Well as 2017 comes to a close, and with 7 big game animals on the ground plus a fair amount of birds and some high mountain fishing trips I figured I'd do a gear review of what worked and what didn't---for me at least. I hunted and fished 7 states and used this gear in temps from ~70 above to zero. Rain, snow, fog and sunshine. I am not a gear junkie, and don't use things like trekking poles, bino harness (may try one this year) or anything sitka/kuiu anymore, but what I do have I like to make sure works.



First: what I tried out this year, and have high hopes for in future years:
Tedthorn's Frankenstud slingamajigthingy-Pretty neat piece of gear, and really useful. While I don't think it was absolutely necessary to my success, it was for sure handy and well worth the money. I fully plan to keep using it. No pictures of mine, but there's plenty floating around the 'fire, and for good reason.

Gränsfors Bruk Outdoor Axe-I see nothing to complain about with this thing. I chopped off antlers, elk backbones (easier for me to get to the Tloins) and most certainly used it to get firewood when I decided a little flame was in order.


Kifaru Slick Bag and stuff sack-used on some elk hunts and Alaskan caribou. I really like it so far.

Caribou game bags-absolutely no complaints so far. Used them on everything this year.




What has worked in past years, and unsurprisingly kept working like a champ:
Steiner Peregrin 10x42s. Simply awesome binos that I like better than my Zeiss Dialyt 10x40s and Swaro EL 8.5x42s. I did send them in to have the cheesy twist up eye cups replaced and repair the bino strap anchor pocket, but they apparently couldn't repair the anchor pocket so they sent me a brand new pair of the Peregrine's replacement, the "wildlife" as they call it in 10x42. We'll see if they're as good as the Peregrin was, optically least.

Kahtoola K10's.-I wore a steel set right down to nubs, and have had this second set for one season now. Simply awesome, though the snow skins are useless and a plastic buckle broke. I refuse to hunt anything in snow or mud without these, let alone elk and chuckar, and quite often use them on dry terrain as well. Even late season farmground pheasant hunts benefit big time from these. If I had to chose one piece of gear that is absolutely the most useful, this would be it.



Sleeping Indian wool gaitors-I have had these since high school and they're still going strong except for one button snap and one zipper that broke. I had a pair of kenetreks, but they were destroyed after 2 seasons of half use...that is to say I wore them half the time, and the Sleeping Indian set the other half.


Havalon Piranta-nothing more needs said. I SUCK at sharpening. I gutless quartered 5 of my 7 big game animals, and used nothing but my Piranta to do it with two exceptions. I used the Gränsfors Bruk Outdoor Axe once to get to the tenderloins of an elk and a gerber fixed blade to remove some half frozen backstraps and tloins, but other than that I used nothing but the piranta.

SWFA 6x42 mil quad and Leupold FXIII 6X42. No surprises here. 5 of the 7 critters plus some random coyotes and badgers were taken with these, from less than one hundred to 528 yards.



Eberlestock X2-these don't have the best rep, but I don't have an issue with mine. I should take advantage of Mystery Ranch's closeout sale going on right now, but would rather that money go towards plane tickets or a tag somewhere next year. I packed out 2 elk, a mule deer, a caribou and an axis deer this year with my X2 plus went on a few Golden Trout adventures. No issues.

Anything Filson-no need to explain.




What didn't work and I have no plans to ever try again:
Boots: Danner Vicious and AKU Jager Evo High GTX-They didn't last one season. I am going back to either Meindl or Lowa.

Berger bullets-this would take a while to explain, but I am not real impressed...again. A mule deer and two elk died from them, but all three took a second shot and there was nothing wrong with the first shot. Maybe I got into a bad lot of them or something......I dunno.

The verdict on the Sig Kilo 2000 is still out there-despite this being my second season with it.



I used more gear such as cheaper synthetic pants, swaro spotting scope, SPOT, jetboil, etc. but this is the stuff that either seems to be unimportant to folks on these boards or I don't feel real positive or negative about so far. Hope everyone had a great 2017 and an even better 2018.

Thanks for the review. I ordered a pair of the Kahtoola K10's. For several years I’ve been telling myself to get caulked boots. I’ll try these instead.

Great report there looks like you had an excellent season congratulations and happy new year!

I'm glad the Frankenstud Sling Keeper didn't disapoint you.

