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

[RancherJohn]

I'll echo a few things others have said...

K4 frame and Terratorn bag -with roughly 35 days of big game hunting on this bag so far, it's my easily my favorite for everything from afternoon coyote sits to multi-day backpacking trips (early through late season). I have had various Kifaru frames & bags for the last 8 or 10 years, this frame and bag blows all of them out of the water in both fit and fast, quiet access to gear when stopping to glass. It was very apparent when hunting with others how much quicker I was able to set up and re-pack to get moving again.

Blr10b binos - Picked these up in March, carry them almost every day of the week either in a SG harness or riding in the truck. Going from spotting to ranging to shooting in a matter of seconds has been great, and accounted for quite a few coyotes that otherwise would've gotten away. It's been a great addition when spotting and guiding for others as well, letting me focus more on the animal and what the shooter is doing vs juggling different devices and drop charts.

 

[Rkilgore]

Many people have already mentioned it but I really enjoyed the MDT Mountain bipod. Both animals I took this year utilized the extreme versatility of this bipod.

Two years in a row i have used the Fenix HM50R headlamp with Nightcore rechargeable batteries. very handy setup to be able to pull a battery out and charge it in your pack or pocket while still being able to do nighttime packouts.

 

[rafiki]

sig stabilized binos - greatly improved experience when glassing freehand. only weird thing I’ve experienced is the battery indicator went yellow (low) on me when I didn’t happen to have a spare and stabilization was a little wobbly but next day was back green and has remained green since. carry an extra cr2 jic.

OV pants & midlayer - love the pants and wear them at least 3x/wk. they’ve held up busting brush with only very minor pilling and have been comfortable from 75 down to 20 degree temps. the body mapping on the midlayer is a noticeable improvement coming from the sitka ambient. i did not get the puffy as i bought the katabatic gear one last year and absolutely love that thing. comparing it to my buddy’s OV..seems like it has more down fill or at least higher FP as the baffles are “puffier” and face fabric seems a bit tougher but would need to verify both on specs. If the katabatic didn’t have sewn thru baffles it would be perfect imo.


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[COJoe]

SG Sky Solus 1P took a beating this year in October with rain, hail and winds. I sent it in for a repair of a couple threads that broke, probably during a nickel size hail storm one night. But other than that, it is a strong, cozy tent. No leaks after tons of rain in October and then snow in November.

I made my own meals this year with freeze dried ground beef and dehydrated sweet potatoes. I used ziplock quart freezer bags and then used this very handy pouch to keep them warm. For a couple ounces it was well worth it.

Amazon.com

Since our hunt was 4th season CO, I was unsure of the temp range we would encounter but it wasn't too bad with lows in the teens a couple mornings. I have a SG Chilkoot 15 sleeping bag but I used a Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme liner I brought with me and was almost too warm a couple nights. If the temps dropped lower it would of been very handy to have along even with the 12 oz. weight penalty.

Lastly, the Nitecore NU43 rechargeable headlamp worked very well. I had to walk four miles back to camp one night in the dark on a trail and on medium setting, it lit the trail up very well and hopefully warned the mountain lions I was coming. Low setting would have worked too but there was snow over the rocks so I didn't want to trip either. Battery life is very good on it. Also had the Nitecore Summit 10,000 for low temps, and the Poseidon 10,000, both worked well also with keeping one on me and one in my tent.

 

[JasonWi]

Duckworth powder hoody. Kept me very comfortable in a wide variety of weather conditions and should last for years

Flextail zero pump. Awesome being able to inflate your aipad at 11k in a matter of seconds without hyperventilating.

 

[Davyalabama]

I'm 60, been hunting for 56 years, I have enough "stuff" to outfit a lot of you "newbies," but I still break stuff out just for nostalgia.

New Optics--- Zeiss, Terra, 8x25, fits in cargo pocket for turkey hunting. Oh, I used these things also for tree stand hunting where visibility, but minimalistic is required. Got these at a great deal back during turkey season at MIDW$% ---- just wow for the small size.

New Clothing -- end of season sales last year, way off market price -- Sitka traverse, nice lightweight for hot turkey hunting or deer season ---- stay out of briars, though. Forloh, All Clima, these are a winner in my book, just wow!!!!!!!

