Preferred Backcountry Bow Rests

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rds1865

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Aug 19, 2020
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Setting up a new to me Mach 1 for the 2026 fall hunting backcountry season - elk (primary), bear and mule deer.

Looking at rest options. Outside of a WB early on, I've exclusively been using drop away rests for the last several years - Trophy Taker, Hamskea Primer, Trinity & Everest or Vapor Trail 7x. Prefer simple, reliable and lightweight.

Currently being considered:

- Vapor Trail 7x
- Hamskea Primer
- Redline Guru/AAE Prophecy (not much experience with the cable driven rests - increased arrow capture is appealing over the drop away, but not something I've ever had an issue with in the field)


Your thoughts/feedback? Thanks.
 
I have a trinity on both of my bows (one of those has been on my main hunting bow since I bought it in 2020 I think?) and have used them for years without issues. So I’d have no issues using anything from Hamskea.

I personally dislike cable driven rests. Worst case I can replace the activation cord on a limb driven rest in the field much easier than a cable driven rests.

Don’t over think it.
 
I've had an Epsilon on my compound since May 2023 and it hasn't skipped a beat. I'm also lucky down here in Aus that we get to hunt a lot, so my bow spends a lot of time out bush.
The adjustment on the Epsilon is in an annoying spot if you've got a Hoyt, and it looks like that problem has been rectified with the new Hamskea R7.
If I had to buy a new rest tomorrow it'd be a Hamskea R7, without question.
 
Hamskea Hybrid Hunter with micro adjust. I’ve had one version or another since 2017 or so. Prior to that always used trophy taker smack down.
I’ve broken a couple containment cages but otherwise no functional issues.

Agree with above, limb driven for simplicity and ability to work on a cord if needed while hunting.
 
rds1865 said:
Setting up a new to me Mach 1 for the 2026 fall hunting backcountry season - elk (primary), bear and mule deer.

Looking at rest options. Outside of a WB early on, I've exclusively been using drop away rests for the last several years - Trophy Taker, Hamskea Primer, Trinity & Everest or Vapor Trail 7x. Prefer simple, reliable and lightweight.

Currently being considered:

- Vapor Trail 7x
- Hamskea Primer
- Redline Guru/AAE Prophecy (not much experience with the cable driven rests - increased arrow capture is appealing over the drop away, but not something I've ever had an issue with in the field)


Your thoughts/feedback? Thanks.
Click to expand...
I much prefer limb driven, I prefer hamskea, but I know vapor trails are very reliable too. I have had nothing but problems with cable driven, don’t like or trust them

Being the off season, I went off the rails and put the new WB pro on my bow😂 I shot biscuits back in the day and they were always flawless, been threatening to revisit the idea, so here I am. If it doesn’t stay on my bow, I’ll be getting an R7, but it’s going to take some more shooting at distance to decide

I’m kinda hoping I keep it on, I have killed plenty of critters with them when I was younger
 
Hamskea is a solid option, one I've used a lot the past 10 yrs. Last year I put a Prophecy on my RX9. Much like a limb driven, IF I need to replace the cord I can in the field. It's just girth hitched around the cable and I can adjust the slack at the rest.
 
roosiebull said:
I much prefer limb driven, I prefer hamskea, but I know vapor trails are very reliable too. I have had nothing but problems with cable driven, don’t like or trust them

Being the off season, I went off the rails and put the new WB pro on my bow😂 I shot biscuits back in the day and they were always flawless, been threatening to revisit the idea, so here I am. If it doesn’t stay on my bow, I’ll be getting an R7, but it’s going to take some more shooting at distance to decide

I’m kinda hoping I keep it on, I have killed plenty of critters with them when I was younger
Click to expand...
I’ll likely stick with the proven limb driven. As far as the whisker biscuit, heavy vaned helical arrows and frozen temps aside, how many of us would be diminished in the least by hunting with them inside of common archery hunting ranges?! Likely few to none.
 
2Stamp said:
Hamskea is a solid option, one I've used a lot the past 10 yrs. Last year I put a Prophecy on my RX9. Much like a limb driven, IF I need to replace the cord I can in the field. It's just girth hitched around the cable and I can adjust the slack at the rest.
Click to expand...

The fix in the field scenario is a solid item in the checklist. Can you share a picture or more detail about how you tie it off? Completely understand taking up the slack at the rest itself.
 
Now, more than ever with all the tuning capabilities on new compound bows, I feel like rests with any type of vertical or horizontal micro adjustable, are just not needed , a waste of weight, money as well as reliability..
Two rests that come to mind and I own both and they have been super reliable, simplistic and tough in every and all conditions are the Hamske Everest, and a vapor trail GEN7X. I have three of the former and two of the latter on all my current bows.
The original Everrest I have on my mach1 and it have been beat up on boats, planes, horses, snowmobiles, ATVs and strapped to my pack all over the place and it has never needed an adjustment never mind a failure.
 
I have a hamskea epsilon on my v3 and love it. The only knock I’d give it is how much it weighs, thing is a brick. But that being said it’s built like a panzer tank and can take a beating. If you’re concerned with weight it wouldn’t be my first choice, other than that all good things
 
I still love my QAD HDX's. The one on my PSE Freak probably has 100k arrows through it without issue. I have one on my Mathews too. It's no big deal changing the drop cord in the field if needed. I normally run mine through my cable, but putting a new one on in the field I just tie it onto the cable like a d-loop end. Then I have a small "pick" in my pack to easily pull the cord through the rest to finish setting it up.
 
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