I'd love to see some pictures of it in use

I highly doubt you'll have anything negative to say about them; at least the spikes themselves. Adjust them properly, or the toe will slip off and you'll step on the crampon as the toe swings down and towards the rear, causing the main flat spring length adjuster to get pinched tightly, and significantly loose the metal adjuster piece's integrity. Be careful not to snag your pant leg or gator too. Ask me how I know these things!

You'll also learn to "grind" your boot heel and the ball of your feet to get rid of the snow and ice that bunches up there when the snow and mud conditions are just right. The snow skins did little to prevent buildup and got tore off on the first hunt I took them on.

Great piece of gear given those shortcomings.

I guess a guy can get too much traction with them, if that makes sense.

If you step on a rock funny causing your ankle to roll at a weird angle and you lose your balance and fall (think: when carrying a heavy, elk laden backpack), I could see your foot staying where it is instead of moving with the fall. That could be bad.

Thanks for the review T_I.
I’d love to hear a bit about the rifle/stock you used in AK if you have a moment.

Great thread! Thanks for your thoughts/ experience

Remington 700 in 300 H&H. Bought it here on the fire.

Action and bolt was trued, firing pin spring replaced.
Douglas SS barrel, #3 contour, air gauged , 10 twist, 25.5" oal.
McMillan Classic ADL stock, Ultralight Edge.
Factory (but tuned) 3lb trigger.
Talley LWs
Leupold FXIII 6x42
Old style 200 grain speer grand slam.

No issues whatsoever with this setup, even in the Alaskan rain for a week. Got a big lead cow elk with the same everything last year.

Good write up, I used the same stuff I always do, pretty boring I guess!! Grin

Kind of like a ski binding that doesn’t release.

Great review. Thanks for putting in the effort to share with us.

That was quite a year. Thank you for a relevant review, you just convinced me to finally get a Swfa MQ 6X. I just needed that last nudge.



mike r

Yes. I use IceTrekkers (which apparently have been bought out by YakTrax--and the original YakTrax were not very good) but have never wore them hunting. Use them a fair amount winter hiking though. Without a doubt a guy has to be mindful of the lack of "slip" in some situations, I quickly realized in some circumstances it could get somebody in trouble. And try not to stab yourself in the calf with the winter traction devices with large spikes like the Kahtoola's.

Good shít, Ted.
I learned a thing or two.
Thanks,
Slave

P.S. Here's a tip for you....
Kahtoola's when considering doggy.
Solid.

Good tip.

Doggy has a way of throwing me off balance, especially when your MOM is involved cause the earth shakes with aftershocks behind her path. I can see those Kahtoolas coming in handy. She's my girl...




Folks, please don't mind my rhetoric to Slave's poetry (and SLiM's for that matter). It's our way of showing we care...

MOM is an angel and a giver.
She likes to brighten the day of a retard once in a while........



Lucky for you....
you qualify.

Slave

In multiples...daily.

She really is a giver...I don't know about an angle, but she is a giver.

Just call me daddy.

Good review and thanks for sharing. I trust reviews like this more than any other except first-hand of' course.

I didnt acquire much new gear, actually downsized some. Couple new things that worked for me:

Cabelas microtex pants- used the houndstooth shirts for years went away from them in favor of wool. Pants were on sale, so grabbed a pair. Excellent early season pant. Well articulating/freedom of movement without being baggy. On colder hunts I wore cheap omni-wool baselayer from Sams, or Mil issue poly pro for late season. Did ok in the briars.

Barnes TTSX- 110 gr out of 270 equals very dead deer. I still keep interlocks and partitions around, but am liking the monos and lack of fragments in my meat. Stepping up in weight next year to a 130 just to see.

Puma catamount knife- Wanted a fixed blade of 440 steel for its ease in sharpening. Usually turn to buck, but nothing really fit my hand or preference of blade, so I ordered the puma on a whim. Fits my hand, quality leather sheath, not to big. Did two deer with mine (everything from field dress, skin, deboning, to slicing backstrap), worked about as well as one knife could. Took a new edge without much fuss.

Eddie Bauer Skyliner down jacket- Just like one JOC wore! Its light, warm and didnt tear from briars. Great for around town or to throw in your pack for a hunt/extra layer. Just wish the sleeves were a little longer, though I have long arms.

T man, nice review.. Nice photos and guns.. Looks like you made some great hunts.. Enjoy..

Though they are discontinued, you can still find some of the best boning knives around for very cheap.

Kershaw ProGrade blue-handled 6" fillet knife with 420J2 Japanese stainless steel blade.

Easy to sharpen, flexible, great handles, dishwasher when you're done. And under $20.

