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

[mtwarden]

I enjoyed and learned from the 16 version, if you missed it http://www.rokslide.com/forums/general-discussion-forum/55546-meh-ugly.html

this season was significantly colder with more snow than last year so had to change up a few things

the good:

my 20+ year of Schnee Hunter pac boots- for cold and snow, these are tough to beat- I have the tall ones, with pants tucked in no need for gaiters; with the deep snow I couldn't put on really big miles, but had several days out in the 12-14 mile range with no blisters or foot discomfort

another blast from the past- my 20+ year Filson whipcord pants; I normally wear softshell pants, but with this much snow/cold, the whipcord pants simply worked better- I would just adjust my lower base layer for the expected temps- the tight weave wool bucked wind and snow really well

my Nunatuk Skaha Apex pullover puffy- I was pleasantly surprised how warm this puffy was when glassing- I have the lightest version (2.5 oz Apex) and would have been better served with the 3.6 oz or even possibly the 5.0 oz, but this wasn't the fault of the jacket- it was purchased as "summer" puffy and it was definitely a stretch for below 0 to teen weather- a warmer Skaha is on the list for next year

binos on a tripod- just 10x42's, but this worked really well- I'm sold and might look into 11 or 12's just because of this positive experience

really didn't have much in the way of meh's or ugly, which is unusual

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

The Good
The Kuiu Yukon Pro Gaiters worked out well for me this season. They didn't slide down my small calves like the Kenetreks did. The day after three different snow storms they kept snow out of my boots.

The Kuiu Northstar Gloves kept my hands warm and dry this season. I have never been on so many late season hunts as did this year, and I knew I needed an insulated pair of gloves. They did well blocking the wind and kept my fingers warm in the low 20's. Below that I had to put my hands in my pocket to get them warm again. I even processed an entire mule deer with them on. Yes, it was that cold with lots of snow.

I tried out a pair of down pants for the first time this year. I went with the Kuiu Superdown Pants. I have no other down pants to compare them to, but they made a huge difference in long sits/glassing sessions during freezing temps.

The Meh
I wanted to see if I liked the Kuiu Guide Pants better than the Sitka Timberlines. I didn't. I hike a lot and thought a lighter weight pant with hip vents would work out better. First day using them in teen temperatures and 40 mph winds my legs froze. I didn't have a base layer underneath, which probably would have helped. I used them a few more times, but in the mornings when I had my choice of either I always went with the timberlines.

Kuiu Superdown Jacket. It just wasn't as warm as I thought it'd be. Even with a merino base layers, jetstream vest, the superdown, and a jetstream jacket on, I would still shiver. Staying warm while sitting during late season is something I'm still trying to figure out. I liked that it didn't take up much room in my pack, but want something warmer. Just recently purchased the Kifaru LPP. We'll see how that works.

The Ugly
Boots! Gosh dang I could not keep my feet dry this season. I used the Salomon Quest 4D and their winter boot that is similar. Every day there was
moisture I had wet/cold feet.

 

[airlocksniffer]

Good: Theron Questa HD 10x42 binos. I'd put these head to head with binos 3x the cost. I paid about $375.
Meh: First Lite Dobson Boxer Briefs. Really like these but completely shredded the crotch. Little spendy for only lasting a season
Ugly: Not filling my elk tag. Still have another shot with a late season damage hunt.

 

[mtwarden]

Ugly: Not filling my elk tag.

oh yeah- there is that to add to mine

 

[slick]

Good:
Agree with the Warden on 10x42s on a tripod. Makes glassing sessions a breeze

Enlightened Equipment 0* quilt
Tikka T3 300wm

Meh: Arcteryx Beta 3L Hardshell. It didn't soak through, but didn't bead the water as well/long as I would have liked for a jacket it's price.

Ugly: Eating tag soup on everything but a ewe.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mt100gr.]

Good - seek outside LBO base-tarp-base, tigoat cylinder stove, borah bivy, thermarest neoair xtherm and enlightened equipment enigma 20* quilt. After a lot of research, i completely overhauled my sleep system and the shelter we use. There were obviously other items I want to try but I was very happy with this set up. We camped in plenty of snow and cold this year and I slept well every night. As planned, on the colder nights (single digits) I supplemented my quilt with puffy gear i carry anyway.

Good - Kahtoola micro spikes. Great on icy trails and icy rock.

