Spindrift
FNG
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2022
- Messages
- 66
Got my Final Rise summit out on a few decent sized grouse walks with significant elevation (2k vert) and filled the bag both times with pine chickens. Thoughts as compared to my 10 year old Wing Works:
1. The FR is noticeably lighter. Lighter cordura and straps make for a lighter package. More waist belt support on the WW. Construction quality is a draw…bit appear to be well made and while I have several years on my WW, I don’t see any real reason to think the FR will fail any earlier, despite lighter construction.
2. Not as burly. The WW vest is simply beefier, for better or worse. One nice thing about that beef is it really sits on your hips well and also doesn’t tend to get hung up in snaggy stuff. It has great form and keeps its shape year after year, like you’re putting on a well made big game pack. The FR feels more like a lighter day pack which has its advantages.
3. The FR details are great and really well thought out. One thing I noticed right off the bat is that the water bottle holders are a slightly (mm’s) bigger circumference than WW, which makes getting at your bottles a little bit easier. The WW is hard to operate one handed. The zippered shell pockets are nice but note that I’ve never needed them in my WW in several years of use. But having zippers makes peeps feel better. The smallest integrated pockets on the FR are more useable than the WW which are so narrow and stiff, they’re borderline useless. I keep my ear plugs and windicator in the small pockets and welcome the improvement.
4. The WW comes with a bit more built in storage, where as FR offers the equivalent in optional accessories. Keep this in mind relative to your own needs and wants and the price at checkout. I carry a lot of stuff, so I’d give the storage nod to WW in terms of capacity and comfort under load. When I used to guide pheasant hunting, that storage and weight bearing in the WW was fantastic…8 roosters is a lot of weight. But that’s no longer my priority.
5. There are a LOT of similar features. I doubt that Mr. Davis would deny adopting some of the placement and features of the WW. D Rings, molle straps, shoulder accessory straps are all fairly identical. This isn’t a knock as different doesn’t always mean better!
Overall: I’d liken it to anything else…if you appreciate beef and things that are overbuilt, the WW vest is your jam. If you do a lot of Chukar or blue grouse hunting and want a faster, lighter feeling vest, the FR is a better choice. I’d give the edge to WW in load bearing and storage but FR wins in modularity and weight.
Both are really good vests…you can’t go wrong with either. I’ll likely use the WW as my “big hunt” vest when I know I’ll be out all day and need to carry enough food, water, etc. But the FR wins in my average 2-3 hour hunt, especially for Chukar when weight really sucks.
1. The FR is noticeably lighter. Lighter cordura and straps make for a lighter package. More waist belt support on the WW. Construction quality is a draw…bit appear to be well made and while I have several years on my WW, I don’t see any real reason to think the FR will fail any earlier, despite lighter construction.
2. Not as burly. The WW vest is simply beefier, for better or worse. One nice thing about that beef is it really sits on your hips well and also doesn’t tend to get hung up in snaggy stuff. It has great form and keeps its shape year after year, like you’re putting on a well made big game pack. The FR feels more like a lighter day pack which has its advantages.
3. The FR details are great and really well thought out. One thing I noticed right off the bat is that the water bottle holders are a slightly (mm’s) bigger circumference than WW, which makes getting at your bottles a little bit easier. The WW is hard to operate one handed. The zippered shell pockets are nice but note that I’ve never needed them in my WW in several years of use. But having zippers makes peeps feel better. The smallest integrated pockets on the FR are more useable than the WW which are so narrow and stiff, they’re borderline useless. I keep my ear plugs and windicator in the small pockets and welcome the improvement.
4. The WW comes with a bit more built in storage, where as FR offers the equivalent in optional accessories. Keep this in mind relative to your own needs and wants and the price at checkout. I carry a lot of stuff, so I’d give the storage nod to WW in terms of capacity and comfort under load. When I used to guide pheasant hunting, that storage and weight bearing in the WW was fantastic…8 roosters is a lot of weight. But that’s no longer my priority.
5. There are a LOT of similar features. I doubt that Mr. Davis would deny adopting some of the placement and features of the WW. D Rings, molle straps, shoulder accessory straps are all fairly identical. This isn’t a knock as different doesn’t always mean better!
Overall: I’d liken it to anything else…if you appreciate beef and things that are overbuilt, the WW vest is your jam. If you do a lot of Chukar or blue grouse hunting and want a faster, lighter feeling vest, the FR is a better choice. I’d give the edge to WW in load bearing and storage but FR wins in modularity and weight.
Both are really good vests…you can’t go wrong with either. I’ll likely use the WW as my “big hunt” vest when I know I’ll be out all day and need to carry enough food, water, etc. But the FR wins in my average 2-3 hour hunt, especially for Chukar when weight really sucks.
