the official 2017 edition of "the good, the meh, and the ugly"

[GLB]

The Good- Mountain Hardwear Fleece Bennie- Awesome
- Browning Brand Wool Blend Socks- Awesome
- Kuiu Puffy, Great for the pack to knock off the chill.
- Carbon Express Arrows 150 and 250, as a "Traditional Bowhunter" I have always made my own and used wood arrows. This year I decided to try carbon for my Recurve and Longbow and very happy with the results.

The Bad- Nightforce rubber scope covers for a older NXS 2.5x10x32 I have on a hunting rifle- Horrible

 

[Cant hit em]

the official 2017 edition of "the good, the meh, and the ugly"

Good - Viam Quilt , Sitka Kelvin lite hoody , Salomon Quest 4d gtx

Meh - elite energy 32 me and the grip are at odds , neoair loud and got a hole but easy to use and lite

Ugly - onx for the phone was no good for me after they upgraded


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[Molon Labe]

Good-zip off puffy pants. Why haven't I used them before? Amazing.
-one inch closed cell foam pad for glassing. Comfy, simple, warm, light, indestructible
-first light brimmed beany. Wore for 29days straight not washing and just awesome.
-successful hunts. Filled 2 of 4 tags with book animals. And got to hunt over 40 days
-OR alpine bivy. Comfy/roomy enough for 17hrs straight rain and snow.

Meh-kennetreks only lasted a season. Not water proof anymore and cut up way too bad.

Ugly-Kuiu guide gloves. Not meant for sheep hunting. Wore through to skin in 4 days.
-relying on sunlight to charge electronics. Not making that mistake again.
-exped lite pad...two baffles popped. Great customer service though for replacement

 

[JohnnyB]

Good- Tikka tx3 lite, dollar for dollar best hunting investment I have made thus far.
First Lite Uncompagrhe on clearance at Midway USA for 117 and free shipping
Seeing three different moose while bear hunting in Montana, totally unexpected but awesome.

Meh- Eberlestock Nosegunner bino harness, big and bulky
Onx hunt app, wanted to ditch my gps but after the update it was too glitchy

Bad- didn't expect so much hostility from people in Montana when they noticed my CA plates. i have always been a little dismissive about racism and bigotry but getting just a sliver of some ignorance has caused me to rethink my own attitude.

 

[tttoadman]

GOOD:
AGC cub max
Tikka with a cerakote job
Bushnell Elite 6500
My Stone Glacier / Kifaru Frankenpack. Was really great all year.
Ravpower 22000 battery Pack
Lowa Tibets and Lowa Hunters. Performed as expected.
Kenetrek gaiters.
All of my Core4 clothes. Still going strong.
Delorme Inreach. I love this thing!!
Kerosene heater in the wall tent. Simple and easy to use. Easy on space.
Sitka Jetstream Lite. My favorite pc to wear all day.

MEH:
The Rino 530HCX. They are actually starting to die I think. Still awesome, but showing some signs of failure.
Six Moons Solo LE. Tough and light weight. Looking to step up to a Silvertip to get more room inside.
OR Foray rain pants. They do a good job, and dry fast, but they are not "watertight".

Bad:
Columbia Rain jacket. It wets out in a couple hours. i am so done.
Goal Zero Nomad 7 panel: charges slowly, but I don't think it charges enough to justify the carry.
My shooting skills. Had a great opportunity at a great bull this year and screwed it up.

 

[mtwarden]

Bad- didn't expect so much hostility from people in Montana when they noticed my CA plates. i have always been a little dismissive about racism and bigotry but getting just a sliver of some ignorance has caused me to rethink my own attitude.

sorry to hear that; there is definitely some anti-California bias here- pretty sad to judge someone by the plates they have on their vehicle

 

[jolemons]

Good - using a kerosene heater while truck camping, leuko tape, Heather's Choice and Honey Stinger chews, merino wool Buff, OnX app

Meh - I've sortedout most of the mediocre gear this year.

Bad - Goal Zero solar panel, a power bank is the way to go.