Good - Scarpa charmoz pro gtx. Picked these up on sale thru REI as I was due for a new non insulated boot. I ended up wearing them all year with gaiters and never had issues. When we stopped in the colder weather to glass, i would wear puffy booties and air out my feet. The scarpas are the most waterproof boot I have owned out of Lowa, Schnee's ( Granites are just ok), Kenetrek.

Good - Baffin puffy synthetic booties. Cheap, warm. I traded my crocs for these when the temps drop. Use.them to glass and for sleeping. Also handy when a restless youngster can't think of anything else to complain about except his feet - he thought they were the deal

Meh - nothing really stands out this year.

Ugly - nothing we really struggled with gear-wise this year.

 

[BCSteel]

Good: my first year of hunting. Learned a lot, saw a lot of game, got out for over 40 days, took my first deer and helped my friend from Hungary to take his first deer. It has been everything and more that I'd hoped it would be. An amazing first year.

My Savage LWH. Love how it looks, points and shoots.

Meh: Muck Boots for multi day camping trips. They get sweaty and stay moist. Kind of a pain to keep finding ways to dry them out while backpacking/hiking every day in sub zero temps. Will be looking into boot/gaiter combos for next fall/winter.

Nikon Monarch 5 binos. The only other glass I've looked through is in my Vortex Viper on my LWH. Now I can't stop thinking about upgrading my binos to something considerably better.

Ugly: 2 of the other "hunters" I met while out.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

 

[Crippledsledge64]

The Good, first hunt out west and first mule deer. Also got to see the frank church and survived. Kuiu attack pants, very versatile and comfy but durable.

The meh, nothing really stands out but definitely try to cut down my pack weight from 72 pounds to something that won’t try and bring my down the mountain.

The ugly, kuiu 7200 pack. Works for some, not comfortable at all for me. Probably get an exo or stone glacier to replace it.

 

[mfllood3800]

The Good- being selected in the Utah LE Draw for Bull Elk in a prime unit
- and tagging out on a great bull

- My wife hunting for the first time with me on her Deer tag
- and being successful

The Meh - Having to cancel my Idaho hunt for Bull Elk

The Ugly- My dad having a heart attack, cancelling his elk hunt here with me and then passing away


- nothing else that was ugly mattered after that

 

[huntaholic123]

The good- upgraded my bino harness to the Alaskan Guide Creations. Can’t say enough about this harness. Have used many others over the years and wish I would have made the change long ago. Built to last, comfortable after extended time wearing, easy to use, versatility of having the extra pockets for range finder, wind checker, tag, etc.

Still enjoying my kifaru EMR II. Glad I paid the money for a solid pack few years ago. Plenty of pack for any use. Very comfortable pack.

Tagged out on two tremendous whitetail on public land solo. Made for a very memorable season

The meh- Salamon Quest GTX 4D boots. They have held up fine for a softer boot, tend to get wet easily. Will be upgrading my boots this offseason.

The ugly- didn’t run into anything that stood out as a ugly this season.

Sorry to hear about your father mfllood3800. Things like that really put things into perspective. We like to complain about things that really aren’t all that bad. Count your blessings. May he Rest In Peace.

 

[justinspicher]

Good-spent almost 60 days in the field.
-spent way more time behind my binos, tripods make a huge difference.
-switched from a puffy to a wool pullover.

Meh-thermarest cot is decent, but way too many parts to lose.


Ugly-FL boxers, trashed six pairs this season.

 

[mfllood3800]

Good-spent almost 60 days in the field.
-spent way more time behind my binos, tripods make a huge difference.
-switched from a puffy to a wool pullover.

Meh-thermarest cot is decent, but way too many parts to lose.


Ugly-FL boxers, trashed six pairs this season.

Justin

I almost got a cot. I use a pad, but was willing to try the cot.
This was an issue I was concerned with. I need a simple system, but also was hoping for a bit more luxury as I get older
lol

 

[Scotto]

Bought a cot this year for the luxury as well, and am willing to take my chances with the parts until I lose one. lol

 

[skaldugwas]

good. Got my first backcountry bear.
Meh: cabelas mto50 rain pants. Even with their own belt the kept sliding down my ass.
Bad: got mild frost bite on my finger tips and toes. Now I know not to skimp on gloves.

 

[justinspicher]

I switched cots, from a thermarest to a helinox. Huge difference. The helinox is more comfy, sturdy and has less parts. It’s also easier to set up. I’ll take the weight penalty over a pad for the comfort the cot offers. I also don’t have to worry about the cot popping.

