the official 2017 edition of "the good, the meh, and the ugly"

[Cgeb]

Good: Sitka Clothing.. I decided to consolidate and just go with Open Country, sold off the other patterns bought some more options in Open Country. Image Stabilization Binos.. I have a pair of Canon 12x36 good glass, but the stabilization it's fantastic. My wife and I just came back from a glassing trip and took a couple sets of binos. I prefer the Canons even at lower magnification than the other binos. Anything in a Mora or Spyderco knife.

Meh: Expensive wool socks, bought some Costco wool socks, just as happy with them.

Bad: I'm an idiot, I can be kind of hard headed. Moved one of my deer stands because of hunting pressure 2 months before the season. Setup in another area I'm pretty familiar with and put out a "new" game cam. I checked the cam a few weeks before the season, no pics. Just figured it was the camera or settings. I mean I know there are deer here right? I have seen them. Guess what sat the 1st weekend of season in that stand, nothing. Had business come up the second week of the season and missed it. Sometimes "what you see is what you get". Message to self "don't be an idiot".

 

[Jdavis9753]

The Good:
Got a Kifaru pack this year and used it for Colorado elk/deer OTC and then New Mexico deer draw hunts. Absolutely changed my heart away from just day hunting and back to staying in the field all week.

The Meh:
I was able to take two deer this year but not the big boys I had my heart set on.

The Bad:
Two cracked windshields in less than one month made for some unexpected repair bills.


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[Ashy Larry]

My experience is with Western NC public land mountain deer hunting.

The Good:
Cerakoted barrel/action and butler creek caps. Never used them before but the combo made hunting in wet snow a lot less bothersome.
Black Ovis merino Base layers, gloves, beanie. Bought cheap on camofire and i love all of it.
Kuiu Icon pack. Worked well for me, fit good, versatile, used a lot for training hikes over the summer.
Zamberlan Guide 960s, This boot was made for my foot i think.
Farm to Feet socks. Made local, bought local, and now its all i wear.
Reloading equipment. I had dabbled in the past, but now that im older/wiser/more patient, i am loving it. Still dont have too much money tied up but im shooting a lot more, and have a more intimate knowledge of my weaponry. Really digging reloading in general.

Meh
Kuiu pack gun holder. Its probably more me than the holder, it held fine, didnt move much at all but my TRex arms can just barely and i mean barely reach back and unto the clip/grab the barrel. I need to fidget with orientation more but i really didnt care for that.
Homemade Paracord bino harness. I need to bite the bullet on this and buy some, i always struggled with how to deal with my binos, and that should be an uncompromised piece of equipment.
Kuiu guide jacket. The jacket does not suck, but i went back and forth on sizing and ended up on the wrong end. It was my understanding that can you buy all layers in the same size and it should work as a system, well its all i can do to zip up a L guide jacket with multiple underlayers. The sleeves are pretty tight too and restrictive with other layers. By itself i like it, and i oculd stand to lose a few pounds.

BAD
OBAMA gosh dangit!
First Lite Webbing Belt. What a rip off. Does not even attempt to stay tight, there is no friction point to even keep it tight. I was really looking for an everyday useful belt and this thing absolutely sucks. The buckles are huge and cut into your abdomen when sitting. I got a Core4Elem belt off camofire for about a quarter of the price and it is waaay better. Pretty much turned me off to spending money with First Lite.
Rokslide. This forum has cost me a lot of money.

 

[mountainman406]

The Good: -InReach Explorer, able to keep my wife from worrying by sending a text
-Barnes TTSX Bullets, elk and deer both went down after 1 shot
-AGC Bino Harness, kept all rain/debris off binos and had no issues shooting my bow with it on
-LAYERING, Merino base layers, puffy jacket and chopper mitts were a huge bonus this year
-Trekking Poles, first full year using them and I will never go back to being without
-Being a part of seeing my Dad get his first elk, cross it off the bucket list

The Meh: -Vests
-Razor HD Binos, just wasn't seeing a whole lot of difference from the lower end binos

The Ugly: -Montana Weather, from 95+ with wildfires during archery to -20 and 2 feet of snow in rifle season
-Hoofing a sled up the mountain thinking that it would be easier than packing it out on your back....lesson learned, never again.