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[sndmn11]

Good: Leupold Pro4x binoculars, Maven B2 binoculars, Firs Lite Kanab2s and Corrugates, Seek Outside Revolution Frame, Peregrine, Merlin, RedCliff.
Meh: Lite Outdoors stove; assembly was too difficult in the field and I was unable to boil water on it. It did get a rip roaring fire going and kept me warm the one night I used it, but I think the space between the rods (and subsequently the pot) was a detriment to water boiling,
Bad: Maven C1 and Salmon Quest GTX boots, they let water in after a rain.

 

[ChrisS]

Good: MBG 3-pin ascent slider. I love this sight.

Meh: FL Obsidians. I've got big thighs, I cannot lie. One season and the stitching/fabric is getting worn out in the crotch - plus I gashed a big hole in the inner thigh when I was crossing over some deadfall and snagged a branch. I like pocket layout a lot better than kanab's. Could do without the zippers though, seems that they would catch on things. I just want a pair of BDUs in wool whipcord with a little flex.

Bad: Camping/hunting solo. Just isn't for me. I need to do some mental exercises or something. I dayhunt just fine by myself, prefer it for the most part, but make it a trip and I can talk myself off the mountain in a flash.

 

[twall13]

Good: Leupold Pro4x binoculars, Maven B2 binoculars, Firs Lite Kanab2s and Corrugates, Seek Outside Revolution Frame, Peregrine, Merlin, RedCliff.
Meh: Lite Outdoors stove; assembly was too difficult in the field and I was unable to boil water on it. It did get a rip roaring fire going and kept me warm the one night I used it, but I think the space between the rods (and subsequently the pot) was a detriment to water boiling,
Bad: Maven C1 and Salmon Quest GTX boots, they let water in after a rain.

That's the first I've heard of anyone not liking the Maven C series Binos. Care to elaborate on what you didn't like? I was considering getting a pair for my son on his birthday.

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[Desk Jockey]

The good - tikka t3x in 6.5 that put all my other rifles to shame. Sitka timberline pants and jet stream jacket are my new favorite hunting duds.

The meh - Kifaru woodsman on a 22 inch frame. Can’t seem to get it to carry as well as some other short frame packs I like. Black ovis let me down on a pair of Crispi Boots that were supposed to be wides but weren’t. The first person I contacted tried to Jedi mind trick me into thinking they were mislabeled but were really wides. The next person gave me a refund but I never got the boots I ordered and the pain in the ass factor was too high.

The bad - I still didn’t get my western dream hunt but next year is looking good. The whitetail action back east was weird due to a warm October and November. I got one down but Pass some shots earlier in the season that I wish I would have taken.

 

[ljalberta]

The Good:

- Slc 10x42. The hype is real.
- EE quilt. Best backcountry sleeps I've ever had.
- Kifaru gun-bearer. Can't see myself ever going without this.
- Inreach. Game changer for solo hunting (happy wife).

The meh:

- MSR microrocket stove. Super light, but obviously struggles in the wind, which was expected. Unexpected was for one of the metal supports to bend. MSR is usually pretty great for warranty, although I haven't sent it in yet.
- Borah ultralight bivy. Mine is regular length/width. The sewing and customer service of Borah gear is great, but there are a few design things about this bivy that I don't really like.
- Nikon ED50 13-40x. For the money the glass seems pretty great, but there is some noticeable dust inside the objective on mine. Also, the FOV, eye relief, and upper magnification clarity leaves quite a bit to be desired (as expected at this price range). Will continue to use it until I can afford an alpha spotter.
- Mountainsmith LT. Great value shelter. I'm not a fan of the mesh over rear vent (can cut it out easily) or the short distance between poles. Great way to try going floorless, but I'll be moving on eventually.


The ugly:

- OR ultralight dry bag. Thing ripped every time I brushed it against a blade of grass it seemed. I think I just need something a little more durable for my use.
- Food. I need to spruce up my game in this area. I get so sick of the food I bring by the 3rd day it seems.

 

[kicker338]

Good bad then good bad. The good, got an EZV sight last spring worked very well. The bad,elk hunting here in Nth Id. stunk this past season. Bad #2 trans started going out in my old 2006 f150 a wk. befor hunting season started. The good, got a new 2017 f150 ecoboost, man does that thing have power. The bad, someone want to make payments for me ??? LOL.

