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

[7-Pointers]

1) DeLorme Inreach
2) Tripod for binoculars
3) Merino base layers
4) Leukotape
5) Prana Stretch Zion pants (finally found a the perfect hunting pants!)

 

[Lastcar]

1. Sitka Kelvin Pants & Hoodie for extended glassing in the cold

2. Floorless shelter - set up, take down and getting in and out is a piece of cake (Seek Outside LBO Base-Tarp-Base)

3. Ti Smith Stove in the shelter

4. Good glass on good tripod (not alpha, but Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 & Vortex Razor Spotters)

5. Heather's Choice Meals - paleo, no crap in them and taste amazing

 

[TheCougar]

I love this thread. You never know you need something until someone tells you about it! Zip off base layer merino pants?!? Sign me up! Also, my wife now hates all of you!

 

[idcuda]

Gun Bearer

Spot

Gaiters

Any kind of stretchy pant (currently the $20 Costco version)

FHF harness w/rangefinder pouch

[Bonus] Manzella gloves for archery

 

[rodney482]

Adding 5 more

Kuiu gaiters
Solomon hikers
Darn tough socks
Firstlite base layers
Jetboil

 

[Kevin Dill]

Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe

LuxuryLite Cot

Black Rock Hadron S Down Beanie

Helinox Chair

TUSA Scuba Shoes

 

[5MilesBack]

For us older guys, I guess Motrin or Aleve should be near the top of the list as well. But I don't use it that much, or at least as much as I should probably.

 

[mtnwrunner]

Yup, this is a great thread. Like I need more ideas......

Can hardly narrow it down to five but this is a start and must haves for me:

-----slik 634 tripod and outdoorsmans mini pan head. One you try it, you won't leave home without them.
-----glassing pad. I cut off an old ridge rest from thermarest. It also doubles as extra sleep pad and you can wad it up for a rear rifle bag.
-----fenix headlamp
-----havalon knife
-----my "pink" shirt


Randy

 

[TheCougar]

Yup, this is a great thread. Like I need more ideas......

Can hardly narrow it down to five but this is a start and must haves for me:

-----slik 634 tripod and outdoorsmans mini pan head. One you try it, you won't leave home without them.
-----glassing pad. I cut off an old ridge rest from thermarest. It also doubles as extra sleep pad and you can wad it up for a rear rifle bag.
-----fenix headlamp
-----havalon knife
-----my "pink" shirt


Randy

What's with the pink shirts? I've seen guys mention them before...

 

[Kevin Dill]

For us older guys, I guess Motrin or Aleve should be near the top of the list as well. But I don't use it that much, or at least as much as I should probably.

Aleve is the stage II 'blue pill'.

 

[Tbuckus]

1. A good daypack/backpack- i feel naked if I go out even for a couple minutes without my Ultra pack.
2. lightweight pants and rain gear that fits. After decades of hunting with clothes that are either heavy or don't fit very well, I finally found and ponied up and got a variety of KUIU, Sitka, and kryptek clothes that fit me perfectly and makes me feel lighter and more maneuverable.
3. Body/pack mounted sling- packing a rifle around without having to holds it in your hands or keep the sling from sliding off the shoulder is a huge benefit. I use a Gunslinger.
4. GPS with a map on it with contour lines. Used an old etrex for years. A blank screen with jumbled waypoints doesn't compare to a screen with a map on it.
5. Baby wipes- enough said

 

[5MilesBack]

Aleve is the stage II 'blue pill'.

Interesting. Perhaps I'll stick with Motrin on hunts.

 

[6mm Remington]

1. A good daypack with the extra essentials that I need to help keep me warm, safe, fed, and hydrated. HEADLAMP is a must to have in the pack.

2. Of course TP and "scent free" baby butt wipes. I put the wipes in a heavy duty extra large zip-lock sandwich bag and squeeze the air out. That keeps them from drying out. They really are nice to have and it keeps you cleaner and scent free. Nice to have the wipes to use to clean hands and knives after dressing an animal out too.

