Favorite Backcountry Gear for 2020?

[Outdoorsman12b]

Thermarest XTherm
Sea to summit bag liner
Black Ovis Merino Hoodie
GSI mug (keep coffee hot with breakfast)

 

[6.5x284]

NL Pure 8x42 and Kowa 554 were awesome this year and shed some weight at the same time.

 

[ljalberta]

Crispi Colorados. Been burning through way too many boots and insoles the last few years trying to find a boot works for my foot. It’s been a beautiful experience putting on the miles on these boots.

The new, smaller AGC harness. What a difference it made. Now my harness never slips and doesn’t put the pressure on my neck.

 

[Outlaw99]

In no particular order:

Hoffman Pac Boots
Benchmade mini bugout
Kifaru Ma deuce
First Lite Furnace layers

 

[snel6424]

Thermarest XTherm
Sea to summit bag liner
Black Ovis Merino Hoodie
GSI mug (keep coffee hot with breakfast)

I have heard that the XTherm is really loud when you move around on it. Do you think this is true?
Also, how do you like the bag liner? Considering getting a bag liner to put over my sleeping pad and transitioning to a quilt

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

I have heard that the XTherm is really loud when you move around on it. Do you think this is true?
Also, how do you like the bag liner? Considering getting a bag liner to put over my sleeping pad and transitioning to a quilt

I read the same concerns and found it to be totally untrue. I had no issues with noise on the xtherm while moving around. The pad is fairly compact if your taller/wider though so if your used to sleeping on a wide pad your margin for rolling around is much smaller.

Not sure what you mean about putting the liner over your pad. I assume you mean using a liner on your pad with you in it and using a quilt. For the last few seasons I have been having fairly bad sleeps with a 15 degree bag. Between the liner and the new pad was just right. I have no experience with quilts so take that for what its worth.

 

[douglasfir]

In no order...

• Avenza maps phone app (free version)
• Thermarest prolite plus, significantly more comfortable for me than Neoair pads
• XXXL blaze orange hat from the big hat store website
• Rick Young Outdoors bino harness
• Costco socks

 

[Rock-o]

Another very pleased Sirui VA-5 owner.

 

[Rock-o]

In no order...

• Rick Young Outdoors bino harness

I wasn't familiar with the product so I looked it up and like it. Do you know of a binocular rain fly (not bino pack rain fly)?

Thank you.

 

[Drenalin]

I wasn't familiar with the product so I looked it up and like it. Do you know of a binocular rain fly (not bino pack rain fly)?

Thank you.

Ultralight Bino Cover

 

[Rock-o]

Coming for Christmas, hopefully not junk:

https://www.amazon.com/Gosky-Telescope-Adapter-Aligned-Digiscoping/dp/B07CNL85TT/

 

[Rock-o]

Ultralight Bino Cover

Right under my nose the whole time.

Thanks, @Drenalin.

 

[kyle_eastham]

Sirui carbon tripod with VA5 head ordered and on the way. Excited to get out and do some glassing with my new Swaro SLCs

 

[Brook.Trout]

Kifaru gun bearer is a game changer for me, also the 66i is a wonderful piece to have.

it may seem somewhat small and tiny but that UCO candle lantern worked very good for keeping the edge off at night and helping keep condensation out. Used it on a goat hunt this year. Above tree line the whole time no wood for a stove, so it wasn’t an option.

 

[Carrot Farmer]

Ttt


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[B_Reynolds_AK]

New and Notable Gear

Kowa 773 spotting scope and 1.6x extender: Incredible wide angle view. The extender was a game changer for looking at rams from miles away. It almost never came off of the scope on the first two sheep hunts I went on.

Kowa 553 spotting scope: I brought this on my solo sheep hunt in mid September. I knew I would be looking at sheep that were on the same mountain that I was on and wouldnt need the reach of the 773. While the FOV is alot smaller, this scope performed very well. It is usable all the way to 45x.

Zeiss 8x25 Victory Pocket Binoculars: I used these in combination with the Kowa 553. Ultra light and compact. I kept them in a Marsupial Gear Little Joey chest pouch. They performed much better than you would expect a 25mil objective bino to do.

Zeiss 8x32 SF: These replaced Swaro 8x32 EL SV's. Phenomenal glass. Huge field of view and control glare far better than the Swaro's. My new sheep glass. I tried the Swaro 8.5x42 El's on the first hunt of the season. They were a pleasure to use, probably a bit easier on the eyes than the Zeiss. But, they are half a pound heavier and the Zeiss offers an even larger field of view with better glare control.

Offgrid Food Co: By far the best meals I have ever eaten in the backcountry. Peak Refuel are a close second. Both companies are new to me this season. I actually look forward to each meal now!

 

[brsnow]

Sirui carbon tripod with VA5 head ordered and on the way. Excited to get out and do some glassing with my new Swaro SLCs

I run that with slc, great set up

 

[Carrot Farmer]

I run that with slc, great set up

Slik733 w/VA5....and I love it!


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[Carr5vols]

Mystery Ranch Selway. First MR pack for me but overall I liked it. There are a million straps but I ended up using all of them at one point or another and it made the carry out of heavy Elk quarters and my Elk's Skull very simple and secure. I used the pack mostly as a day pack because my hunting plans changed last minute, but I still wanted to test it out. It's a bit large for a day pack but it worked, and at times I even appreciated the extra space. Would be great for a 1-3 nighter which is how I had originally intended to utilize it this fall.

I ended up using it to pack out my Elk, a friend's Elk, and a friend's Mule Deer all in less than a month and it worked great under heavy load each time. I am 6'0 and 175 and the pack is a size Large. I adjusted the yoke down to about the shortest setting and I was always able to tighten the waist belt as much as I needed, but there was a ton of leftover strap from the waist-belt when doing this that I had to keep tucking in which was annoying. In hindsight maybe I should have gotten a Medium. So far it's a comfortable, durable pack with an easy to use load carrying system (load sling between frame and pack). View attachment 241175View attachment 241179

Got the same pack and really like it. I can squeeze a 5 day hunt out of it but its bare bones gear...

 

[Carr5vols]

Kifaru gun bearer is a game changer for me, also the 66i is a wonderful piece to have.

it may seem somewhat small and tiny but that UCO candle lantern worked very good for keeping the edge off at night and helping keep condensation out. Used it on a goat hunt this year. Above tree line the whole time no wood for a stove, so it wasn’t an option.

Does the candle lantern add much heat?