Favorite Backcountry Gear 2021

[Brad@Argali]

I posted this thread last year and enjoyed all of the responses. Wanted to throw it out there again and encourage everyone else to post their favorite gear they actually used from this past year. It can be new to you, or just something you really liked that stood out, but I've focused on gear new to me. Last year I didn't include any of our gear on principle (seemed too self-indulgent), but fair warning that I am including our products this year (And there are some of our own prototype products I used this season I can't divulge just yet that would have made the list....ahem).

1. Schnees Beartooth Boots--I used the insulated and non-sinsulated from August through November and have a few hundred miles on them in a wide variety of terrain and hunts in several states and loved them.
2. Argali Kodiak Belt--this may be unfair since this is our product, but I really did love this thing.
3. Vortex Razor 4.5-22x50 FFP--this new scope was impressive optical quality, turrett and magnification for the weight.
4. First Lite Foundry Corrugate and Catalyst Foundry Pants--The Foundry pant line is impressive and would recommend to anyone.
5. Crocs. Yes. I was a hater until this year when I actually used them. Made basecamp life incredible, and getting in and out of the tent less annoying.
6. Day Six Arrows and broadheads. I put this one down last year, but after killing a few more animals with them, they are even more impressive.
7. Exo Pack. Used one throughought my season and it worked flawlessly.
8. Perfect Bars. These bars are amazing. I ate them for breakfast on a late season backpack hunt instead of a dehydrated meal and will do that from now on to save a little weight and space without sacrificing calories.

 

[HNTR918]

Sitka Heavyweight Hoody - This is my #1 piece of clothing.
Crispi Thors 2's - My 2nd pair, the best boots for sweaty feet in rough country.
Vortex UHD 18x56 - Gives me the ability to glass game at spotting scope distances.
Seek Outside Dyneema Redcliff & SXL Stove - Less than 6 lbs total & fits 3 guys in late season weather.
Thermarest X-Therm - Finally bit the bullet and boy am I glad, super warm and super durable.
Sirui VA-5 - New to me this year, and now I'm a fluid head believer for glassing.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Schnees Insulated Beartooth (late) and Timberline (early) Boots: very good balance of stiffness, durability, etc. I'm more and more impressed each time I use these boots.

Marsupial Gear: I've used the enclosed harness, accessory pouch, rangefinder holder, spray holster for over a year now, all great. I run the little joey and a set of maven B3's in the non-hunting months, with their holster (spray or handgun) docked underneath. The system works really well.

SG Pants: I have a lighter and heavier weight pair - they are all I will use when wearing a pack all day now, as their waist design is optimized for this function. Add fleece underneath for cold weather, along with kneepads. Both the lighter and heavier weight pants have some noise to them, due to the material.

SG Sky 5900/X-curve: I've used their packs since 2014 and the 5900/x-curve since release. It truly is a one-size does most design, from day hunts to a week out. Bonus - the rifle carrier is simple and works incredibly well.

Hydropak Flux 1L Soft Bottle - this replaces a nalgene (I hate bladders) - it stands up, I can fill it with drink mixes, and is very light/handy for carry. I use this early season, and run a 3L Seeker (I use a Be Free filter threaded onto this) in my pack or platypus bottles for bulk water storage.

GSI Microlite 1000 Bottle - when it is cold, I have been throwing hot tea in one for the day. It's metal and loud, and the seal on the lid squeekes if you open it too fast - but man does it work well and holding liquids hot, OR keeping them from freezing.

 

[colby12]

First Lite Klamath- both the hoody and the quarter zip were great for a go to all year.

First Lite Puffy Pants-great for glassing and then just chillin at camp over long johns

First Lite Corrugate Foundry- durable with well placed knee pads, good suspenders, great side vents

SG Sky 5900- extremely versatile, comfortable with heavy loads

 

[Mitten32]

MSR Reactor: Tried several different systems. This is the heaviest but man is reliable and impressive.