3. Therma Rest closed cell foam sleeping pad. RidgeRest Classic | Closed-Cell Foam Camping Mattress | Therm-a-Rest Weighs practically nothing and it sure makes it great to have something to sit on or lie down on when you are glassing, stopping to take a break, or eating lunch. Whether it is dry out, cold, snowy, or wet, it really helps keep you comfortable and dry. It's worth it's weight in gold and is simple to lash onto your day-pack. I like this pad because it folds up so easily into a compact space. Much better than the ones that roll up. Say you get someplace and have to spend the night out. This really makes it a heck of a lot more comfortable and will make a miserable night out maybe a bit less so! You might say cut it in half to make it even more compact and light weight. NO it makes too nice of an item you can lay down on to do so, and if kept full length a couple people can share it sitting down while glassing or taking a break.

4. Trekking poles. Learned to really love these things after using them every day scouting and hunting when I drew a mountain goat tag. Sure make it less fatiguing hiking and it helps immensely with balance.

5. Really good binoculars. They work very well in the timber and out in the open. I constantly am using mine.

 

[goathunter]

Besides the essentials of water, fire starter, knife, headlamp - my top 5 must have items in order -

1. Garmin GPS w/ onxmaps. I'm also trying out MontanaGPS - Home and gotta say I'm pretty impressed
2. Stone Glacier pack
3. FHF Bino harness w/ rangefinder attachment
4. Lots of layers of good wool/synthetics
5. Yes, ALEVE haha

 

[Colby Jack]

1- Vitamin i. (Ibuprofen)
2- Sitka bino chest harness
3- Kenetrek Mountain Guide boots w/ Gaiters
4- Wiggy's sleeping bag
5- REI powerstretch synthetic base layers

 

[dunner543]

In no particular order...
1. Petzl e+ lite. This thing weighs 1 oz and stays in a pocket on my bino harness so I always have a headlamp with me.
2. Kuiu 145 zip-off merino bottoms. I love these things. Being able to layer up or down without removing my boots is a game changer.
3. Glassing butt pad. I have a couple different pads, the colder it gets the thicker my pad gets. A thick 10 oz pad is worth it's weight in gold for comfort and heat retention when glassing for long periods in below zero weather. I also have an ultralight sub 3 oz pad if I'm trying to shave weight.
4. Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow. 2.1 oz of pure heaven.
5. Packing food that doesn't require a stove. I don't drink coffee and I don't need a hot meal every day, so I leave the stove in the pickup most of the time.

Exactly my list except #5, gotta have my coffee and warm meals. My #5 is definitely the steripen/human gear/Nalgene combo. If there are plenty of water sources around this is an amazing setup to always have water but not carry a lot with you all day.

 

[E in CO]

1. gaiters
2. trekking poles
3. puffy vest
4. Starbucks Via (not really "gear" but this could occupy 2 spots on the list of 5!) Nothing like sipping hot coffee while glassing.
5. Gun Bearer

 

[Tim in Wa.]

Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe

LuxuryLite Cot

Black Rock Hadron S Down Beanie

Helinox Chair

TUSA Scuba Shoes

Scuba shoes for water crossings?

 

[Dameon]

1. gaiters
2. trekking poles
3. puffy vest
4. Starbucks Via (not really "gear" but this could occupy 2 spots on the list of 5!) Nothing like sipping hot coffee while glassing.
5. Gun Bearer

Starbucks VIA Italian Roast is awesome, especially on a cold windy day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JollyRoger]

Here's a few of my favorite items:
1 - Garmin 401... this is the small GPS, no maps, just tracks and coordinates and straps securely to my pack straps
2 - Crystal Lite or similar packets. Nothing like hiking all day, sipping water out of your bladder, then getting to a break spot to glass and pulling out a Nalgene of something flavorful.
3 - Headphones. For me, since I'm solo 99% of the time I like to listen to a few podcasts before going to sleep. Helps keep the boogie man away
4 - Starbucks Via packs. Tasty, low fuss, low mess
5 - My custom made gravity water filter system.