 

[HeadnWest]

Ashy Larry - Didn't know Obama was still the president in 2017? Must have had some bad flashbacks huh! Ha!

Good- I used a lot of new gear which really helped lighten my pack and make a week in the backcountry more enjoyable.
• Exo 3500
•*Tarpent Stratospire1 - very light for the amount of space it offers
•*Nemo Tensor Sleeping Pad and Salsa sleeping bag
• FL Halstead fleece, Wilkin Aerowool and Tag Beanie
•*Prana Zion Pants
•*Kuiu Teton Rain gear
• Kuiu zip off bottoms, love this concept!
•*Sawyer Squeeze - made filtering water very convenient.
•*Sitka Traverse gloves, warm enough for early season mornings and have tech fingers
•*Midway USA Puffy Jacket - a 14 oz. puffy for $50, used it for my pillow as well.
•*Muley Freak Bino harness, I upgraded from a cheap bungy style, nice to not have your binos bouncing around
• trekking poles
•*Lueko Tape - I pre-taped and never even got a hot spot this year.
•*Black Ovis 50/50 Boxers
•*Keen and Darntough socks



Meh -
• Kuiu Yukon Gaiters, fit great, but my pants were damp on the bottoms of my legs every time I took them off.

Bad - Mostly my food
• Heathers Choice, just did not like the taste of the Salmon Entrees.
•*Greenbelly Bars, the taste was so-so, but they have so much sodium, my hands swelled up every time I ate one
•*Justins almond butter, I'll stick to single serve peanut butter next time instead
• My shooting! Missed my chance to be a hero, instead I came back with zero, meat.

 

[Ashy Larry]

Ashy Larry - Didn't know Obama was still the president in 2017? Must have had some bad flashbacks huh! Ha!

Good- I used a lot of new gear which really helped lighten my pack and make a week in the backcountry more enjoyable.
• Exo 3500
•*Tarpent Stratospire1 - very light for the amount of space it offers
•*Nemo Tensor Sleeping Pad and Salsa sleeping bag
• FL Halstead fleece, Wilkin Aerowool and Tag Beanie
•*Prana Zion Pants
•*Kuiu Teton Rain gear
• Kuiu zip off bottoms, love this concept!
•*Sawyer Squeeze - made filtering water very convenient.
•*Sitka Traverse gloves, warm enough for early season mornings and have tech fingers
•*Midway USA Puffy Jacket - a 14 oz. puffy for $50, used it for my pillow as well.
•*Muley Freak Bino harness, I upgraded from a cheap bungy style, nice to not have your binos bouncing around
• trekking poles
•*Lueko Tape - I pre-taped and never even got a hot spot this year.
•*Black Ovis 50/50 Boxers
•*Keen and Darntough socks



Meh -
• Kuiu Yukon Gaiters, fit great, but my pants were damp on the bottoms of my legs every time I took them off.

Bad - Mostly my food
• Heathers Choice, just did not like the taste of the Salmon Entrees.
•*Greenbelly Bars, the taste was so-so, but they have so much sodium, my hands swelled up every time I ate one
•*Justins almond butter, I'll stick to single serve peanut butter next time instead
• My shooting! Missed my chance to be a hero, instead I came back with zero, meat.

I joke.

 

[Downeaster]

Good. Got a pintler and im absolutely in love. Packed out 1 deer and 0 elk (see bads). Love the salomon quest 4Ds, on my third pair. Tikka in 300win mag with accubonds and slick trick broadheads are the shit. Garmin inreach explorer added huge peace of mind.

Meh. Nothing really, pretty dialed in on tried and true gear

Bad. No elk down

 

[Jordan Budd]

Good: 1. My La Sportiva Trango Cubes.. I've definitely found my warm weather rough country boot for all time! 2. The First Lite Uncompahgre puffy pants.. I have a review up on these and they are an all time favorite, especially for late season. 3. Outdoormans pan head and bino adapters... extremely handy to put binos on a tripod plus the pan head is SOLID. 4. Kifaru lost park parka... just bombproof and extremely warm for late season.