Kifaru Muskeg 7k: Used for the past two seasons. love the xpac, easy to clean and has been more durable than I expected

First Lite Corrugated Foundry:
First lite nailed it with these. Love the pockets, knee pads, and hip zips.

Outdoorsmans pistol grip: I don't carry a spotter and using binoculars with this head is a pleasure.

 

[Carrot Farmer]

1) El Coyote Custom XX-Wide/Long Quilt. New to quilts, Brian walked me through the process and to say the least… I’ve never slept so good in the backcountry!

2) Exped Downmat LW
Coupled with my new quilt… see #1

3) Swarovski 10x42 EL Range w/TA
Upgraded from Razor 12x50s, and no joke, it’s like glassing in 3D! I was hesitant at the price, but definitely my best upgrade for ‘21 season!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[6.5x284]

Stone Glacier Sky Scraper 2P: Literally kept me alive on a Mountain Goat hunt with 80 knot winds (38 degrees F) and 4" of rain in a 13 hour period.

Swarovski NL Pures: 8x and 12x, but the 8x are phenomenal. Thought I'd keep the 12x and sell the 8x but the 8x are so bright with such a massive FOV, and so stable the 12x seem like a tripod only bino for me from now on. Will run the 12x on backpack hunts instead of a 8x and 15x to reduce weight.

Barrett Fieldcraft: I continue to beat the crap out of this thing and it continues to shoot little tiny clover leafs. The twist rates and box length on the short action are a home run.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I have main gear that always stands out, but here are some newer gear I’ve tried and like:
Nitecore NU25 headlamp- I got this as a backup at 1.2oz but ended up using it as main light most of the time. It has great battery (rechargeable) life and has a dim red light I found enough to navigate with in morning.
Z packs DCF ground sheet- 3.2oz, bought to throw in my kill kit and is really nice for laying meat out on to keep clean, using as actual ground sheet for pad or wrapping around yourself for quick rain storms. It could be pitched for emergency shelter but a tad small.
Black Diamond Distance wind shell- 3oz, gets lost in a pack, great for all seasons at blocking wind and trapping heat. First time using a UL wind layer and really liking it.
Kuiu Peloton 118 base layer- I’ve always been a FL merino base layer guy, but man these dry so much faster and breathe better. They are more comfortable and I can get 7 days out of them before the odor gets real noticeable. The zip-t is really nice to dump heat.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Selewa Rapace boots. Omg a standout fit for me forsure.
Cloudline socks.
Grim Reaper 3 blade broadheads.
Talty Bars
Power up trial mix.

 

[Mitten32]

Selewa Rapace boots. Omg a standout fit for me forsure.
Cloudline socks.
Grim Reaper 3 blade broadheads.
Talty Bars
Power up trial mix.

ordered a pair of the Rapace boots during the black friday sale. Excited to try them out.

 

[camelcluch]

My bow. With out it I’m most likely not in the back country. It provides happiness, peace and adventure.

 

[bpurtz]

Last year I picked up a Swaro BTX to go on my 95mm objective and finally got some extensive use with it on a buddy's sheep hunt this year. Incredible!

 

[tdot]

This year was a good year, last year was a huge year for gear, replaced 75% of my kit, and this year I refined it a bit more. Didn't come home from a hunt with more then 1 item that needed to be refined for next time.

Scarpa Ribelle HD - on my 2nd set of these boots, they are a thing of beauty, great stiffness for mountain hunts, but with a rockered sole that allows easy miles on access trails or hard surfaces.

Seek Outside Revolution frame - I love this frame, very versatile, carries both day packs and heavy loads with ease and it is silly light. I've tried 2 different custom SO 6300 bags on it, I like them they are good, but not amazing. The frame is the show stopper.

Leukotape - is it really a mountain hunt without a little (or alot) of leukotape? Love this stuff.

Hammer bullets - everything I shoot with these bullets dies very quickly. Not perfect, but the most consistent and reliable that I've tried.

