soaked with sweat. Going up hills absolutely sucks. I'm definitely getting a ebike for next year.
I see myself getting a saddle again for next year. Some trees were not well suited for a stand and a saddle would have been perfect.
Liked:
1. As always my beloved beast stand. The incident last year where it squeaked when the bug buck was in front of me must have been devine intervention in behalf of the buck because after 25 climbs this year it hasn't made a peep. Perfect in every way.
2. This one is a love/hate relationship. The Tactisaddle RC harness. Ive crapped on it before and it feels like a prototype. However, I just kept coming back to it all year. It's extremely light, and it's the first harness I've ever used that feels like I'm not wearing one. My buckles are nothing like Jason shows in the videos where his adjust effortlessly. Mine are difficult to adjust with even 2 hands. See if I can send mine back to get a buckle upgrade.
3. Kuiu Proximity pants. I love love them. So glad I finally could ditch the stratus bibs. They're not 100% windproof, but def 90% windproof. I wore them on a 25° day with just FL Furnace bottoms on and my legs were toasty. I can't say the same for the top...
4. FL Source Jacket. This jacket finally dethroned the Celsius Midi for me. Its without question warmer. It's more stretchy. It's soft. It's cheaper. Perfect mid layer.
Disliked:
1. Kuiu Proximity Jacket. This one was weird to me and can't back up what I say with empirical evidence. According to the Kuiu website the jacket and pants have the same amount of insulation, but there's no question the pants feel heavier, are much warmer, and block the wind alot better. The jacket I consistently kept feeling wind on my arms and shoulders and wasn't as warm as I felt I should have been. I like the layout and fit alot but the top needs some work.
2. Beast sticks. I love these sticks are recommended then whenever I can. But holy God are they awful for walking through Mtn Laurel. The snag factor is 10/10 bad. Rage inducing. I might try the Tethrd 1 sticks for next year. When I briefly had the gen 1 sticks I was able to tuck them beautifully behind the stand so they didn't get snagged.
3. Fanatic bibs. They are extremely warm, but suck for mobile hunting. They are way too bulky for me and heavy. Might see if I can just use the proximity pants in even colder temps with more layering. This will sound weird but they give me an awful headache every time I wear them. The weight on the bibs suspenders pushes down into my traps and causes a wicked tension headache. It never happens when I don't wear bibs/suspenders.
4. Mtn bike. The bike cut my time down dramatically from a 2 hr walk in to 40 minutes. But it's still miserable. You get soaked with sweat. Going up hills absolutely sucks. I'm definitely getting a ebike for next year.
I see myself getting a saddle again for next year. Some trees were not well suited for a stand and a saddle would have been perfect.