 

[SLDMTN]

Cool to see this come up again, I enjoy reading how things performed for other people.

The Good:
Switched to a Kifaru exclusively this year and it was a monumental improvement over my old freighter. Packed out a sheep, buffalo and a wolf, each time I couldn't have asked for a better frame.

The Meh:
Newer style Sitka Timberline pants. I own the original version and I really like the integrated belt. I suffer from noassatall syndrome and I forgot to bring a belt on my sheep hunt. I spent the entire hunt pulling my pants back up. The rest of the pant is great though.

The Ugly:
Convincing my Dad to take a shortcut packing my sheep out this year. We packed an animal out that route a few years ago and I remember it being a good option. This year it was hell on earth with the brush being thicker and a storm trying to blow us off the mountain. I hiked far enough ahead so I couldn't hear him call me a mistake haha!

 

[Greg Beck]

Good....
Breaking the curse by taking my first mule deer!
Kenetreck boots and gaiters
Tripod for binos
Thermarest pad to sit on while glassing in the snow all day

Meh....
Nothing really

Ugly...

Esbit stove... Messy, takes forever, stinks... Second year using it and it got thrown away

 

[Huntindog45]

Good- Tikka tx3 lite, dollar for dollar best hunting investment I have made thus far.
First Lite Uncompagrhe on clearance at Midway USA for 117 and free shipping
Seeing three different moose while bear hunting in Montana, totally unexpected but awesome.

Meh- Eberlestock Nosegunner bino harness, big and bulky
Onx hunt app, wanted to ditch my gps but after the update it was too glitchy

Bad- didn't expect so much hostility from people in Montana when they noticed my CA plates. i have always been a little dismissive about racism and bigotry but getting just a sliver of some ignorance has caused me to rethink my own attitude.

I will never forget when I moved to montana for school and the things I would hear when my california residency came up...my favorite will always be "have you ever seen it snow before"....but that was just funny (and showed how little people who never left the county they were born in know about the rest of the country)...some of it was downright ridiculous, and hostile.

 

[Big Nasty]

The Good:
SLC 10X42
Hanwag Boots
Stone glacier Sky talus 6900 pack
Inreach
Nemo Salsa sleeping bag
Havelon Knife

Meh:
kuiu bino harness
Vortex Razor HD 16x48 spotter- Not the clearest and very small sweet spot.

the ugly:
Sirui CS ball head- the tripod is great but that head was horrible, already changed it out.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

The Good: Trekking poles, the Kuiu Icon Pro as both a day pack and 2-3 nighter, and a filled California deer tag.

The Meh: My shooting. Got the job done but I need to work on it.

The Ugly: My fitness.

Between the Meh and the Ugly, I need to work on myself more than my gear this year.


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[Hall256]

Good:

Bad: Camping/hunting solo. Just isn't for me. I need to do some mental exercises or something. I dayhunt just fine by myself, prefer it for the most part, but make it a trip and I can talk myself off the mountain in a flash.

Whoa whoa...you cannot admit that on here. You're suppose to say how you hike 28 miles in to the Backcountry solo on a 10 day hunt, killed 3 elk, and pack them out yourself....LOL.

In all honesty I have had some issues with that in the past...especially on East coast hunts where you don't have to go in to far and getting out/going home is pretty easy/quick. A trick that helped me is to either keep myself busy, or I play a pod cast on my phone (a little Newburg or Gritty) just to break it up.

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[Hall256]

As for the good, the meh, and the bad this seasons....

Good:
Lone Wolf Climber. This was my first year hiking in with a climber, and the lone wolf did a decent job. My only regret was not getting the wider seat...I am a skinny guy, and their regular seat is slightly small.

Lite Outdoors Stove. This was my first full season using it...one of my best purchases.

Meh - FL Sawtooth Jacket. It is not bad, just not great for my set up...and the arms/sleeves are pretty tight.

Bad: Nothing this year really failed....so at least i have that going for me.