New cartridge --- My old standby's are getting hard to find -- Winchester silvertips --- Anyway, tried out the Norma bondstrike ----- like these a lot. I've tried them on some whitetails out to 300 yards, high shoulder shot is devastating. I haven't tried them on a good buck, yet. I've sat in a house, changed out from my silver tips to a Norma to shoot. These and the silvertips, my gun shoots almost exactly in the same spot, so I'm comfortable changing out in a moments notice. They have also worked on hogs, 150 is my longest shot on a hog.

Newest pieces of kit for the SXS --- I'm trying out an inexpensive battery powered chainsaw. Senix from Am%^&*. The wife and grandbaby went with me trail riding a few weeks ago, the wife see's me having to cut trees out of the path with a bush axe, one was about 20" around, yep with a bush axe. It's fine, just keep it sharp, the worst are those stupid floppy ones that are dead and whip back at you, the limbs that is. Why I don't keep the doubled bladed axe with me at ALLLLLL times is beyond me, the bush axe is better for higher stuff anyway, she's asking about if I do this a lot, "Yeah, I do." After a good rain or winds, things blow down. They have to be moved by somebody. She starts complaining about hernia surgery, eye surgeries, torn bicep surgery, yep been through them all. So, she bought me something I could use. I need to take her with me more often if that's going to happen.

Shooting --- green dot stickers -- dark green, no UV -- cut down to about a 1/4", put on top middle of left glass on my glasses ------ This little piece, no more winking my left eye to shoot shotguns. Dadgum almost missed another turkey this year for seeing down the stupid "wrong side" of the barrel. I actually tried this out on pigeons around our place, oh my goodness. Both eyes are open, looking down the barrel with my right eye again, yep, I'm all for this!!!!!! Now you have to play with it to get it in the right spot, once you have it, you know where to put a piece if something happens. The problem I have, is I never know which eye is going to be the dominant eye at any given time. Sometimes the right eye is fine, sometimes it isn't. Eyes aren't the greatest and dry eyes can wreak havoc in the field.

 

[bowkill]

I switched to a 10 degree EE quilt this year. I love it. Never been comfortable in a bag. I used it a couple weeks ago on a mule deer hunt down below zero sleeping in my puffies. Warm as could be!

 

[SodakJay]

I bought an Allterra X this summer in 7 PRC. I put a Zeiss V4 on it and a Banish suppressor (which I also just got this year).

 

[43.6N]

Actually, honorable mention. Salewa boots, replaced my Lapponi 3 boots with a pale of salewas, so glad I did. Regret not changing them out last year. The Crispis just destroyed my heels and the front of my heel.

Same, I’m done with crispi

 

[ol490]

Swarovski NL Pure 10x32’s. I’ve used nothing but Swaro for 20 years including SLC’s, EL’s, EL SV’s, and range TA’s.
These are pure joy to handle, carry, and use. Probable not anywhere near a “necessary” upgrade but glad I did.

 

[willfrye027]

It was not my first year using them but by far the most likely to influence the outcome of a hunt for me are my STC big eyes. Used them so far on 8ish hunts/scouting trips, roughly 50 days, with one more to go in January. Since I end up hunting a lot of random/easy to get tags and new spots, they really help break down vasts amounts of country and get me into the game quickly.

 

[WyldGoose]

It was not my first year using them but by far the most likely to influence the outcome of a hunt for me are my STC big eyes. Used them so far on 8ish hunts/scouting trips, roughly 50 days, with one more to go in January. Since I end up hunting a lot of random/easy to get tags and new spots, they really help break down vasts amounts of country and get me into the game quickly.

View attachment 980573

What puffy is that your boy has on? I’m currently shopping for the kid’s winter clothes…

 

[Bluumoon]

Barefoot boots - Forest ESCs by far the most beneficial change I made this year. I’ve tried a number of different “mountain boots”, they all hurt my feet by the end of the day. I don’t even feel the need to take off the ESCs when I get to camp. No issues packing 1/2 cow elk x 2 for a few miles. Did wet out in snow, gortex socks are prob the answer.

Teratorn- not a monumental leap like the boots, but everything is where it should be and quickly accessible.

