Turkey Vest vs Day pack?

[bohica17]

I don’t know if I could spend that much on a vest. But that seat looks nice on the Sitka

 

[BoltActionBrotherhood]

I don’t know if I could spend that much on a vest. But that seat looks nice on the Sitka

O I couldn't either, but I get a really significant deal on Sitka that makes it very affordable.
Also once trying it on and seeing its features I see the value in it, very simple fast and quiet to use. Also the fact it has a little backpack deal where you can put a hydration blatter is a huge plus for me.

 

[Ferrulewax]

My kids and I use HPG Tarhumara and a HPG kit bag. We retrofitted seats on with paracord. Much better than the bulky vests and you can just grab the kit bag for quick trips.

Very similar to the Sitka set up that I looked.

I really wanted to use my a kit bag I picked up recently but It makes me sweat like crazy with any sort of exertion in warmer temps. I picked up a cheap Walmart waist pack to see how a lumbar setup works for me. It's an Ozark trail bag but its actually perfect for my needs with a backpack.

 

[bohica17]

O I couldn't either, but I get a really significant deal on Sitka that makes it very affordable.
Also once trying it on and seeing its features I see the value in it, very simple fast and quiet to use. Also the fact it has a little backpack deal where you can put a hydration blatter is a huge plus for me.

That’s all I want is a hydration pouch/pad for my back a butt pad and a pocket for box call and one small misc pouch.

 

[Kurts86]

I ran turkey vest the first 15 years or so turkey hunting because it was just what you used for Eastern turkey hunting. My dad used them, he taught me to turkey hunt and I just saw them the same as waders for duck hunting. Just the uniform for turkey hunting.

Over time I watched tons of turkey vest only last a few years and the quality of fabrics go down and the level of gimmicks go up for turkey vests. After my first real western turkey hunt in 2017 and a 2 mile packout with a bird I ditched the cabelas tactical tatr vest for good.

Simultaneously I was starting to use quality western packs like Mystery Ranch, Exo and Kuiu and felt like no turkey vests were made to handle weight or covering significant ground.

I went to the NWTF show in 2020 and tried every turkey vest on the market and found none I really liked. I ran the RNG 200 that year and liked the layout but the build quality was really lacking and I sold it.

I started modifying turkey call holders to fit on the belt of my Exo 3500 and under my FHF bino harness with good luck on box calls and diaphrams but I have yet to find a slate call solution.

For 2022 I have an FHF chest rig to try out and I may also get the Sitka turkey vest or Final Rise turkey vest. Marsupial gear was teasing a turkey addition to their modular pack but I haven’t seen it yet.

In general I think turkey vest fail because designers are too afraid to make them cost what they need to cost to be good. If a quality big game cost $600-$800 a turkey vest is probably a $300 item from a USA sewn source. There is so much internet complaining about the Sitka vest costing $250 in the turkey world it’s not even funny. The turkey world wants everything bottomland for Walmart/Academy money regardless of the end product.

The reality is that turkey hunting is a Southeast/Eastern sport at its core and guys aren’t used to spending much money on gear the way western guys are. Most guys aren’t ever hunting more than a few hundred yards walk from their vehicle so the need to carry weight is negligible but access to an arsenal of calls to sweet talk heavily pressured birds is critical.

Western turkeys are comparatively dumb/unpressured to Southeastern birds but they require covering more ground to find. Having a good pack system is more useful out west than a dozen different calls.

If you are bowhunting turkeys a blind in a big game pack load cell is the way to go. Running and gunning turkeys with a bow is a tricky proposition.

I’ve personally felt like no one has nailed the turkey vest or pack system yet but I am hopeful with Final Rise/Marsupial/Sitka/FHF taking a stab at the system we may finally get the product we need.

 

[dtrkyman]

I grabbed an RNG 200 for 38 bucks on closeout, perfect no, better than traditional vest, absolutely! Most vests weigh over 4lbs empty, this thing is 1.5lbs.

I added a cheap Molle bag from amazon to it. The Sitka looks nicer but I will likely use the 38 dollar vest till it dies! Zero issues with it after 2 hard season! I turkey hunt a lot!!!

 

[HbDane]

I've used turkey vests, day packs and lumbar pack. Personally I prefer the lumbar pack for turkey. But think all 3 have their pros and cons

 

[N2TRKYS]

I bought a Bucklick Creek vest back in 1999 and have been wearing it ever since. It’s the best vest I’ve seen. Sadly, they don’t make them like it anymore. I have no desire to take a backpack turkey hunting with me. Nor do I like anything on my chest when turkey hunting. I prefer my binos in the inside, left pocket of my vest. It’s out of the way and very handy to get to.

 

[Jimss]

If you think about it turkey hunting isn’t much different than big game hunting if hunting remote areas in the west. Although it’s a nice thought, a vest doesn’t cut it for me. I often carry the same big game equipment plus decoys for turkeys. I’m often gone from my truck all day and not sure how vest guys carry decoys, water, lunch, rain gear, layers, etc? A full sized pack definitely is nice for carrying out toms.

 

[Kurts86]

A fair number of turkey states you can’t hunt all day and they have a 1pm close so that limits things a bit compared to an all day hunt state.

Carrying decoys in a vest made a lot of sense when we used foam decoys and you just put them in the back pocket with extra clothes and food. That certainly isn’t the case with the newer much more realistic decoys and the backs of newer turkey vests have shrunk accordingly.

As much as I love the idea of a back country western turkey hunt the reality is most western turkeys are killed in front country riparian corridors near roads and people so it’s not in the design intent of most turkey vests.

 

[ncstewart]

This is just my opinion and also advice from a great turkey hunter that was my uncle. Leave all that crap. 2 diaphragms and a gun. Killing turkeys don’t require lots of gear.