 

[jmez]

I didn't have much new stuff this year other than a Thermarest cot.

I'd give it a Meh as well. There are a lot of parts but it is easy and quick to assemble. The only thing it offered was extra weight in the pack for me. I tried it with an air mattress and without. Without it isn't as comfortable as just a mattress on the floor. With, it isn't any more comfortable than just a mattress on the floor.

We moved halfway through out hunt this year and I left it in the truck the second time around.

 

[Takem]

I'm sorry for your loss mfllood3800. I'm on year 5 without tge old man. I'm guessing you have a lot of great outdoor memories with him like I had with mine.

Good: Davis tent. My brother and I had a base camp hunt this year and we picked up a 14 x 16 tent. Very well built and comfortable.

 

[bobinmi]

The good: First lite obsidian pants. this was my first venture into premium hunting pants and these did fantastic for me. So much so that I bought 3 more pairs in dry earth to wear as every day pants. My wife is now sick of them.

The Meh. Tree saddle hunting in general, awesome to carry in. I have an old anderson tree sling that I used this year. I got a ridiculous deal on an aerohunter kestrel that I am going to play with next year, but I feel like I am willing to pay the weight toll in order to have more comfort for the long sits.

the ugly: 30% off of first lite asat approximately 2 weeks after I purchased about 700 dollars worth of it.

 

[mrbillbrown]

The good.... Fenix 5x worked great as a back up GPS and quick way to mark a spot to come back to later. Even quicker than taking out my phone and dropping a pin in GAIA. Longer Titanium Spork for reaching the bottom of my MH without getting my hand dirty every bite. Human Gear Cap Cap. Friend gave me one and it’s made my Nalgene bottles 1000% better. Can’t believe I’ve gone so long without it.

The meh.....Steripen Adventurer. Used one for the first time and it appeared to work (didn’t get sick) but still not convinced how the voodoo works. Still questioned whether or not the water was safe because I can’t “see” how it works. Probably gonna stick with my Hiker Pro for peace of mind.

The bad...Marmot Precip rain pants. Never realized the short 12” zip on each lower leg was gonna be useless when I’ve already got my boots on. No quick way to throw them on or off. Great lightweight packable pant but you better have a plan to use them. Definitely a “bad” item for me.

 

[Logan T]

The good- Upgraded the pack from the original Exo to a Stone Glacier X-Curve. Night and day difference at the heavy weights for me. Went with the Approach and Access bag for early season day hunts and the 5900 for later season/multi day hunts.
- Also upgraded to a Swaro ATS 80 spotter. No explanation needed there, other than to say- save the extra money to get a swarovski if you are looking for a new spotter. I personally believe you don't need to spend swarovski $$$ on a pair of binos, and a guy could put that cash into his spotter fund.
- Cut up my thermarest foam sleeping pad to use for glassing pads. Should have done this a long time ago. Now I just need to go get another pad to replace it with ( I use this pad and an air pad for my sleep system).
- Stealth Cam G42NG. Great little game camera with long battery life, good pictures, fast trigger and very user friendly interface.

The meh- the Phoneskope. It works just like it should, I can't see another item doing it's job better than it. However I'm not too sure on it- taking it off and putting it on to be specific. I used it extensively this year and while a guy could use the spotter just fine with the optic attachment left on, I didn't like having my face against that plastic- not to sound like a baby, but I don't even know how many days worth of hours I was looking through it this year. And with just spending the money on the new spotter I didn't like how tough it was to take off the eye piece. Not sure if there is a work around here or not, but I felt like if I kept taking the optic attachment off the eye piece every time, eventually the rubber eye piece may pop off. Also couldn't use the cover for the eye piece when I was packing up to move with the phoneskope left on. Open to any suggestions to remedy that.
- Salomon Quest 4d 2GTX boots. I bought these for early-mid season hunts. I've had Kennetreks forever but was needing a new pair of boots this year, or just needed to resole my Kennes. I decided to try these. They are a descent boot and felt light on my feet. I definitely prefer the taller boot height of the Kennetreks and will definitely be resoling my uninsulated Kennetreks before spring. I didn't like how the Salomons almost kind of cut off circulation to my feet if I wasn't only sitting on my butt with my legs straight out in front of me- kind of a mid height boot issue I guess. But I will be keeping them around for summer hikes since they do breathe descent and are lighter.

The bad- Nothing really. Pretty much have my gear dialed in now, will just be playing with new toys when I see something that catches my interest.