Favorite Backcountry Gear 2022

[ChrisAU]

Black Ovis San Juan Three Finger Gloves
First Lite Tundra Neck Gaiter & Beanie
Wiser Precision Nighthawk Panhead
Exo K3 4800 on Kifaru Frame

 

[sr80]

FL 1/4 zip grid fleece. Was pretty warm during rifle mule deer, mid 60s-low 70’s during the day. Was a perfect stand alone top with the sleeves pulled up. Was also a great mid layer with merino base layer and soft shell or puffy over the top.

Friggin foot warmers man. No matter what boot/sock combination I’ve tried, cold feet are always the ticking time bomb of when my glassing session turns into a hike just because my feet are aching with cold. This year during a mid November rifle elk hunt in the mid 20’s I just slid some of those generic boot length foot warmers into my boots as soon as I got sat down and didn’t have to leave a minute before I was good and ready to be done glassing


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Just picked some of those foot warmer up too and they actually worn great

 

[Ikmclean]

Maven B1.2 10x42
Spartan Davros and Bino adapter

Glassing this year was significantly better than years prior, left the spotter home

 

[Blue]

Nemo tensor wide sleeping pad. Much better sleep than on a previous thermarest based on the quietness, width, and thickness.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

Outdoorsman pistol grip head. Wanted for years and finally bought. Wow. Game changer. Can’t believe I’ve gone this long w o it.


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[USMC2378]

Two new items for me this year that impressed.

Tarptent double rainbow dw - I went from a 1p big agnes tent to a 2p tarp tent. I think it was .5lb heavier but the extra room I got out of it has made life in the backcountry so much more comfortable. Set up and take down of it are crazy fast and easy.

Sitka arrowhead Mdwi hoody - I got this after reading @mtwarden review of it. I got it when it was on sale but was still really skeptical of its performance for the price for such a light weight jacket. It has become my go to jacket for just about everything. I know the insulation is similar but a little different than the ambient but the hype is real and it punches well above its weight class.

What’s the actual weight of the jacket and what size do you have?

 

[htlt_surfboards]

What’s the actual weight of the jacket and what size do you have?

Mine is size large and weighs 13.6oz. I am 6' and 180lbs for reference. For me that size is perfect to wear it as an athletic type fit outer layer but still has enough room to layer it over a thin fleece like the peloton 200 when I've taken it out in very cold temps.

 

[JD Jones]

back to using steripen
My Crispi Nevada’s are still the best footwear I’ve ever used
VX3 getting it done still
Sierra Designs nitro 0 bag was damn impressive (picked up for a steal)
The new Kuiu 2p Mountain Star was a great purchase and really gives me confidence in any condition
Cutthroat broadheads

 

[USMC2378]

Mine is size large and weighs 13.6oz. I am 6' and 180lbs for reference. For me that size is perfect to wear it as an athletic type fit outer layer but still has enough room to layer it over a thin fleece like the peloton 200 when I've taken it out in very cold temps.

Thank you for the information!

 

[Sportsman247]

New for this years hunts:
Hanwag Alverstone II GTX boots
Duckworth Powder hoody
Swarovski EL binos
MagView spotting scope adapter

Found most recommendations through other members and loved all the items.

 

[BKehoe05]

1. Enlightened Equipment custom Enigma quilt. Used in single digits and up to 80 degree nights. No issues and the weight is nothing.

2. Sitka sun hat for glassing. Folds into bino harness, keeps head cool during the heat and fits over the jetstream beanie so it’s still useful for snow glare.

3. Bino bivy. If you don’t have one, get one! Weighs nothing and costs very little, makes a HUGE difference.

4. Kuiu Attack pants. I actually don’t even use them for hunting but use them for work. I’m a utility arborist and have found them to be the cats meow in the PNW for climbing trees. Had them over a year now with extreme use. No major issues.

5. HydraPak 8 liter skin. No punctures (knock on wood) with heavy use. Great for cutting down on water trips while spiking out.

