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

[Randle]

Thanks I kinda like that , does the rangefinder pouch stay kind of stationary on the harness, or does it slide as you draw the binos up and down?

 

[SHTF]

Thanks I kinda like that , does the rangefinder pouch stay kind of stationary on the harness, or does it slide as you draw the binos up and down?

It slides but stays out of way.


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[fngTony]

First two I got after the season ended but I can see their value.

1.kenai Zip off bottoms.

2. Alps bino harness. Affordable, simple, very little bulk. Honestly any harness that doesn't pull tight under your arms and doesn't flop.

3. Trekking poles. Had my shortest but most difficult pack out down hill. Being tall I always felt top heavy even if the load was secure. Would've tumbled over without them.

4. Offline maps with my phone. I can put my s7 in ultra power saving which doesn't allow much function. Then switch that off locate my self, make a waypoint then back to power saver. Gets me about four days on a charge.

5. The best $10 I spent at Walmart, butt pad and cheap knee pads. The knee pads wouldn't save you falling knee first on a rock but damn nice when field dressing.

 

[freebird134]

This is a great thread, but it's getting long and there's a lot of info. I wanted to go through it all for myself, but figured I'd summarize it in case others find this helpful. Basically, I've combined everyone's suggestions, eliminated redundancy, and grouped it into "function". There are a few specific things I left out of the list (e.g., SHTF's herb...), and i've not included all the manufacturer and/or model details, but it's pretty comprehensive:

Clothing
Zip off pants (Kuiu Kenai)
Down pants for glassing
HPG mountain serape
Schemagh (large scarf; Also, Spec-Ops Recon wrap)
Neck gaiter
Lightweight gloves
Merino Wool (Kuiu 145 zip off bottoms)
Quality rain gear (First lite, Church)
Quality boots
Knee pads
Crocs or other camp shoes
Stretch pants, like*Prana Zion pants
Gaiters
Black Rock Hadron Down Beanie

Comfort
headphones
Chapstick (DDW balm)
Leukotape (blisters)
Tenacious Tape
Toilet paper
Baby wipes
Motrin, aleve, ibuprofen
Foot and hand warmers

Electronics
OnX or Gaia apps
Petzl e+ light
Headlamp (Fenix, BD Spot, zebra)
Luci lantern/light (solar)
GPS

Food/Water
water filter (Sawyer Mini)
Water bladder
Food (including food that doesn’t require a stove; Heather’s Choice Meals; Honey Stinger)
Coffee (e.g., Starbucks Via )

General gear
Trekking poles (Locus Gear)
Havalon Piranta
Gun Bearer
Gransfors Bruks Small forest axe

Optics
Rangefinding binoculars
Clip Shot camera holder
Silk 634 or*Outdoorsmans tripod
Bino tripod mount (Bushnell)
Bino Harness (AGC), sitka*
Bino case (fnf)
Microfiber cloth for glass and glasses
Defogger spray for optics
Butt pad or*Stool for glassing (Helinox chair)

Safety
Delorme Inreach/ACR personal beacon/Spot
Grabber all weather emergency blanket
Fire starter (Vaseline cotton balls; lighter fluid)

Sleep
Pillow (Sea to summit aeros; Big Sky dream sleeper)
Insulation that is compressible (including a vest)
Tent: BA seedhouse 2
Insulated air mattress (Xtherm)
Cot (ultralight)
Tarp

 

[bluetick78]

The top thing that helps me hunt effectively is finally finding a hunting buddy that isn't lazy, weak, or argumentative. I went through hunting buddies like water for the better part of a decade. They either didn't want to go up high where the game was, wanted to argue about where to go, or wouldn't participate in pre-season scouting. I've finally found a hunting partner that is ready to scout, hunt, hike, and haul and always wants to go further and higher to find big bucks or bulls.
Outside of the 10 million different pieces of gear that has been discussed on here at length, I feel one of my best gear allies is my Zeiss optics cleaning kit. I take it with me anytime I'm using optics, and I clean my glass often. Even though I don't own any Zeiss optics at the moment, their cleaning kit is something I won't be without.

 

[HarvDog]

I'll play

Sawyer Inline
Raingear/Down Vest
Delorme inReach
PB Bacon/Honey Sammich
Bottle of Hooch

 

[Scotto]

Leukotape

Ibuprofen

Earthmate App for the iphone....tested last year and the Garmin 62S GPS stayed in the pouch. One account and all App users in the hunting group can see all waypoints created by everyone when in cell coverage.

Kifaru frame

Baby wipes

 

[chindits]

I'll second you on Ibuprofen

and raise you with

Neo Air xtherm. I value being able to sleep comfortably on any terrain at any temperature year round and this unit covers it for me from desert to alpine.

The other 3 items are kind of in the what ever list for me.