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[Millwood21]

I used the RNG 300 for 2 seasons. This year I’m using a marsupial Bino harness with pockets attached for calls. Using a Fanny pack also with a water bottle attached. Should work pretty well I hope!

 

[BCD]

I use a vest and bring a fanny pack as well at times. The vest is about quick access to and organization of your calls. I carry quite a few calls and feel the vest is far superior to any pack for that reason. There are lightweight quality vests out there. No need to have a heavy or bulky one.

 

[nettereo16]

I wear a vest mostly because I like the built-in butt pad! I move around a lot and it's nice to quickly sit down and not have to readjust.

I carry minimal gear in the vest, I used to carry a lot more crap.

 

[ppumil]

this is like asking if you prefer a blonde or not. Totally up to your style of hunt. I carry so much stuff I probably should use my EXO i have for moose hunting. As I get older and. maybe a little smarter I have gotten a vest with supports and great cushion. MY @@@ appreciates it!!!
Keep it simple - TURKEY HUNTER

 

[ppumil]

A vest really comes from hunting in the East with trees to sit against in dense cover. You have immediate access to your gear when you sit. That is not the case with fanny pack or back pack. If you are running and gunning then the vest is best for that IMO. Eastern turkeys are way more picky then anything I have hunted out West. I started hunting the south back when Will Primos was a turkey hunter and Mossy Oak was making bark tshirts for turkey hunting (turkeys have color vision and deer do not). You carried every kind of call you could get in your vest.
Just some history for what is it worth.

 

[mudlickman2]

I ran turkey vest the first 15 years or so turkey hunting because it was just what you used for Eastern turkey hunting. My dad used them, he taught me to turkey hunt and I just saw them the same as waders for duck hunting. Just the uniform for turkey hunting.

Over time I watched tons of turkey vest only last a few years and the quality of fabrics go down and the level of gimmicks go up for turkey vests. After my first real western turkey hunt in 2017 and a 2 mile packout with a bird I ditched the cabelas tactical tatr vest for good.

Simultaneously I was starting to use quality western packs like Mystery Ranch, Exo and Kuiu and felt like no turkey vests were made to handle weight or covering significant ground.

I went to the NWTF show in 2020 and tried every turkey vest on the market and found none I really liked. I ran the RNG 200 that year and liked the layout but the build quality was really lacking and I sold it.

I started modifying turkey call holders to fit on the belt of my Exo 3500 and under my FHF bino harness with good luck on box calls and diaphrams but I have yet to find a slate call solution.

For 2022 I have an FHF chest rig to try out and I may also get the Sitka turkey vest or Final Rise turkey vest. Marsupial gear was teasing a turkey addition to their modular pack but I haven’t seen it yet.

In general I think turkey vest fail because designers are too afraid to make them cost what they need to cost to be good. If a quality big game cost $600-$800 a turkey vest is probably a $300 item from a USA sewn source. There is so much internet complaining about the Sitka vest costing $250 in the turkey world it’s not even funny. The turkey world wants everything bottomland for Walmart/Academy money regardless of the end product.

The reality is that turkey hunting is a Southeast/Eastern sport at its core and guys aren’t used to spending much money on gear the way western guys are. Most guys aren’t ever hunting more than a few hundred yards walk from their vehicle so the need to carry weight is negligible but access to an arsenal of calls to sweet talk heavily pressured birds is critical.

Western turkeys are comparatively dumb/unpressured to Southeastern birds but they require covering more ground to find. Having a good pack system is more useful out west than a dozen different calls.

If you are bowhunting turkeys a blind in a big game pack load cell is the way to go. Running and gunning turkeys with a bow is a tricky proposition.

I’ve personally felt like no one has nailed the turkey vest or pack system yet but I am hopeful with Final Rise/Marsupial/Sitka/FHF taking a stab at the system we may finally get the product we need.

I hadn’t heard of the final rise vest so went to check it out. No way that that seat attachment was thought out well if you have to run it in and out of a 3 bar slider high behind your back everytime you want to use it. Even if you swap that with buckles it’s still in a hard to reach spot.

Aside from that it doesn’t seem bad. The modular setup pieced together from marsupial will prolly be what I go with. I’ve always used a vest but they get hot, and I don’t like the pre-determined pockets that have only one use. I don’t use a box call but I use 2 pots and mouth calls. So I end up with this extra bulk area that I don’t need.

I was surprised to see that Sitka didnt go the modular route with Molle loops like they did with their bino harness rangefinder pockets. That would have sealed the deal for me.


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[bohica17]

Ok guys I think I stumbled upon the vest that I want. It’s not a turkey vest but a bino harness with hydration bladder. Customizable with pockets on the bino part for call storage. Just need to add a seat which I would be fine with tying a pad on with 550 cord or some type of attachment with clips. Would be perfect for run and gun.

 

[evergreenethos]

Vest is great, I have the one from Alps and I can fit hydration bladder, decoys, and a small blind in the back and all the other stuff in the front. The seat is really nice, especially with the support legs to be able to lean back and get lower (my blind is not very tall) but this year I saw every kind of weather pattern so I carried my pack due to needing more layers of clothing.

 

[MitchellNJ]

I started using an alps little bear last year. It’s like a backwards Fanny pack with shoulder straps and extra pockets on the belt. I attached a hydration pack with a molle case to the outside of the shoulder straps so I could attach something else if needed. Ended up working out so good that I used it for most of my whitetail hunts that I used my saddle for.

Same here. Great little pack to trim down the doodads. I used to haul all sorts of stuff up in the tree with my daypack. Now I use the Little bear for everything. Typically run it strapless for now. Only use the straps when I put the bino harness on it.