Matt's 2017-2018 Gear Round-Up

[Matt Cashell]

I was going through my notes from last season and found I had some experiences with various gear that didn’t make it into a full review, and I thought I would share my notes with Roksliders. Take a look, and I would love to hear if you have had any experience with these items.


Clothing:

Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon beanie:

The Windproof Polartec fleece on this classic winter beanie never let me down. I used it for all my cold weather hunts. I found it especially useful in cutting the cold West Yellowstone winds during my son’s bison hunt. Not the lightest option available at a measured 3 ounces for Large, but pretty much impervious to cold.


Sitka Mountain Glove:

I have been running these gloves since 2012, and can’t seem to kill them. This is my glove of choice until temps get really “Arctic.” They are durable, warm, and comfortable. The Mountain gloves have the dexterity needed to glass, chop wood, and tighten a cinch. An updated version is available in the current Sitka catalogue, but I just don’t need the update, yet.

 

[Matt Cashell]

SJK “Perception DST” Camo outerwear:

Late in the 2017 season, I got a few pieces from SJK’s new outerwear line. SJK put a lot of effort into designing their new camo, “Disruptive Shadow Technology,” with their former 82nd Airborne designer looking to natural shadows for inspiration. The result is a layered pattern with greens, yellows, and browns. I still feel like camouflage is generally more effective in hiding from humans than game, but I like the look of the Perception DST pattern, and it does seem to break up the silhouette to my eye. The first thing of note: I didn’t have any zipper failures with these pieces.

The Grit Jacket with synthetic fill:

I used this jacket quite a bit, both in the field and around town. It is light at 14.8 ounces for my large, and stuffs into its own pocket. It is smooth-faced nylon inside and out, so layering was simple. It has a DWR finish that worked alright in a drizzle, but wetted through eventually. The synthetic fill maintained some warmth, even when wet though. The Grit zips up to chin to lock out the wind, and the jacket was great for blocking wind. The downside is the build feels a little light-duty, and the exterior fabric is a little noisier than some other hunting puffy jackets.

The Windage Jacket and Pants:

These 3 Layer Waterproof/Breathable rain gear pieces got a lot of use with some really wet and snowy conditions in the late season, and right up to the bison hunt. During a late season cow elk hunt, I was wading through wet, snow-covered, willows and alder thickets without a single issue. Long periods of pouring rain never made it through. The fabric is rated at 24k waterproofness and 4K breathability. The pit zips were helpful when I got to sweating. The size Large Jacket wasn’t really heavy at 21.4 ounces, but could further cut weight by getting rid of the bicep pockets and velcro patches on the shoulders. The brushed fabric face was quieter than other hard shells I have tried, but was still louder than a softshell.

Besides the extra arm pockets and velcro patch, my only other issue with the Windage jacket is that the interior taped seams were delaminating in places. I have had this problem with a number of fully-taped 3 layer jackets, and usually can mitigate the issue with some 3rd party seam adhesive, but it is something to keep an eye on from a durability perspective.

The Windage Pants faired pretty well. Again, the fabric was great in waterproofness. The half-zip sides made putting them on and taking them off a breeze while keeping my boots on. I did a few wading creek crossings with the pants and gaiters, and didn’t have a drop get in the boots. The pants have also showed some signs of de-lamination. The two cargo pockets were useful, but the addition of standard front and back pants pockets would have been nice too. The pants weighed in at a very light 14.5 ounces (Medium).

The best part about the Perception DST series is the price. The Grit runs $99, Windage Jacket $149, and Windage Pants $119. You can get all three for less than some competitors’ Waterproof/Breathable jacket alone. While the SJK pieces may not have the top-of-the-line durability that the expensive competition has, they do offer a lot of value.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Knives:


For a couple years of just using a Havalon Piranta, I recently went back to a traditional fixed blade knife. I picked up a BHA edition Benchmade Steep Country. This thick S30V blade gets razor sharp and lasts forever. I boned out two elk with it before sharpening, and likely could have done a third. Touching up the S30V steel takes a few extra strokes on the Lansky system, but saves a lot of time when you don’t have to re-profile due to chips. The rubber handle makes for a secure grip, even covered in blood, while the orange color is easy to find wherever you lay it down. I like the extra jimping near the point for delicate work.

