Upgrades for 2017

[wind gypsy]

items added since season end:

my first bow - halon 32
la sportiva karakorum gtx hc boots
kifaru hunter frame with exo 5500 bag (might offload it or my exo k2 frame yet.)

likely buys:
first lite obsidian pants
lightweight 50mm spotter (razor, fieldscope, or mm3 ed)
new range finder with angle compensation for bow
leupold vx6 turret and reticle upgrade

 

[MT_Wyatt]

2017 is shaping up to be a big year ($).....here are my plans, in order of importance.

- Adding a tripod setup: slik 624 with a micro pan head. Maven B2's on top? Need to decide 9's or 11's or if I want to do the 10x B4's.

- Switching from SG Sky archer to the new frame with a 5900. Love that new frame and how it carries.
- Sold my helim, still debating the compound I'll shoot for the next 5 years.

- Starting with a 45 lb recurve for the spring.

- Moving to a SO cimmaron with stove for hunts with a partner. Thankfully that won't be entirely bankrolled by this guy.

- Clothing: Sitka's new subalpine is intriguing....I run Kuiu now and love how it fits. I'd like to use First Lite but haven't had much luck with the fit of their pants/shirts.

- New puffy: Kifaru or ?



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[fngTony]

Binoculars, harness, spot messenger, tarp shelter, try not to lose or break so many arrows, stabilizer

 

[Shackdaddy]

I'm switching from a Megatarp to the Tut in 2017.


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I will be doing the same.....

 

[Elkfever]

Big upgrades/purchases in '16 was a Knight Ultra Lite Muzzleloader, FHF bino harness, Kuiu Attacks, FL Uncompaghre and Tight Spot quiver.

For '17, I upgraded so far to FL Stormtight pants, a Garmin Rhino 650, FHF rangefinder holster - but next on the list, are boots...hoping the Crispi Idahos and Guides will cover me from Sept to November. I have not had luck in the boot dept. the last couple years. If budget allows, a Slik 634 CF tripod would be awesome.

 

[SHTF]

My attitude!!! Reorganized my goals about hunting. Less thinking and more doing. Also my Shelter from Cimmeron to a Hiperlight Mountain Gear Ultamid 4. Otherwise everything is staying same gear wise.

 

[rbljack]

Ok....Im going to jump into this.

2015 was all about getting back to mountain hunting Lots of clothing upgrades. Got first lite gear to cover a wide variety of weather/precip, etc.

For 2016 I upgraded shelters and upgraded coolers. I got a sawtooth for our Mulie hunt, and then realized (mid trip) I needed some type of tarp to get out of the rain while away from camp out hunting...so enter the supertarp. I figured if I was going to get a tarp, I might as well have a multi functional item that could be used as an overnighter if needed. Those were two big upgrades for 2016 which really put a dent in the funds. Then I went out and got a Yeti Tundra 105. Not quite big enough for an entire elk, but figured it would be plenty for a mulie. Never got a chance to find that out, but the cooler does hold ice fairly well. Wish I could have gotten some deer meat into it though!

My wish list for 2017 (So far) is:
1. Annex for supertarp.
2. Lightweight stove option for supertarp.
3. AGC bino harness
4. Upgraded bino's (currently thinking Vortex razor 10x42, or 12x50).
5. Kifaru Duplex Frame and Reckoning or EMR (leaning towards the reckoning)
6. A SUCCESSFUL ELK TAG DRAWING in NM or WY hopefully!!
7. New phoneskope for my upgraded phone (Iphone 7 plus). I bought the 7 plus to get better pictures, but I hope the size of it doesn't make it a bad decision in the long run.. Time will tell.

Update: Alaskan Guide harness Ordered!! First upgrade completed for 2017. Ordered the AGC Classic with Max pocket. Item 3/ DONE

 

[Rucker61]

I’m looking to bring the teenage son of a single mom family friend into hunting, so I’ll be buying gear for him this year. Looking for stuff like a decent pack, some decent hunting clothes and a sleep system. He’s a great kid with a deadbeat meathead dad he refuses to admit exists anymore, all honors high school classes and swimming for two teams, so he doesn’t have much time to get a job to get his own stuff.

 

[mtwarden]

good on you Sir!

 

[ahlgringo]

I’m looking to bring the teenage son of a single mom family friend into hunting, so I’ll be buying gear for him this year. Looking for stuff like a decent pack, some decent hunting clothes and a sleep system. He’s a great kid with a deadbeat meathead dad he refuses to admit exists anymore, all honors high school classes and swimming for two teams, so he doesn’t have much time to get a job to get his own stuff.

I might start your own thread for this one. Prob a bunch of us that would either donate or give really sweet deals on some good stuff. Would need to know approx measurements etc though. I for one have a boatload of camo that I wouldnt mind seeing get put to good use. As alluded previously- good on you sir


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[wildbill]

I'm in got more stuff than i will ever use all i need is a list an address more than willing to help

 

[FlyGuy]

Glad to see I'm not alone here. I really don't want to do the math on what I've spent in the last two years. Growing up in South LA/TX, I came to this sport pretty late in life compared to many of you; but after getting a taste of it last year I am completely hooked. From here on, September will always find me somewhere in the mts camping and chasing bugles. 2016 was only my second elk hunt, but my first with a Bow and Backpack (or as I like to say, my 1st REAL elk hunt). I decided to do this hunt ~ 4 minutes after I bought a new bow last Spring. At the time I rationalized that I had most of the clothing already and I had all the camping gear I needed just sitting in the attic (...sitting in the attic since before I got married... 14 years ago. more on this later). So, last season I added:

2016:
- Mathews Halon (and arrows/rest/sights/etc/etc/etc)
- an ebay special used Sitka Bivy 45 backpack
- AGO Bino Harness
- Garmin 64s + CO card
- Garmont Tower Trek GTX Hiking Boots (I don't hear much about these on this site, but I was very happy with them)


I felt like I was in good shape gear wise heading into that hunting trip, but that notion changed for me pretty quick. I froze all night, every night, in my vintage 2002 North Face Cat's Meow 20 bag. Then on day 5 it rained. A lot. My Piece of Sh*t cabelas 2 man tent (also 2002) did not even put up a fight. When I returned to camp that night everything I owned was completely soaked. Spirit broken. Hunt over. Sooooo....