Locus Gear Khufu XL - I didn't know a tent could be a work of art, but this one is. Incredibly precisely made, quick to setup, light, excellent room. Stood up to a week of mountain storms with zero issues. Several times I actually stepped out into worse storms then I expected, as there was just so little drama in the tent. Everything I was looking for in a shelter and more. This tent will be with me for a long time.

Nitecore NU25 - 2nd season with this little light. Bought it as an ultralight backup, but it's become my main headlamp. Great light.

Swarovski ATX/95 - such a treat to be able use this in the mountains. It's jusy an incredible piece of glass.

Really Right Stuff BPC-16 - 4.4oz of perfection. This little head can be used with an ATX/95, amazing for such a tiny head.

Argali game bags - Nothing too flashy, but I've stopped looking for a better game bag.

Kuiu Peloton 97 - my favourite thermal piece for its' weight. 2nd season with it and I like it more this year then I did last.

Sterno Inferno pot - borrowed this idea from @AK Troutbum great little setup, faster burn times then my regular Ti pot and it allowed me to use a small gas cannister on an 8 day hunt. Smaller, lighter, faster, cheaper. Love it.

Suluk 46 Tica ice axe - ultralight backup tool for summer hunts. Was very glad to have an ice axe several times on my sheep hunt this year. Eventually had to anchor my sheep with it on 35 degree slope. Not the best ice axe I've ever used, but it's infinitely better then the heavier axes that get left at home.

Seek Outside Matty McMatt face - cut this down to 30" wide this year. Takes up less room and is equally as effective under my exped.

 

[Niceandkozy8]

Swaro SLC 10x42 - finally made the jump from cheap binos to something high end. All I can say is WOW. Gamechanger.
Sirui VA-5 - simple, effective and a significant improvement over the ball head I was using previously. The convenience and ease of use when gridding a mountain far outweighs the weight penalty over a ball head in my opinion.
IronWill S100 - I was able take my first archery big game animal this year using this head. They performed flawlessly, are durable, accurate and give me supreme confidence in my setup.
Kuiu Tops (Merino 145 Hoody, Peloton 97/200) - tried these items out this hunting season and have really enjoyed them. They all fit very well, have regulated temps and give me flexibility in the layering system depending on temps.

 

[sodak]

First Lite suspenders.

And I’m not even fat!

 

[mtwarden]

1- my now seven year old Stone Glacier Krux frame w/ a Solo bag, I got three 3-4 days hunts with it this year and it packed out part of an elk and a whole mule deer this year- comfortably

2- Crispi Thor II's- wide enough in the toe box my toes are comfortable, but locks in the heel and mid-foot securely, nice outsole and sufficiently stiff while still relatively lightweight; second year I've put 200-ish miles on them during hunting season

3- Sitka Core Lightweight Hoody- still raving about these years later; light, breathable, fast drying- love the hood!

4- Sitka Ascent pants- usually reserved for earlier season hunting, unusually warm weather this season they saw action all season long- light, dry fast, very robust for a lightweight pants, deep front pockets (not going to lose stuff out of them) and TWO roomy cargo pockets- love sticking my headlamp, gloves, beanie and cell phone in them so they are all readily accessible

 

[dirtytough]

2 new pieces stood out for me.

RRS Anvil-30. Great to shoot off of and worked fine with my binos/spotter.

12 NL’s. I’ve used good/great glass for awhile. I’ve never used 12’s though.

 

[CoStick]

Exped pad and EE quilt, best sleep
TT double rainbow

 

[lintond]

Marsupial bino harness - I’ve tried them all over the years and think I’m done looking for a while.

Kilo 2200 rangefinder - Has worked great for both archery & rifle hunts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Voyageur]

Littlbug Junior Stove

The Littlbug Junior Stove is our smallest and lightest camping stove. The Littlbug Junior camp stove performed better than 11 other entires in a head to head test.

littlbug.com

Year after year one of my favorite pieces of gear is my littlbug stove. Can burn wood as well as other organic material. When vehicle camping I often burn alcohol. On backpack or fly-in trips the weight saved by not having to pack fuel canisters is significant. The stove packs up very compactly and is a real space saver.

Edit:
Corrected spelling