I always have a knife on me for EDC. This year I got a Kershaw 1920 Select Fire multi-tool knife as a gift. It is a slick piece of kit that includes a folding bit driver in the handle, and holds 4 bits, all while mainaining the shape and size of a normal pocket knife. The blade is a full-size 3.4 inch drop point made of 8Cr13MoV steel. The handle is nylon and includes a pocket clip. The Chinese steel is ok, and sharpens up easy, but is certainly inferior to the more expensive S30V of the Benchmade. Still, I love this knife, and use the bits way more than I expected. Oh, and there is a beer opener built into the handle, too, because you never know when you’re going to need one.

Dry Guy “Force Dry” Boot Dryer:

Like a lot of hunters, I formerly used a Peet boot dryer that moves air passively. It worked alright, but generally took hours to dry a pair of boots. Lately, though, I moved to the Dry Guy Force Dry boot dryer. Depending on how wet the boots are, this little unit can cut drying time in half or more by using a small fan to move the slightly heated air to the interior of your boots (and gloves!). It takes up very little room folded up, and extends up for most boot sizes. It would be nice to get extensions for taller boots though, and I wish it didn’t feel like I was breaking the drying arms when I lift them up from the folded position. I like how I can throw this under the back seat of the truck and take it wherever I am going. You still need something to plug it into when you get to your destination. I don’t use the Peet dryer much anymore, with the Dry Guy’s shorter dry time.

 

[Redwing]

Thanks for these reviews, Matt. Regarding the SJK apparel: how was the sizing? Did it feel true to comparable pieces from other companies?

Also, I'll second your thoughts on the Mountain Hardward Beanie. That thing is WARM.

 

[daddie63]

Good info thank you.

 

[full choke]

Nice reviews! Thanks.
Might have to check out that SJK gear.

 

[Bryanboss429]

SJK “Perception DST” Camo outerwear:

Late in the 2017 season, I got a few pieces from SJK’s new outerwear line. SJK put a lot of effort into designing their new camo, “Disruptive Shadow Technology,” with their former 82nd Airborne designer looking to natural shadows for inspiration. The result is a layered pattern with greens, yellows, and browns. I still feel like camouflage is generally more effective in hiding from humans than game, but I like the look of the Perception DST pattern, and it does seem to break up the silhouette to my eye. The first thing of note: I didn’t have any zipper failures with these pieces.

The Grit Jacket with synthetic fill:

I used this jacket quite a bit, both in the field and around town. It is light at 14.8 ounces for my large, and stuffs into its own pocket. It is smooth-faced nylon inside and out, so layering was simple. It has a DWR finish that worked alright in a drizzle, but wetted through eventually. The synthetic fill maintained some warmth, even when wet though. The Grit zips up to chin to lock out the wind, and the jacket was great for blocking wind. The downside is the build feels a little light-duty, and the exterior fabric is a little noisier than some other hunting puffy jackets.

The Windage Jacket and Pants:

These 3 Layer Waterproof/Breathable rain gear pieces got a lot of use with some really wet and snowy conditions in the late season, and right up to the bison hunt. During a late season cow elk hunt, I was wading through wet, snow-covered, willows and alder thickets without a single issue. Long periods of pouring rain never made it through. The fabric is rated at 24k waterproofness and 4K breathability. The pit zips were helpful when I got to sweating. The size Large Jacket wasn’t really heavy at 21.4 ounces, but could further cut weight by getting rid of the bicep pockets and velcro patches on the shoulders. The brushed fabric face was quieter than other hard shells I have tried, but was still louder than a softshell.

Besides the extra arm pockets and velcro patch, my only other issue with the Windage jacket is that the interior taped seams were delaminating in places. I have had this problem with a number of fully-taped 3 layer jackets, and usually can mitigate the issue with some 3rd party seam adhesive, but it is something to keep an eye on from a durability perspective.

The Windage Pants faired pretty well. Again, the fabric was great in waterproofness. The half-zip sides made putting them on and taking them off a breeze while keeping my boots on. I did a few wading creek crossings with the pants and gaiters, and didn’t have a drop get in the boots. The pants have also showed some signs of de-lamination. The two cargo pockets were useful, but the addition of standard front and back pants pockets would have been nice too. The pants weighed in at a very light 14.5 ounces (Medium).

The best part about the Perception DST series is the price. The Grit runs $99, Windage Jacket $149, and Windage Pants $119. You can get all three for less than some competitors’ Waterproof/Breathable jacket alone. While the SJK pieces may not have the top-of-the-line durability that the expensive competition has, they do offer a lot of value.

These are all on sale right now for 50% off on the SJK website. Just wanted to pass that on.