Meh: Sitka ascent pants... yeah not for me. Just wasn't a fan of the fit (I'm a girl though so... was half way expected to not fit a certain amount), but I know lots of people really like them. Wasn't quite enough pant for me.

Ugly: Nothing major... I can't think of anything I chucked off a cliff this year. My 3 year old Black Diamond Storm headlamp quite working on a sheep hunt... had it on around camp, shut it off in the cook tent and wouldn't turn back when I went outside. Thank God for the Petzl e-light. I did buy the brand new version of the Storm though.

 

[HeadnWest]

I joke.

It was a good one!

 

[HeadnWest]

Good: 1. My La Sportiva Trango Cubes.. I've definitely found my warm weather rough country boot for all time! 2. The First Lite Uncompahgre puffy pants.. I have a review up on these and they are an all time favorite, especially for late season. 3. Outdoormans pan head and bino adapters... extremely handy to put binos on a tripod plus the pan head is SOLID. 4. Kifaru lost park parka... just bombproof and extremely warm for late season.

Meh: Sitka ascent pants... yeah not for me. Just wasn't a fan of the fit (I'm a girl though so... was half way expected to not fit a certain amount), but I know lots of people really like them. Wasn't quite enough pant for me.

Ugly: Nothing major... I can't think of anything I chucked off a cliff this year. My 3 year old Black Diamond Storm headlamp quite working on a sheep hunt... had it on around camp, shut it off in the cook tent and wouldn't turn back when I went outside. Thank God for the Petzl e-light. I did buy the brand new version of the Storm though.

Just ordered the Cubes, after you and Crossley raved over them I had to give them a try.

 

[tommymo]

sorry to hear that; there is definitely some anti-California bias here- pretty sad to judge someone by the plates they have on their vehicle [/Quote ]

I guess I'm screwed with my NJ plates.

 

[mtwarden]

sorry to hear that; there is definitely some anti-California bias here- pretty sad to judge someone by the plates they have on their vehicle [/Quote ]

I guess I'm screwed with my NJ plates.

dude- you are so screwed

 

[Lawnboi]

Everything worked.

A few things I liked
-Kifaru hunter frame, carried meat like a dream
-Sitka lightweight hoody, great piece
-CA Mesa in 300 Win mag, first kill with the rifle this year, hopefully many to come
-Rage hypodermic d6, sent 7 through animals, all worked great

Upgrades for this year
-bigger bag, the highcamp 4800 did its job, but I would like something bigger for meat and trips with the wife
-I need a bigger cooler, eyeing that rtic 140

The bad
Nothing, it all worked as it should.

 

[msummer88]

The Good

Helped my Dad get on his biggest buck. It was a father son hunt. He drew a CWMU tag and the property was the area his dad and grandad used to hunt way back in the day. He remembers them talking about ‘Windy Ridge’ as their favorite ridge to hunt. That’s where we took this buck.

My brother came up from Texas and I was able to help him get a meat buck for him and his wife.

Love my Stone Glacier pack, finally got to put it to work this year. I also really feel like I got my layering system down. I’m a crazy sweaty guy so it’s been a bitch to figure it out.

The Ugly

I went 1 for 3 on my hunts this year. There has only been two years that I’ve rifle hunted for deer and haven’t tagged one. This year was one of them. I will blame myself because I had opportunities but just couldn’t get shots off in time. Humble pie never tasted so bitter. However, I learned a lot about the animals in the area I hunt. Ultimately it should help me a lot next season. I did get my cow elk this year which I’m very grateful for.

2018 is going to be an adventure in the field.


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[Shepherd]

The Good

Crispi Nevada Legend Boots - finally found a good pair of mountian boots that are comfortable and don't cause blisters.
Sitka Gear - Cloudburst jacket/pants, Incinerator Hat, Fanatic Hoody - all worked great this year.
First Lite Woodbury jacket - great jacket for later season bowhunting, quiet and warm.
Western Mountaineering Badger sleeping bag - expensive but well worth it on a cold and wet sheep hunt.
Kuiu Icon Pro 7200 pack - comfortable and perfect size for my sheep hunt, even packing out meat.

