Share Your “Gear of the Year” Winners For 2025!

[rogerdoger]

On the Sparrow, once it’s sitting on the trekking pole, how secure is it. If you are not paying attention and your pole tips a little one way or the other, is there a risk of your binos falling off?

It is not locked in at all, just sits in there. If pole tipped it would fall off. That is the downfall. I didn’t necessarily use it for my goto glassing for long periods just for short periods when I needed to stabilize. If I ended up staying in that spot to glass I got my tripod setup going. I used the wiser quick stix and third leg that are pretty slick as well, not as good as a full blown tripod but really light. Will keep using it. The downfall to the quick stix/tripod setup is the clip you use. It can be placed in third leg to make up the tripod or put on rifle for a bipod. My dumb ass left the clip on a glassing point so I was shit out of luck my last two days of the hunt. In the pic you can see I even painted it orange so I would see it better if I set it down during transition.

 

[TSAMP]

Upgraded from an old army cot to the Davis big boy. Finally was able to get a decent sleep. For sure the biggest upgrade of the year.

What makes that cot better? It looks similar to my army cot, but im wondering if im missing out.

 

[sndmn11]

Stone Glacier reflex gaiters.

Reflex Gaiters

Ideal for early season scouting and mild-weather hunts, the Reflex Gaiters feature an adjustable elastic top and a low-profile buckle, creating a snug seal around your calf that reduces noise from fabric friction, repels moisture, and keeps rocks, dirt, and debris on the ground where they...

www.stoneglacier.com

Keep stuff out of my shoes, are waterproof, and completely unnoticeable.


Beyond wind shirt

L4 | Ridgeline Wind Shirt

Technical Features Wind-Resistant Water-Resistant Highly Compressible Design Details Super light, compresses to the size of a beer can Stowable hood with shock cord and cord lock 4-way stretch underarm gusset Left zippered chest pockets Elastic wrist cuffs Half-zip in front for breathability...

beyondclothing.com

Whether upland or the few days I helped with deer and elk, it was always on.


I played with a Weatherby Orion SxS this year, and had a lot of success.

https://www.rokslide.com/weatherby-orion-sxs-shotgun-review/

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Stone Glacier reflex gaiters.

Reflex Gaiters

Ideal for early season scouting and mild-weather hunts, the Reflex Gaiters feature an adjustable elastic top and a low-profile buckle, creating a snug seal around your calf that reduces noise from fabric friction, repels moisture, and keeps rocks, dirt, and debris on the ground where they...

www.stoneglacier.com

Keep stuff out of my shoes, are waterproof, and completely unnoticeable.


Beyond wind shirt

L4 | Ridgeline Wind Shirt

Technical Features Wind-Resistant Water-Resistant Highly Compressible Design Details Super light, compresses to the size of a beer can Stowable hood with shock cord and cord lock 4-way stretch underarm gusset Left zippered chest pockets Elastic wrist cuffs Half-zip in front for breathability...

beyondclothing.com

Whether upland or the few days I helped with deer and elk, it was always on.


I played with a Weatherby Orion SxS this year, and had a lot of success.

https://www.rokslide.com/weatherby-orion-sxs-shotgun-review/

Any feedback on those gaiters in rough country like AZ? Where everything is trying to scratch and poke you to death?

 

[sndmn11]

Any feedback on those gaiters in rough country like AZ? Where everything is trying to scratch and poke you to death?

The closest I get is bird hunting in the weeds. They are ankle height, though. Of all the the gaiters I have tried these and the superfabric Hillsounds are the most protective.

Super Armadillo Nano™ Gaiters [US]

Super Armadillo Nano is a top-of-the-line gaiter with a thermoregulation and self-cleaning feature embedded in the upper section. The material adjusts to your temperature - keeps you warm or cools you off as needed and no water or dirt gets absorbed by the material. The upper section is paired...

hillsound.com

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

My favorite piece of gear would have to be one of the most simple. A naked Alpha Direct hoody from Farpointe in 60 GSM weight, the lightest offered.

It’s almost magic how it keeps you warm, even when worn on its own, all while breathing extremely well. You can feel cold wind coming right though, but you’re still warm. Throw a light wind shell over the top and it becomes the perfect active layer for even temps in the 20’s.

To top it off, it’s amazing to sleep in as well.

Sub $100

I find myself using these pieces more than an alpha direct lined shell like the Dynafit that I’ve recommended before or even the new Outdoor Vitals hybrid alpha pullover, which is also very good, but too warm for me on anything but late season/winter.

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

Wiser Precision Ridge Warden and Aziak Backcountry Lite Tripod - very light, reliable and not crazy expensive(compared to some tripods/heads)

Western Mountaineering Terralite 6'6 25deg bag - provides a lot of room which is great for a side sleeper like me, spent about 3 weeks sleeping in it and have another 2 weeks coming up in January.

NL 14x52s - very nice binos, they are not out of this world better than the 15x56HDs but they are an improvement with weight reduction, smaller size and increased FOV over the older 15xs.

Those were the big changes, I have also been dabbling in shorter barrels, folding stocks, and smaller calibers but I am not completely convinced that I absolutely have to have them or that they are worth the high cost(folding stocks).

 

[SUD1988]

My favorite new piece of gear was the Epoch Outdoors Mountain Mag digiscope attachment. Used it on both my binos and spotter, and it let me quickly and easily capture a lot of photos I couldn’t capture before.

I could get it on my binos in seconds and be filming a shot or taking a photo of a deer or elk. My only fear is that I’m going to lose one of the eye pieces or the adapter, as they are kind of expensive.

I love them as well. Really awesome product.

 

[PoniBoy]

Vivobarefoot Tracker Forest ESC - Absolutely loves these boots. Tons of miles put on them primarily early season scouting, but also performed great on a couple of hunts mid season. Zero issues with the boots or my feet.

https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/tracker-forest-esc-mens-aw22?colour=Forest%20Bracken

OMR 6mm Creedmoor Barrel - Put it on a Tikka .243 T3x. Had a touch of buyers remorse and was a little nervous spending that kind of $ on a barrel, especially with the short life span of a 6 CM. It’s been a tack driver and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

Tikka Prefit Carbon Fiber Barrels - Oregon Mountain Rifle Co

MOST TIKKA BARRELS ARE READY TO SHIP IN 6-8 WEEKS

omrifles.com

Crazy Creek HEX 2.0 Chair - Stoped packing in chairs on backpack hunts for a while. This thing has been in my pack every trip since I bought it. Weighs 1lb, rolls up and is easy to strap on my pack. Love glassing from this chair vs the Helinox style.

Amazon.com

 

[SUD1988]

I really liked this tripod head.

It comes with a lifetime warranty. I can’t wait to pair it with a Slik 632 next year.

Fluid Head