Offseason gear upgrades

[3pointer]

I did most of my upgrading last year , +1 on not using the cheese clothe game bags , my partner had them and it seemed like it expose the meat to the flys , I used same nice game bags made by Allen , they wer a little heavy, suggestions are welcome,
Happy new year everyone, great post

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Finally getting caught up on this thread, thanks for all the great responses!

Nothing major for me, most of my recent purchases have been towards re loading components, thats what I'm really into at the moment but theres a few other small things I've gotten after a lot of thought, I got a titanium cooking pot to replace my older one, I got a patagonia nano puff pullover which is awesome.

Which pot did you end up going with? Were you already running a ti pot or did you upgrade from aluminum?

Got a ton of stuff for my western kit now let's just see if I can get out there this year

Get after it brother!

I did most of my upgrading last year , +1 on not using the cheese clothe game bags , my partner had them and it seemed like it expose the meat to the flys , I used same nice game bags made by Allen , they wer a little heavy, suggestions are welcome,
Happy new year everyone, great post

Those are the exact two reasons I decided to go with the TAG bags, will let you know when they get here but from my understanding flys can't lay blow through them and they're super lightweight.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Finally getting caught up on this thread, thanks for all the great responses!



Which pot did you end up going with? Were you already running a ti pot or did you upgrade from aluminum?




Get after it brother!




Those are the exact two reasons I decided to go with the TAG bags, will let you know when they get here but from my understanding flys can't lay blow through them and they're super lightweight.

I got a towns titanium pot, I had an aluminum one that came with my MSR stove. I didn’t have any problems with the aluminum one, I am just looking to cut a bit of weight here and there where I can.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

I got a towns titanium pot, I had an aluminum one that came with my MSR stove. I didn’t have any problems with the aluminum one, I am just looking to cut a bit of weight here and there where I can.

Ya I'm in the same boat, do you happen to know how much weight you actually did shave with that swap out?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Ya I'm in the same boat, do you happen to know how much weight you actually did shave with that swap out?

I can weigh it when I get home, I cant imagine its a huge amount but it all adds up, I carry a heavy tent so I need to find these small spots to cut the weight. Also, I had an REI giftcard and after walking around that place for an hour there wasnt anything I really needed or wanted other than some caribiners so I grabbed the pot.

Anyways, I'll weigh them when I get home.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

I can weigh it when I get home, I cant imagine its a huge amount but it all adds up, I carry a heavy tent so I need to find these small spots to cut the weight. Also, I had an REI giftcard and after walking around that place for an hour there wasnt anything I really needed or wanted other than some caribiners so I grabbed the pot.

Anyways, I'll weigh them when I get home.

Thanks man, much appreciated! I just ate some weight on the shelter side of things too so shaving a few ounces here and there wherever I can.

 

[3pointer]

Finally getting caught up on this thread, thanks for all the great responses!



Which pot did you end up going with? Were you already running a ti pot or did you upgrade from aluminum?




Get after it brother!




Those are the exact two reasons I decided to go with the TAG bags, will let you know when they get here but from my understanding flys can't lay blow through them and they're super lightweight.

Stay in touch

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Thanks man, much appreciated! I just ate some weight on the shelter side of things too so shaving a few ounces here and there wherever I can.

The toaks pot weighs 3.4oz and the msr weighs 6.3oz so it’s about a 3oz savings.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

The toaks pot weighs 3.4oz and the msr weighs 6.3oz so it’s about a 3oz savings.

Nice, those extra few ounces can sure add up quick!

 

[jkdrgn]

View attachment 144029

This is the jacket you used?

Yes, looks the same other than mine is gray.

 

[John Herrera]

I just ditched my old heavy knife and got a Havalon. Looking to get a Kirafu Fulcrum this year.

 

[canyonhunter47]

I should probably get better rain gear. Last season my old jacket soaked thru in a long day of wet snow/cold rain. Luckily I was wearing a primaloft jacket under but I still got real cold. I could try refreshing the DWR but it’s pretty old anyways.

Not sure what I want tho, probably just wait to see what I draw before committing $$

Prana Zion pants are great for hiking in. If your push alot of prickly shit they are a little thin.

Blood washes out of them nicely. Quick drying.

They are a hippie company, so I just ordered online.

They’re good pants. Prana is owned by Columbia to market to hipsters

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

I should probably get better rain gear. Last season my old jacket soaked thru in a long day of wet snow/cold rain. Luckily I was wearing a primaloft jacket under but I still got real cold. I could try refreshing the DWR but it’s pretty old anyways.

Not sure what I want tho, probably just wait to see what I draw before committing $$



They’re good pants. Prana is owned by Columbia to market to hipsters

Not sure how old your primaloft jacket is but have you looked into the degradation rate on synthetic insulation at all? I was pretty surprised at what I read on that, pretty sure primaloft was one of the faster ones to go too. First lite claims 37.5 insulation is "permanent," not sure if that's supposed to imply that it won't degrade over time but I have heard from a few people that say they have had their uncompahgre for 4-6 years and haven't noticed any loss of warmth. Guess time will tell!

I'm also curious about trying out the zions for spring bear this year, are you guys running a base layer underneath them early season or next to skin?