Good review. Thanks for sharing. I was very interested in the gaiters until I checked the price. WOW. Our mutual friend has convinced me the value of the Kahtoola's, though mine are aluminum. Good stuff.

PS- This fall may be the year for my dog to hit your country for some sage hens...

Thanks for sharing

Excellent report. I appreciate when you guys give your experience on what works and what doesn't. Thanks

I've been playing in the outdoors for over 60 years, and buying gear for that purpose. So I have two or three or four of just about everything, and therefore don't have a lot of new stuff to report on. However, I tried two new things this year.

I've been looking for a backpack to replace my Osprey Aether. Love the Osprey pack because it's really comfortable, but it's not a hunting pack. I tried a KUIU Ultra 6000. I like this pack. I'm going to continue to use it for hunting. But I'll stay with the Osprey pack for summer recreational backpacking.



I also got a Samsung Galaxy Tab E and installed GAIA mapping program. I like this addition also. It's not a substitute for a USGS map and compass because digital technology is not totally reliable. The batteries are not going to run down on a hard copy map or magnetic compass. Also the map and compass are going to work in the bottom of a slot canyon and GPS technology won't. But this technology is a good augmentation because you don't have to guess at your location on the USGS map. With GAIA you know for sure exactly where you are.

KC

Sleeping Indian's are pricy no doubt, but like anything else.....when you're replacing the cheaper brands every other year or so, compared to buying once every 20 years....the better stuff is often cheaper in the long run. If Filson made some gaitors I'd be all over them...

Sage grouse are about the only bird we have around here, other than occasional chuckars. I think I killed 16 sage hens this year. Give me a shout.

Good report-I have been looking at the Kuiu packs too, but really haven't seen a reason to get away from my X2 yet.

I am way too dumb to use my phone or any other type of computer for navigating....give me a map and compass every time. I do like looking at a GPS real quick to see if I am on public or private, but that's where my computer skills stop.

I too am very comfortable using a USGS map and compass. Been using them since 1958. But I figured I should at least try to keep up with changing tech. In 2004, I bought a real simple GPS unit so I could set my camp or truck as a waypoint.

I've spent a lifetime correlating terrain with the topo on a USGS map and guessing where I was on the map. Most of the time I could figure it out accurately. But now there's no more guessing. I like it.

I am a dinosaur because I refuse to get another cell phone. I started using them when they were attached to a car and used one for business for thirty years. I could never get away. Would get calls from work in the middle of the night. When I retired, I ditched two leashes; my cell phone and my necktie. Now I'm free.

KC

I hear you on the buy once cry once. I have kids so am just broke...

I definitely will be in touch about the sage hens. May have to try the mountains east of there for forest grouse on the way too and fro.

Very good review. Straight to the point without all the blather I'm so bored of.

Second that X2. I've had one for 4 years now. Weighs about 6 lbs, fits me extremely well and rides like its not there. Combine it with a Kifaru or home made gun bearer and you've got a good day for 10-20 miles.

I have to try those cramps! I bust my behind several times a day in snow. Love the Kennetreks, but the 1000 seem to have 0 traction in snow.

Tom, you will like the 130 TTSXs for your 270. Mine likes Re19 for mild weather and H4350 for the cold stuff.

Geeze! That first pic looks like one worked that carcass up with an axe.
Also, how about a discussion on the black tape? I thought we had settled on blue like 10 years ago.

Have a good one,

That first picture is of a carcass worked over with an axe.

After getting the backstrap off, I hacked through the spine at the last rib, pulled the spine up and back as hard as I could and it snapped and "hinged" at the pelvis. Made getting the tenderloins out much easier. What you see is the "underside" of the spine with the tenderloins removed. It was the first time I tried that, so it was a bit messy but I think with a bit of practice it'll be easier and cleaner.

Thanks for the informative post, I appreciate it.

Also, I have to note that if you can wear the spikes down to nubs on a set of steel crampons, you are sure getting out there and doing it -- no keyboard cowboy stuff there! :-)

John

Yes sir....I didn't wear that set out overnight...it took several seasons but I was a bit impressed myself that they were wore down so far.

I later learned that Kahtoola would likely have replaced them if I had sent them in instead of throwing them away....oh well. Lesson learned for when this new set is done for.

Ask BOY about the first set he had that he sent in. Resulted in a call from the company asking if they could keep them for show. I think 4 trips into the Frank for goats/sheep + chukar hunting had them wore to nubs.

He's the one that told me I should have called the company...