Top 5 gear items that help you hunt more efficiently/comfortably

[Hatchet Jack]

Good thread! Being a couple years out of college I am still working on building up my collection of quality huntin gear, but here is what I have so far found to be my most valuable 5:
1. High end 15x binos- I hunt entirely in Az, UT, WY, Co, NM (soon) and these are frikkin sweet. After a week on an elk hunt in Wyoming, my dad and brother are saving up to get a pair.
2. Good CF tripod with quality pan head to mount binos- makes glassing a pleasure and I see way more of everything.
3. Glassing pad; or stool if I'm not going in too far. Recently started using and it makes a world of difference if you're comfortable when you're glassing.
4. Good sturdy boots - Lowa Rangers, not too bulky but stiff enough for the rough Arizona terrain. Great boots.
5. Good layering system - I use Core4 cuz it's cheap now and Ice breaker merino. It sure beats packing around a carhartt coat like I used to.
Honorable Mention: Trekking poles, bought a cheap pair to see if they are worth it. Definitely were worth it packing out a big bear this year. Saved me from tumbling a few times.

 

[ssssnake529]

1. McHale backpack: Nothing else comes close when carrying out heavy loads, and it converts easily into a smaller compact pack for stalking.

McHale Alpine Style Packs


2. Dachstein wool fingerless gloves with fold-over mitten and thumb covers. Warm, durable, comfortable. Easily converts from full mittens to fingerless gloves when you need to shoot or do anything else that requires fine manipulation.

Dachstein Woolwear Boiled Wool Mittens with Finger Caps, Size 8.0, Green at Amazon Men’s Clothing store:


3. Gatewood cape shelter/poncho. Ultralight single person tarp shelter that also functions as a poncho/pack cover when it's really pouring rain.

Gatewood Cape - Six Moon Designs

4. Suunto Ambit 2 GPS watch. A GPS on my wrist, makes navigation simple and fast, even at night, in heavy timber.

Ambit 2 | Mediocre Mountaineering


5. Delorme InReach Explorer. Ability to send and receive messages when far outside of cellphone range provides peace of mind for me and my wife. Especially important because I generally hunt solo.

DeLorme inReach - Two-way satellite text messaging, tracking and SOS anywhere in the world

 

[Tag_Soup]

Tag, do you have a picture of the Therm-a-rest that you modified?

Currently packed away in the garage, but I'll try to get one while I'm away on paternity leave the next few weeks. It doesn't really look any different, just has 4" deep cuts(measured from the edges of the pad) along the joints so that my bands can slip into the joint while one or more sections are folded out. The hot metal banding just helps keep the joint from tearing. The first one I did ripped along seam starting at the cut after a few uses.


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[Tsnider]

1 bino harness
2 leatherman wave - this counts for life in general. i cant believe i survive this long without this thing. i carry the bits for my bow as well, which came in handy this year. heavy but im alright with that. will come in handy for the Havalon at some point too.
3 wilderness athelete helped me a lot.
4 hippie snacks from vitamin cottage. less sugar seems to help me along.
5 dont know about a 5th.

 

[DB_Idaho]

Lots of great stuff and hard to add. Since this is a gear list I'll add that my favorite thing to take hunting is a 2nd backpack, which happens to be attached to the back of a good friend that can carry as much or more weight than I can

 

[zach_c]

quality binos
broken in boots (lowa)
warm down bag for a satisfying nights rest (WM & Marmot)
kifaru pack (g2 longhunter)
bino harness (fhf)

 

[Lukeyn]

Need more ideas. Maybe some pro's can chime in.

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[SHTF]

In no particular order......

A good sleep system. I'm a big fat bastard & fit most sleeping bags like a champagne cork. Switching (last year) to a quilt & good quality pad, coupled with a good, floorless tent, had kept me hunting longer & harder than I ever thought I could.

A good dehydrator. Because Mountain House tastes like ballsack after 2 days. Being able to make my own food, in ways & quantities that I like is a freaking lifesaver.

Coffee. No explanation needed.

Good clothes & boots. I lived in various cotton camo clothes & cheap boots for for years. I finally saw the light 4 years ago & traded ALL my hunting clothes (probably 6 full outfits) for one Kuiu outfit. 2 years ago I sold a rifle to buy a pair of Lowa Tibet boots. Without a doubt, that had been the biggest revelation of my hunting life. I no longer scrimp on ANY footwear.

My Exo pack. Utterly worth every penny & if our when it wears out, I'll buy another without a second's hesitation

I have a sixth that I cannot leave out. It doesn't really pertain to western mountain hunting, but at home I use this rascal as much as I do my rifle. It's the hammock seat from Fanatic Outdoors
Without a doubt THE best $50 I've ever spent on hunting gear (no, I don't own the company!)

Rob Thank you for the post on the Hammock Seat. Just ordered one myself. Looks great. Wish it was lighter but it looks comfy. Always looking for innovative products to increase comfort in the field.

