Top Three 2019 hunting buys (Game Changers)

[Quicksilver]

1. Piercision Rifles 300 Norma mag improved w/NF NXS 5.5-22x56

2. Kifaru 44 mag and light frame

3. Kifaru Gun Bearer

All have made my hunting adventures more enjoyable this year.

 

[NICKRBOCKER9]

1. VIAM quilt
2. Kifaru Gun Bearer
3. Zamberlan boots... turns out theyre better than Danners!

 

[HH393]

1. Kifaru reckoning pack, I was looking at these for a long time and should have purchased one years ago.

2. Sitka cloudburst jacket, this jacket has saved me a couple of times in horrible weather, haven’t had it very long but impressed so far.

3. MSR reactor, this stove works well, is small, fairly light

Arcteryx Atom puffy jacket is up there as a game changer but I purchased it a few years go.

 

[HunterZ]

1. Alpha Hang on with Sticks
2. Meopta Meopro and Harness
3. New bow arm instead of hook but want a lighter one as my bag was heavier than my stand!! All I can find is HME... nothing lightweight and I like having my bow ready

 

[JPD350]

Not so much a game changer but things I was happy with.
1) Sea to Summit Ether Lite XL sleeping pad this year, super comfortable, light, easy to inflate, easy to adjust the air and very fast to deflate and pack up
2) Scott "Shark" archery release, I shoot good with my old release but my groups definitely tightened
up with a better one.
3) 10" bee stinger, this also helped tighten groups up at further distances

 

[GLB]

Easton Axis Traditional Arrows
Ethics Archery components
Jet boil Flash stove

 

[Gnatboy911]

I drew a mountain goat tag, and did my longest backpack hunt ever. The plan was 8 days, so I "needed" a few upgrades.

1. Schnees beartooth 2 - in the past 3 years I went though 2 pairs of Rocky boots. The most recent pair, the stitching on the sides blew out last winter during a late season hunt. This was my first pair of real expensive boots and I am very glad I did it. I have a ton of miles on them and haven't regretted the decision at all.

2. Seek Outside Cimarron - way better than the tiny coffin I was sleeping in before. I had a small bivy style tent from Cabelas. It kept the wind off and kept you dry, but you couldn't do anything but crawl in a sleep. The Cimarron was a palace for hardly any more weight than I was carrying before.

3. Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy. Holy cow, dinner on day 5 was the best thing I'd eaten in a long time. I can't explain it, but my goodness did that biscuits and gravy taste good that night.

 

[wind gypsy]

Bought a whole bunch of shit. None of it was a game changer. Maybe someday i'll learn?

The SG X-curve frame does seem to make packouts incrementally less miserable than the K2, SO, and Kifaru frames that preceded it in ownership, but it's no gamechanger.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

1. Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide Binoculars (Been using the same old Leupold binos that my grandma got at a garage sale about 15 years, wow, what a difference).

2. First Lite Hunting Clothing. (Again, been running the same old clothing for a long time. Can't believe the comfort, silence, and appeal of this clothing. Also the versatility since I hunt in California Spring/Summer and Minnesota Late Fall. I dropped about $3,000 on all new clothing, worth every penny).

3. Garmin GPS to go along with my paper maps and compass. (How did I ever live without this lol).

 

[Fajkus5]

Only big purchase so far has been a Kuiu icon pro 7200 pack. Still time to spend money on more hunting stuff this year though!

 

[amack26]

1. Swaro SLC 10x42 replacing Vortex Razor 10x42
I bought a lot of stuff for this year and good glass is a must. The clarity makes things way easier to pick up animals.

2. Sirui T024x Carbon Tripod with E 10 Ball head
I have been using a Vortex Pro GT tripod with the pan head. I have only had the tripod for a few days but took it out scouting over the weekend and boy was it nice to not have 4.4lbs of tripod hanging off my pack.

I haven't bought too much else. I'm hoping I can get a set of 15x56 SLC for AZ Mule Deer in January!

 

[Pitter]

Garmin InReach - Only used it a few times to communicate with my wife, totally worth it to keep her happy
Excalibur food dehydrator- best I've eaten out on a backpack hunt
A custom knife that my cousin forged for me.

 

[Poser]

Didn’t buy too much new hunting specific gear this year, but here’s what I have:

Started sleeping in a bivy sack with (and without) a simple tarp. I experimented with this while biking a few days on the CO Trail and solidified it while elk hunting. I’m going to upgrade this entire system over the winter. Where we hunt, it’s almost impossible to find flat ground larger than a mule deer bed, which are difficult to put a tent or tarp tent over. A bivy sack allows me to drop right in that exact spot. Maybe a stake or 2 to keep the bivy sack in place. Setup and breakdown is almost instant with inflating the thermarest the longest part of the process.

Pop Tarts in the food bag for mid morning snack.

Toddy Time. We usually bring a flask of cask strength bourbon to take sips from. We also usually make chamomile tea. Why we never combined these two until now, I have no idea, but nothing beats a hot toddy.

 

[WannabeHunter]

Extra Strength Gold Bond - perfect wake-up call in the morning, pure invigoration

 

[HuntHarder]

1.Sitka Coldfront Camo set- Held up amazingly well in temps from -5 - 40* with lots of rain.

2. 5 lbs of Moose meat ground up into burger- Adding this to pretty much any mountain house meal was awesome.

3. Instant coffee- I am not really a coffee guy ususally, but when we would wake up and it would be around 0* outside, it sure made it easier to get up and going. It was even the crappy instant folgers, but it was absolutely delicious out there.

 

[bojangles808]

2. AAA top tier membership. Can't buy peace of mind. Especially after 2017's impromptu 4 day layover in Topeka.....

how did they help you out? ive been a member for 7 years as was thinking of canceling bc wife just got a new car

 

[TonySkyline]

For this year for me Tikka compact (2.5 lb lighter that old rifle) Replaced PST Gen II with
Razor HD LH, and old Leupold 650 with Sig 1200

That razor hd lh is a such a nice scope. Im looking for the same one i sold with g4 reticle. So lightweight!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[TonySkyline]

1.Sitka Coldfront Camo set- Held up amazingly well in temps from -5 - 40* with lots of rain.

2. 5 lbs of Moose meat ground up into burger- Adding this to pretty much any mountain house meal was awesome.

3. Instant coffee- I am not really a coffee guy ususally, but when we would wake up and it would be around 0* outside, it sure made it easier to get up and going. It was even the crappy instant folgers, but it was absolutely delicious out there.

How doee the coldfront stuff compare to the fanatic line? More breathable and water proof?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[robtattoo]

Last time my old banger took a poop at 2am, on a Saturday night, 50 miles west of Topeka, it cost me $250 to get a basic tow to the nearest Ford repair shop. At the time, I had $300 on me AND needed to find somewhere to spend the night.

I think of it like carrying a pistol. You don't ever need it until you need it. But when you need it, you REALLY need it & the minor issue of carrying it around suddenly becomes insignificant.

 

[Grover]

onX
trekking poles
Stone Glacier 15 degree bag