Which EE Quilt did you get?

 

[Mpmoody15]

2022 has been a record year for me. I got a good black bear and elk.

For me, the Phoenix Shooting Bags Small Ridge Runner Bag was the MVP. I used only this as a front support to kill my black bear and as a rear bag for my elk.

Runner up goes to the Wiser Precision Quick Stix. I attached these to some Peax hiking sticks (broke the Costco sticks packing my bear out, they probably saved me some broken bones). I had less than a minute to range my bull elk and make a shot. The Quick Stix had just the right height for me to make the shot.

 

[schmalzy]

Katabatic flex 15
Kuiu Kutana pants
Kimber Montana in 30-06

Some others I was pleased with but these were definitely top 3 for me.


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[SoloWilderness]

1. Jetboil Sol Ti - wish they still made these. Mine is at least 8-10 years old and works fantastic. Boils water crazy fast even at 12,000 in the winter. Lighter by a lot than the new ones.
2. Goal Zero lantern - the tiny one. Not very heavy and makes the inside of a tent a lot more pleasant sitting out a snowstorm. Saves headlight batteries, nothing worse than getting an animal at dusk, only to find you killed your headlight batteries last night heating day old McMuffins over a twig fire.
3. Sol Emergency Bivy - don't leave home without it. Size of half a Coke can, always in my pack.
4. Snowpeak double wall titanium mug - I have newer nicer ones, but my purple one is lucky... Left it on a stump one year packing a friend's mule with my first 6x6, half full of hot chocolate. Found it the next year. One quarter full of frozen hot chocolate, sitting on the same stump. Killed another 6x6 on the same ridge a few days later.
5. Snowpeak spork - perfect for getting lemon pepper tuna out of the pack during a long glassing session. Doubles as a lethal horsefly swatter.
6. Kuiu Ultra down zip off pants - OMG I love these things. Nothing better than heading out into a foot of fresh snow after crawling out of the tent, with nice warm legs... Zip them off when you warm up and throw them back on when it's time to sit and glass. Also an important part of my emergency kit. These, a heavier puffy top and an emergency bivy make all the difference if I have to sleep out.

 

[DakotaBPNW]

Sierra Designs Nitro 0- absolutely impressive for the price I paid

 

[mtnrunner260]

XLR atom chassis
El coyote quilt

 

[ZCoastie]

Crispi Kenai boots.

These are a Black Ovis rendition of the Nevada boot with a couple differences. Earlier this year I was hiking several miles with a solid pair of Vasque St. Elias boots, but my feet were killing me after that with a pack and everything. I decided to splurge on some Crispi's and they have already been worth the spendy price to get them. Definitely recommended!

I also love my First Lite Midweight merino layer (I think the 250) and the Sawtooth Hybrid hoodie. I'm on the Oregon Coast so it doesn't get super cold often, but those layers alone were enough when walking around in mid 20 degree weather.

 

[JDMBEND]

Sitka Ambient
Black Ovis bags
Tikka T3x 6.5 CM
Nemo Tensor insulated wide
Sitka Core L/W hoody

Still searching for boots. Currently trying Beartooths.

 

[100%DIYazCOUES]

Upgraded to the 18650 zebralight this year. Crazy bright when I needed it, and battery life is unreal. 4 days of coues hunting with long hikes in and out in the dark, used it at camp, and broke down a buck and packed out in the dark….still had 3/4 battery.should’ve done this a long time ago. AA zebralight is now the backup in my bino harness. From all the headlamps I’ve come across or used over the years, I think I might finally have the perfect, most reliable setup out there

 

[V2Pnutrition]

How do the Rx bars hold up in a pack? I’d love to find a bar with less sugar. I’ve been making my own packaroons but sometimes I want something different.

They hold up really well. They’re rock hard if they get cold though. You’d definitely want to tuck it close to you before trying to eat it.

Chocolate and sea salt are a great first stop if you’ve never had one!