 

[HarvDog]

Small zip of wet wipes is a must. Smooth bung hole helps too

 

[kicker338]

1-moved to Colorado from Kansas.
2-retired.
3-worked all summer for the forest service so I could scout while working.
4-worked 4/10's so I had three uninterrupted days of hunting.
5-bought a house that's ten minutes from a national forest.

Couldn't have said it better myself, moved to Nth. Id 16yrs. ago, best move I ever made. New gear comes and goes, what is hot today may be not so hot tomorrow. Gear is always changing that's what keeps business going, the best new thing today will be replacd next yr. with something better. Living in the best place NEVER GETS OLD.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

1. Small Bag on Kifaru Hunting Frame -- Limits how much crap I can haul around on my back.
2. Puffy Jacket -- Love it.
3. InReach -- Can communicate easily anywhere anytime with family, friends. Makes me flexible in the field.
4. Garmin Foretrex 401 -- I can navigate anywhere with map & compass, but the convenience of looking down at my wrist and locating my tent in the dark is priceless.
5. Swaro 8x32 -- Light, sharp, bright. More than I need to find elk.

 

[SHTF]

There are a few specific things I left out of the list (e.g., SHTF's herb...)

WTH!!!??!!!


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[JLH208]

This list if for archery day trips, elk and mule deer. It is also gear that I never hunted with 3 years ago but tried them and will never look back on:
1. Tripod for binos
2. Gaiters
3. MTN OPS Blaze shots
4. FHF Bino harness
5. Lens pen


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[outdoor_matt]

Lots of super helpful recommendations here.
In my limited experience
1) Trekking poles, especially for going long distances. They make you feel like you can keep trucking forever.
2) Quality binos - I use them alllll the time.
3) Gaiters make a world of difference, never having to worry about sticks and dirt going down your boots..or water
4) I've converted to the world of tripod mounted binos - so my gitzo carbon tripod
5) I'm thinking the Helinox chair I just bought will be a game changer...this is just speculation, but just from using it around the house, I can't wait to use it in the bush.

 

[Northernpiker]

Sleep system
1. Tent
2. Pad
3. Bag
4. Gatorade powder mix( I get tired of funky tasting water)
5. Bow and arrow( to bad I haven't kelt anything yet, but I wouldn't go without it).

 

[BuckNasty11]

1.) Baby Wipes
2.) GPS
3.) Gaiters
4.) AGC Bino Harness
5.) Outdoorsman Medium Compact Tripod with Pan Head

Others:
First lite Puffy
Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 chair
Trioxane fire starters
Bahco Laplander

Where do you get the trioxane tablets?

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Where do you get the trioxane tablets?

Army surplus

 

[AKMAN]

Simple stuff but i don't go hardly leave home without the following:

a. Nine hands of mountain money in a ziploc (sometimes suplemented with or subsituted for 2-3 Wet Ones singles) - obvious
b. Victorinox camper - lots of funtion but the saw (not model specific) is one of the best you'll find
c. Duckworth neck gaitor - neck gaiter, hanky, hat, face mask when the slit starts blowing up the valley or you need to hold up a stagecoach
d. Everybody gots em green Blistex chapstick - lips, nose, cheecks, ears all day or in sun/bitter cold. Anywhere else in a bind...
e. 4 "heel" Band Aids - I keep them in every pack/messenger bag/etc. I own in case of blisters

 

[mcseal2]

Wow I'd quit checking my old thread after it went inactive for a little while, I was shocked when I re-visited it today!

Thanks everyone for all the great ideas. I was shocked how many I use or have used over time, but had plenty of new ideas too. I just bought 3 used Victorinox Camper knives mentioned above for $15 a couple weeks ago and got them all sharpened up and put in the UTV, Sitka bibs (never have my belt knife with them), and truck.

I tried the Nuuns tablets for the first time when we flew out to Vegas to watch the NFR. A friend told me that after a long day of walking around shopping and a long night of beers they help with dehydration the next morning. I think they work.

Got my first roll of Tenacious tape whittled down to where I need another roll for next season. I left it in the glovebox of the UTV after hunting season and keep using it around the ranch.

We all seem to have our favorites on the big major items that fit how we use them, but I got lots of great ideas from all these little items people discussed.

An example I got from another thread here, I just picked up a pair of the Hound brand Dawgs, a shoe similar to a lightweight Croc. I've been wearing them around the house in the evenings all week and they are super comfortable. They protect my feet but allow air to get to them and my socks to dry (tested that after work). Mine are size 11 and weigh 8.3oz for the pair. I think they will go along for camp shoes a lot of the time at that weight. I usually try to really hydrate in the evenings when hunting which means getting up several times through the night to get rid of the excess liquid. These are perfect for slipping on for those trips outside.

 

[dangerousD]

Off the top of my head:

1. Wind checker
2. AGC creations bino pack with fhf range finder pouch
3. Wool baselayer and wool socks
4. Leukotape P
5. Lighters with fire starters cause I suck at making fire with other means.

6. MANSCAPING! Not really a gear item but can't believe it hasn't been mentioned. Ha!