 

[Frito]

1. I second the Starbucks Via Coffee....that stuff is great while in the field. I have to have coffee at least twice a day or I get a headache.
2. Aleve liguid Gel Caps have saved me a few times.
3. Grabber foot and hand warmers.
4. Spec-Ops Recon wrap can be used as a beanie, neck gaiter. I pull it over my face if things get nasty.
5. SPOT Beacon. Keeps the wife's mind at ease and keeps me in the wilderness longer. I send several "ok" messages a day.

 

[mrgreen]

1. I second the Starbucks Via Coffee....that stuff is great while in the field. I have to have coffee at least twice a day or I get a headache.......

While I'm not a fan of Starbucks Via, I just wanted to point out that I've found taking Excedrin (contains caffeine, aspirin and acetaminophen) when I'm not able to get coffee, prevents those headaches.

 

[Frito]

While I'm not a fan of Starbucks Via, I just wanted to point out that I've found taking Excedrin (contains caffeine, aspirin and acetaminophen) when I'm not able to get coffee, prevents those headaches.

Thanks. Good to know. I'm such a coffee addict, I've often had to believe it's only coffee that prevents the headache. If I replace it with other sources of caffeine I still get the headache....if that makes any sense.

 

[mlob1one]

Hopefully a few items that don't overlap.
1. Exped schnozzle to pump my pad and double as a dry bag. Especially useful at high elevations.
2. Kifaru gun bearer. Also works with my bow.
3. Rino 650's to communicate with my boys when we are out together (with an OnX chip).
4. Big sky products dream sleeper UL pillow (4.1oz).
Big Sky DreamSleeper Deluxe Inflatable pillow - Lightweight Outdoor gear for Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, and Trekking
5. Montbell downhugger bags that give and flex like nothing else.

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[Frito]

I'll add 5 more just for fun
1. Sea to Summit Kitchen sink(folds up to the size of a fist if you want to pack it. Holds water and is most useful in camp for cleaning cast iron or making soapy water for frequent hand washing while you clean an animal near a water source)
2. Small bottle of Camp Suds(washing hands, works better than wipes and the bottle is made by Nalgene and is reusable)
3. Emergency fire kit(I carry this sometimes, even has a CampSuds bottle with EFree gasoline in case I REALLY need a fire) Also has matches, cottonballs/vasoline and a few regular firestarters along with a lighter. I've never had to use the gasoline but my buddy and I often carry a big bottle of lighter fluid to spike camp....
4. Lighter Fluid (The way we see it is, we don't hike 3.5 miles to camp with 50lbs of gear on our back to get there and fool around trying to Bear Grylls a damn campfire.)
5. Kifaru Grab-it ( If you have a pack that will wear one, why not?)

 

[Lukeyn]

Number 4 lol

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[Frito]

Number 4 lol

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Thanks for laughing. I figure many might judge me for that but right now I'm also dealing with the frustration of about 5 cords of wood at my house that must not be seasoned properly and I'm having hell starting fires in my stove. I know my chimney is pulling because I've got some of last year's aspen that burns great. I'm all about lighter fluid!

 

[Lukeyn]

We call it girl scout water

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[aclawrence]

Fire is all about the prep. Can't get around starting with some good dry tinder and working your way up. Maybe try some Vaseline Cotton balls and some fat wood.

 

[Frito]

We call it girl scout water

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Haha. I call it getting the fire going strong so we can tend to other things, and have a nice coal bed before bed. I know, I know, all you guys use a bow to start your fires at spike camp. I'll take my "girl scout water".

 

[Frito]

Fire is all about the prep. Can't get around starting with some good dry tinder and working your way up. Maybe try some Vaseline Cotton balls and some fat wood.

That's right. I prep with dead and dried kindling, soak it with girl scout water and voila!. Nah, I hear ya though. I've actually got the cottonballs and vasoline in the fire kit. We also see this camp once a year if we are lucky so prep is not something we are able or willing to put much time into. Where I live, I'm averaging starting about 2 fires a day starting in October so I've nailed down the quick and easy.

 

[snowcamoman]

1. Hilleberg Soulo. Heavy for a solo setup, but flat out bomber protection and the perfect amount of space to stow all my gear in the vestibule.

2. New SG Frame/Pack. I had an SG two seasons ago and switched up to a new Kifaru this past sheep season. Spoke with Kurt about the minor issues I had and was sent the newest frame setup and a new bag to test out on my Kodiak hunt. Simply put, it addressed every issue I had and is the most comfortable frame I've used ever. The new bag is laid out almost ideally for me to hunt 3 to 5 days without going into load shelf storage. As soon as Kurt releases further information on this, I'll post a review with photos of the setup.

3. Fjallraven Keb pants. Amazing comfort and quality in these pants. I love them for later season hunting.

4. Kifaru Lost Parka. This piece of clothing has impressed me far more than I expected. It goes with me on every trip. I love not having to worry about minor rain or moisture with this jacket. It's an inferno and plush camp jacket to hang out in when it's getting cold.

5. Sitka Timberline Pants. Almost lived in these on Kodiak through all kinds of conditions. They're not ideal for high output hiking, but are tough as nails. I loved the built in heavy duty kneepads and waterproof rear. The only thing that needs to be changed on these are the snaps on the lower leg cargo pockets. They open up far too easily when brush busting.