The Meh

Cabelas Meindl Denali Boots - caused some hot spots and small blisters on my mountain hunt.
Sitka Celsius Shacket - didn't fit me well - too tight in shoulders and overall cumbersome.

The Ugly

Lowa Tibet Boots - probably a good boot but didn't fit my feet well and caused numerous blisters/hotspots.
Kuiu Merino LS Shirt - cold and clammy when wet.
NW Montana rifle elk hunt - where were the elk? Hardly saw any on 6 day hunt near Trout Creek.

 

[Ashy Larry]

Shepherd did you break in the Tibets or Meindls on weighted hikes before season?

 

[Shepherd]

Shepherd did you break in the Tibets or Meindls on weighted hikes before season?

I wore them on quite a few hikes but not with weight.

The Crispi's were comfortable right away and didn't seem to need breaking in, even though I did (but again not with weight).

 

[Fjelljeger]

The Good:

Moving to Alaska! Will be a resident for this upcoming season!!!!
Wearing Salomon 3d trail runners for the Pack Raft Rondy. Worked great even with 65lb pack.
PR49 Pack Raft.
Kifaru Fulcrum Pack
Remembering to take the heart and tongue from a caribou....Knew the tongue would taste good. The heart was fantastic! Will never leave a tongue or heart in the field again.
Bridgedale Socks
Arcteryx Delta LT Fleece..super light weight yet provides great warmth.
Inov 8 Arctic Claw 300 - Just awesome for running or fast hiking on ice and hard pack snow.

The Meh:

Tarptent Stratospire 2 in the rain for 2 people. Vestibules not big enough to store gear and crawl into and out of for a person my size. For 1 person it would be great. Don't get me wrong, I love my tarptent and will continue to use it very often.
Sitka Bomber belt...keeps coming loose
FL boxers...not durable

The Ugly:

Nothing really...had a Thermarest xtherm pad leak at the valve....returned and got new replacement in no time flat. Great customer service.

 

[Stwrt9]

The Good - Switching my outer layers to Sitka Subalpine form Kuiu Vias. Loved my system this year, especially my sitka core lightweight hoody. Picked up the Cabelas Krotos Spotter at a really good price point. It's a quality spotter for the cost.

The Meh - Playing around with different Arrows. I wasn't overly impressed with the Black Eagle Spartans when comparing them to my Carbon Express Maxima Reds. I have some more toying to do this winter.

The Bad - Not being able to make it out west for elk this past season. Something i will not miss out on this year.

 

[Akicita]

The Good:

Hilleber Staika – Freaking bomb proof!!! I love my Redcliffe below tree line but when I am above treeline I trust my life to my Staika.

Scarpa Phantom Tech – Not the right boot for most but absolutely my new favorite alpine boot. Sorry Triolets. . . you served me well for many years. . .

Lowa Zephyr GTX – Have exceeded my expectations and are holding up very well. Very comfortable after somewhat of a long conditioning period. Hard to get them off of me on most light duty days.

Steiner T5Xi – I am hard, hard, hard on gear and this thing has stood up to everything I could throw at it. Enough said. . .

Grandson Weston – He recently found out that Grandad buys the ponies and puppies so I am his most favorite person in the whole wide world right now.

The Meh:

Canyon Cooler Quest Backpack – I didn’t get the same performance as the Rokslide reviewer but for the price point is it working out okay. Probably will go for the Yeti next time.

Havalon Piranta – No doubt sharp, light and gets the job done, but like I said above - I am hard, hard, hard on gear!

BCA Bc Link Radios – I expected a little better quality for the price. Performance is very good.

2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk – Traded my built up JKU Rubicon for this on a whim. . . What was I thinking????

The Bad:

If your still buying the Salomon Quest 4D GTX don’t blame me. . . I warned you more than once!!! Same for Kuiu Attack pants!!!