Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Tactical Vest to Simplify all the Crap I Carry?

I'd think real hard about needing all those things at your fingertips. You'll want your binocs there for sure and your rifle. Do you see any guides or experienced hunters wearing a tactical vest? If I had a client walk out of his tent with a pack plus a tactical vest on I'd know I was in for it.

On the other hand when my hunters shows up with a reasonable pack, decent clothes and rifle he can load and unload without fumbling I'm a happy guide.

grin

guessing my experience is too limited, as I still like my vest for most applications.

only 30-40 moose over the years

8-9 dall sheep

20-30 caribou

and a few bears

I didn't use the vest back when I hunted whitetails and quail

so I won't count them.

I know plenty of guys that have killed far more game than I have, but most of them are pretty comfortable with how I handle a rifle. And none of them seem to object to the vest.

Who knows, when I gain a bit of experience I may throw the thing away.

but I doubt it.


oh and I guess the guy I saw the merits of wearing the vest is a younger guy than me by a few years.

He'd been in on 24 bear kills by the time he was 25, can't say how many since then, but my guess is more than a few. Couldn't say how many Dalls deaths he's been responsible for, but way more than me.

I'll have to ask him if he still uses his vest, perhaps with all that experience he's gained he's given it up?

If it works for you great, if it doesn't that's great too.

but throwing the experience card around is likely NOT to prove your point.

no desire or need on my part to convert folks to the use of a vest. And for my money "tactical" is a way over used word, nada tactical about my vests, just handy as hell for me and the way I hunt.

though I will agree with you that having binocs and rifle are higher up the priority list for hunting than the majority of stuff I carry in there.

They're extremely personal things, the manner in which we pack and organize our stuff.

When I have discussed it with other folks, I cannot help but relate how close it is to modern man's religion, extremely representative of a man's ethos and deliberation in choices. Many of the outdoor writer's of the past have described how questioning another man's gear is akin to insulting their character.

In many ways it's like a fingerprint in its individuality and uniqueness. To my mind, and where I have all the fun in reading folk's posts, it is also extremely revealing of underlying psychosis and the strengths and faults in the depths of one's ability.

Let's tread lightly gents. Respect other's choices in these banal and innocuous things we simply call gear.

"Your slip is showing..."

why yes indeed, I am a member of the Church of tackleberry, gearhead collecting society!


I've no worries if a guy decides to carry his stuff in a paper bag, well as long as it covers his "slip".


and I know how Ralphie feels, I've felt the same way watching clients get off the plane decked out in brand new camo clothing from head to toe with a nice shiny new rifle. oh, oh, what have we got going on here?


great post btw, and highly accurate, gear and how we carry it is pretty inconsequential, regardless of how much importance we put on them. it's what ends up in the freezer (in my case) or on the wall (for others) that puts the proof in the pudding.

but I do love me some stuff that is handy and functional

one of the best sheep hunter's and hunter in general for that matter, here and Africa, is about twelve years older than me, I gave him his first set of nylon pants and his first synthetic filled jacket.

he got pretty wetted out on the sheep/bou combo hunt we went on one year in his jeans, flannel shirt and down jacket.

I lent him some gear, and gifted him his own that following Xmas, I had to his way a "better" idea on clothing for the mountains, but he knew where the sheep were and how to hunt them up there. He went 23 rams out of 24 years, with well over a half a dozen exceeding 40 inches. That old dog could hunt, even when he was miserable from being wet.

If you're serious about carrying just the gear you mentioned, with the rest going in your pack, then a Hill People Gear "Kit Bag" will suit your needs perfectly. Check out their website.

I cant stand to have schit on my belt, around my neck, or in my pockets. An overloaded vest kills my neck and shoulders. On the fly, I like a Camelbak Striker. Superlight, only 1100 CI


If you're schlepping gear for a few nights, a lot of packs have removable lids that double as fanny packs. Not a bad option...

For just simple whitetail hunting at home I mostly use a blaze orange vest with multiple pockets, and maybe a fanny pack, but for when I went out to NW Montana for elk, I took my choice for a backpack, and coupled it with a Ribz front pack....gives you all the quick access to things you might need while hiking without having to drop your pack
Big fan of pocketed vests, but just prefer the Ribz when wearing a backpack.

I have used the primos gun hunter vest it has plenty of useable space and a back pocket you could use for a water bladder. I gave it to my 74 years old dad because he needs to have most things easy to get to without taking it on and off, shoulder problems. You might give it look and it comes in orange or camo.
I personally use the bowhunter vest it is lightweight and holds what I want and can be used well under a pack ie. pockets are still useable for calls, snack bars, flashlight, etc.

Hope this helps.

I took a camo military cotton shirt that has two high pockets and two large lower pockets. The pockets have button closures. I cut the sleeves off to make a lightweight vest. I can button it closed or leave it open which is what I usually do. My range finder strap goes through one of the lower button holes to keep me from losing it. In the left lower pocket I keep my wind powder and a couple pieces of hard candy. I can put my gloves in a lower pocket when not wearing them. I have a day pack that contains a camel back and my lunch, plus the game bags and other necessary items. I like to leave the pack with enough space to put my morning cold gear inside once it warms. I also wear a binocular harness to keep them handy. The final possible strap is the Primos bow sling when needed. At first it seems like a lot of straps but after a couple days it all starts working together and is not noticed. The straps on the day pack, which has a waist belt will fasten around so that I can get into the pockets of the vest. It works for me and the vest is light weight so it does not make you too hot. I have even worn just the vest and back pack when really hot. The vest is also large enough to fit over a cold weather jacket if needed. It works for me.

One thing I like about my set up is when I come back to camp, I drop my pack and vest together and everything stays there. I am not switching items around into different hunting clothes. Like I said, it works for me...Good Luck