Dixie Zipper- forget what I’m using in the best possible way

Meopta 15s - price was right and when compared to the Swaro STCs I couldn’t find a reason to keep the STC, less comfortable viewing and no real benefit w increased mag. Admittedly I plan to baby these as customer service is pretty much gone.

GastroGnome meals- outstanding. Except the green curry- I love curry, but that stuff was gross (too much cumin).

Swazi Waipiti Jacket- limited use, but stayed comfortable and safe in mid 30s blasting rain. I would chose a different model w out the big pockets at hip belt level. American companies need to take note, the thigh length jacket is far superior. The Japanese fishing gloves, Swazi jacket, waders and barefoot boots were the ticket for AK tundra.

Swazi wool sweater- held up well through the fall, oak brush hell did manage one small hole I need to fix. Good temp range usage 50s-low 30s. Def not active wear.

22CM/6CM- both worked w less than ideal positioning and allowed quick follow up shots. 6CM will likely be where I land for the foreseeable future.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Barefoot boots - Forest ESCs by far the most beneficial change I made this year. I’ve tried a number of different “mountain boots”, they all hurt my feet by the end of the day. I don’t even feel the need to take off the ESCs when I get to camp. No issues packing 1/2 cow elk x 2 for a few miles. Did wet out in snow, gortex socks are prob the answer.

Teratorn- not a monumental leap like the boots, but everything is where it should be and quickly accessible.

Dixie Zipper- forget what I’m using in the best possible way

Meopta 15s - price was right and when compared to the Swaro STCs I couldn’t find a reason to keep the STC, less comfortable viewing and no real benefit w increased mag. Admittedly I plan to baby these as customer service is pretty much gone.

GastroGnome meals- outstanding. Except the green curry- I love curry, but that stuff was gross (too much cumin).

Swazi Waipiti Jacket- limited use, but stayed comfortable and safe in mid 30s blasting rain. I would chose a different model w out the big pockets at hip belt level. American companies need to take note, the thigh length jacket is far superior. The Japanese fishing gloves, Swazi jacket, waders and barefoot boots were the ticket for AK tundra.

Swazi wool sweater- held up well through the fall, oak brush hell did manage one small hole I need to fix. Good temp range usage 50s-low 30s. Def not active wear.

22CM/6CM- both worked w less than ideal positioning and allowed quick follow up shots. 6CM will likely be where I land for the foreseeable future.

Which Swazi sweater? I’ve used “the hood” in the past but it’s been swapped out for more versatile mid layers as of late.

 

[schmalzy]

Same, I’m done with crispi

I still like my crispis but Salewa fit my feet better and half the price. Very happy with them.


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[Bluumoon]

Which Swazi sweater? I’ve used “the hood” in the past but it’s been swapped out for more versatile mid layers as of late.

“Cairnsmen” NZ wool w possum lining. I’m not sure I’d call it versatile, but I found myself reaching for it for all my truck based hunts in mild weather despite the weight. Still hunting slowly and sitting around glassing it was comfy. Santa didn’t bring me the Atlantic Rancher and exchange rates were good.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

“Cairnsmen” NZ wool w possum lining. I’m not sure I’d call it versatile, but I found myself reaching for it for all my truck based hunts in mild weather despite the weight. Still hunting slowly and sitting around glassing it was comfy. Santa didn’t bring me the Atlantic Rancher and exchange rates were good.

I’m considering giving this one a go…

Övik Waffle Knit M

Soft, warm sweater in traceable wool for everyday use and relaxed outdoor life. Produced without PFAS.

www.fjallraven.com

 

[TheLastFrontier]

Huge fan of my DCF Cimarron I got this year. I didn’t get as many trips with it this year as I would have liked but that should change in 2026. Used my 12x12 Kodiak cabin with the vestibule much more this year since I had late season tags and I was super impressed with it! Just about every time I used it I found myself saying how glad I was that I finally decided to give it a try. Really looking forward to using it more with the family on camping trips.

 

[Ashy Larry]

I still like my crispis but Salewa fit my feet better and half the price. Very happy with them.


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Wild…I got some Idahos after season last year to replace some Zamberlans that wear like ski boots. Absolutely get along with the Crispi fit and flexibility. If anyone has some Guides in 9.5 lemme know.

 

[COJoe]

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.

Have you tried the Power Lounger or just the original chair? Both look pretty promising.