 

[canyonhunter47]

Not sure how old your primaloft jacket is but have you looked into the degradation rate on synthetic insulation at all? I was pretty surprised at what I read on that, pretty sure primaloft was one of the faster ones to go too. First lite claims 37.5 insulation is "permanent," not sure if that's supposed to imply that it won't degrade over time but I have heard from a few people that say they have had their uncompahgre for 4-6 years and haven't noticed any loss of warmth. Guess time will tell!

I'm also curious about trying out the zions for spring bear this year, are you guys running a base layer underneath them early season or next to skin?

Jacket was a relatively recent gift and I am careful to never compress it. I heard the FL jacket fabric is easy to tear, maybe they'll fix it this year.

I find the Zions to be on the warmer side but if it's cool and wet I'll be adding a base layer. If I do an early season fall hunt here in AZ I plan to look for a lighter alternative

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Jacket was a relatively recent gift and I am careful to never compress it. I heard the FL jacket fabric is easy to tear, maybe they'll fix it this year.

I find the Zions to be on the warmer side but if it's cool and wet I'll be adding a base layer. If I do an early season fall hunt here in AZ I plan to look for a lighter alternative

Ya I've heard the same thing, we'll see if the 2.0 earns a better rep as far as durability, 3oz heavier for no obvious reason other than added durability or warmth. Thanks, appreciate the input on the zions!

 

[Phat Cowboy]

I'm going to pick up some 15x56 binos, thats about it.

Demo Unit B.5

With our Demo Program, you can try Maven binoculars. Test our B.5 Binoculars for up to 2 weeks to decide if stock or custom optics are for you.

shop.mavenbuilt.com

Not sure what your looking to spend but I'd suggest looking into these Maven 18x56 B.5 they also have 15x's The link takes you to the Demo Unit. You purchase these at a 5% discount they in turn send you a "Demo Unit" if you so choose that this isn't the right option for you then you ship them back and they give you a full refund MINUS SHIPPING. Or you can just keep the demo for the 5% discount or they can send you a brand new pair for the added cost difference.

I love this because it gives you a chance to check out the binos in the field and you can see if this is the way you truly wan to go. And if not you get your money back. I got a pair of 12x's that I think are absolutely great fro the money. Just a suggestion that hopefully helps.

 

[Phat Cowboy]

I just ditched my old heavy knife and got a Havalon. Looking to get a Kirafu Fulcrum this year.

I got the Havalon a couple years ago I chickened out and still brought my old heavy knife the first year. Shot a nice Antelope and Muley in the same day. Used the same Havalon blade on both of them. I do my own euro mounts and even used that same blade to skin the head on the Muley and then it was shot. Last year just took the Havalon all year with a couple extra blades. Got a whitetail doe with my bow field dressed and skinned her used the same blade to field dress a Muley buck and another whitey doe in rifle season. Still have the same blade on it just put a quick hone on it and shes good. Also used it on some pheasants.

 

[Phat Cowboy]

Biggest gear upgrade will be my pack. Looking at a sawtooth 45 currently.

I'm also going to hang up the bdus I've hunted in and get some actual hunting pants. I'm trying out the wrangler hiking pants right now.

Will probably upgrade my base layer.

The most important upgrade though will be to my shooting. Definitely bumping up range time to increase my consistency.

I have several pairs of the wrangler nylon stretch pants they fit me super good that's why I'm sticking with them. I seen another post about the Prana's which I also have both the Stretch Zion & Zioneer which I used opening week of elk last year. I found them just a little too baggy IMO and we were wet the whole time hiking in and they felt like I was carrying a lot of water weight and flopping around. BUT it's becasue I was a dumbass and thought because it stopped raining and wasnt in the forcast I didn't need my gators or rain pants. Well...the grass and foliage was twice as thick in my spot than I'd ever seen before and was still saturated with rain water from the week of rain before season opened. So hopfully everyone learns from my dumbass. The Prana's dried out super fast by the fire though so it was alright.

 

[S.Clancy]

Demo Unit B.5

With our Demo Program, you can try Maven binoculars. Test our B.5 Binoculars for up to 2 weeks to decide if stock or custom optics are for you.

shop.mavenbuilt.com

Not sure what your looking to spend but I'd suggest looking into these Maven 18x56 B.5 they also have 15x's The link takes you to the Demo Unit. You purchase these at a 5% discount they in turn send you a "Demo Unit" if you so choose that this isn't the right option for you then you ship them back and they give you a full refund MINUS SHIPPING. Or you can just keep the demo for the 5% discount or they can send you a brand new pair for the added cost difference.

I love this because it gives you a chance to check out the binos in the field and you can see if this is the way you truly wan to go. And if not you get your money back. I got a pair of 12x's that I think are absolutely great fro the money. Just a suggestion that hopefully helps.

That's sweet, thanks for the info!

 

[TaylerW]

I am kinda a light weight junkie, and my largest area of improvement was my kill kit. Picked up a tyto for the fine work and a benchmade altitude along with a jimmy tarps bag set. I'm still looking for a better stove than my 8 year old jet boil flash, but it wont die....