Recent upgrades:
-Kifaru Tut & 18" cylinder stove (arriving any day. I'm like a kid a christmas waiting for it to show up!)
-Kifaru 20 slick bag
-Kifaru Woobie
-Kifaru Lost Park Parka
-Kifaru Meat bags (planning to use them this fall!)
-Helinox Cot
-Therm-a-rest XTherm pad
-used DeLorme inReach SE

Yeah, since that first trip I clearly put all my investments into sleeping better-drier-warmer because that was just plain miserable. I include the DeLorme in the "sleeping better" category too b/c I just couldn't get comfortable with zero communication. Maybe if I had more experience with this I'd feel differently, but the anxiety of an injury w/o any means to call for help was always back there nagging at me. Also, we have a special needs child at home that requires a lot of care, and my wife is a saint for just allowing me to be away for 10 days. I know she was worried about me and I'm sure those fears were magnified by days and days of not hearing from me, so the ability to text will be a great addition this fall.

Also, many people looking at my list probably think I drank the Kifaru Cool-Aid, and maybe I did. But, as a newcomer that lives WAY down south without access to experienced Elk hunters, I relied heavily on advice from Aron Snyder (via Gritty Bowmen). I soaked up everything nugget he was willing to share, but at the time I didn't own a single piece of his gear. There are a lot of other good brands out there, many with a much lower price tag, but that's how I made my decision.


2018?

-Kifaru Backpack. No idea which one. I get completely overwhelmed just looking at the catalog. Going to make a work trip to Denver in a few months so I plan to stop in their shop for help with selection and fitting while I'm up there.

 

[BCSteel]

I'm upgrading to getting my hunting license this year. Course is booked in in January. Also upgrading to getting a gun. Course booked in for the end of January. Was supposed to happen last year but... it's happening now.

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My wife and I passed the gun course, just waiting for the paperwork to go through now. Hunters course for us in the next week or so.

Hoping to get all the paperwork back in time for spring bear.

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[HankBC]

Received a kifaru duplex frame for Christmas with a guide kid and small pocket, just put in my order for which bag I wanted. Decided on the nomad/camp bag/grab it set up. Purely for the versatility. I do a lot of hiking off of logging roads, as well as 1-3 (hopefully) trips a year. Can't wait to throw a 45lb plate on and start training.

Looking to get an MSR reactor



Other things I'm looking to acquire or improve are

Tripod + head

Small spotting scope

Back country shelter (Cimmaron)?

My bank account doesn't quite match my hunting desires, so let's see what I choose to save up for next.. shelter then tripod? Cheers



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[D_Eightch]

I will be doing my first big backcountry hunt next fall.

Started acquiring gear last fall.

Went with:
KUIU Icon 7200
Kuiu Merino 145 Zip
Kuiu Merino Skull Cap
Sig Kilo 2000 RF
Vortex DiamondBack 10x42
First Light Cirrus (from member on here)
First Light Kanab 2.0 (2 Pair)
QAD UltraRest HDX
IQ Micro 5-Pin
Membership to Local Archery Club

Planned
Searching for an outer shell/lightweight jacket (like the looks of the sawtooth)
Floorless Shelter, may go with a MountainSmith unless the feeling strikes me to drop some more money on the Cimmaron. (Along with that will go a pad, since I currently camp out of a Hammock, just looking to save some space and setup time)
Crispi Boots
Trekking Poles
Tripod

So definitely not building the checking account

 

[justinspicher]

I changed camo from fusion to ASAT. I really just want to focus more on hunting, less on gear. Elk could care less what your shooting at them with or what shelter I'm using. My goal for 2017 is to be more committed and focused. I spent a lot of time in the woods last year but didn't really have a plan. I just wandered around until I ran into something. I was using hope as a method to hunt. This year I'm wanting to plan my hunts and look at specific areas. I'm tired of taking my recurve for a walk.

 

[mtwarden]

I'm tired of taking my recurve for a walk.

ditto, but mine is a rifle; too bad I couldn't find someone to pay me by the mile- I could retire early

 

[snowcamoman]

2017 is looking like my year of minimal upgrades. I did the optics, shelters/sleep system and clothing the past couple years and in all honesty, there isn't much out there that I desire. The ultra light custom rifle niche is about filled with the new 4lb 3 ounce 300RCM that I had built. My nemesis on all trips is food, but I'm going to dial that in this year better than before. Good luck to you all on your new purchases, the markets need our money to survive.

 

[maninthemaze]

Upgrading my 14 pound 7wsm to an estimated 9 1/2 pound 28 Nosler.

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And I just bought a set of Vortex binoculars, a ProMaster XC525C Carbon Fiber Tripod, Marmot Helium sleeping bag, a weight bench with 300 pounds of weights. Not to mention a bunch of SKRE gear. I sure hope my tax return shows up pretty quick. My bank account is hurting.

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[D_Eightch]

Juat picked up a pair of crispi idahos and leki's....spending freeze is on