What vest are you guys using? I'm thinking of buying a second vest, and am curious to know what you guys are using and like. There are so many out there, and I'm willing to spend some $$$ if it's the right vest that will last for years.
I just got the Primos Gobbler vest for this year. I haven't had a chance to use it in the field yet but i really like it. i like that i can access most silently, and everything has a specific pocket so you don't have things rattling around. The seat doesn't seem super thick, but i like how it clips out of the way, and the game pouch has a zipper on the side of it to make accessing decoys and other gear easier when you have the vest on.
I have the Tactical Tat'r by cabelas that I got a year ago on clearance for a very nice price. It has tons of pockets. It's short enough that when you sit down the pockets are at the perfect height. The seat in 2" thick and very comfy. Has a real nice game pouch/decoy holder. It basically fulfills all my needs.
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2008 HNI Bow Contest Team #35 Top Pin Predators
I use a Bob Dixon and I'll never use anything else. Mossy Oak tried to cheap-in it up and re-released a take off of it called the Limbhanger. Not bad, but not half as much space as the Dixon.
If I was going to buy something else.... it'd be a Super Elite 2 or 3 or whichever number they are on now. My first vest was the original super elite.... and I shot a bunch o turkeys in that thing.
__________________ You get what you put in, and people get what they deserve. - Kid Rock
I just bought the Primos Gobbler Vest II. It is their latest vest and it has a ton of nice features, a neat a tidy place for everything. They just added an even newer feature to their Gobbler Vest II and that is a magnetic seat retract. I like this way better than messing with those back pack clips like most use. Their is a single large strong magnet sewn in the seat cushion and up higher on the back of the vest where it retracts in place.This is asimple way to flip the seat up if you like to move around a lot. I no longer have to set my gun down to put the seat back up nor fill like I twist my arm off. Cabelas has these for $59.95 I believe you can also get them at Bass Pro for around the same price. The magnetic feature is brand new, last time I was at Cabelas (a week ago) they had a mix of Gobbler II vest with the new magnetic feature and some with the back pack clips. I also like the fact that with the magnet the seat lays more flush with your back when walking. Good Luck on your decision.
I quit using these turkey vests years ago in favor of backpacks. I have a couple different sizes depending upon whether I am taking decoys (especially B-mobile) or not and how long I'm staying. I just never liked how those vests had all that stuff hanging down the sides to catch every limb and briar in the woods.
When hunting public ground I may stay out all day, which means I need to pack lunch, snacks, and several bottles of water depending on the temps. Backpacks allow you to take raingear without having to wear it also, and they make a convenient place to put unnessary cloths as the day warms up. Both my backpacks have a small bag of essentials including matches, spare batteries, toilet paper, Trail tape, zip ties, turkey tote parachute cord, compass, and an extra "emergency" diaphram call in-case I leave them in the truck or I somehow loose them in the woods (hasn't happened yet).
Another essential part of my gear is a fanny pack worn in the front (buckle in the back). In this I keep and storemy glass and aluminum pot calls, strikers, gloves, face mask, spare shells, diaphram calls, sandpaper, lens cleaning cloth, and small zip ties to tag the birds feet. Everything is right there in easy reach and I don't have to go fumbling through a bunch of pockets to find what I want.
As far my seat - I used to use a small closed-cell foam pad that I attached to my belt with velcro straps. A couple years ago at the NWTF turkey convention in Nashville I found these guys selling a larger cushion seat that had a nylon webbing strap attached to it. I put my belt through the strap and the cushion is worn on the side. When I want to get up and walk simple pull the webbing up until the cushion is tight to your belt and then the webbing snaps together to hold it there while you walk. To lower it to sit on simply unsnap the snap and it falls right down. Very clever.
__________________ Captain, Team 1 - The Last Gobble 2009 HuntingNet.com Spring Turkey Contest Champions
I almost spent the $$$ on a new turkey vest last year....but opted, instead, for the DB Wild Thing pack. It carries everything (bow included) that I need....and makes preparation a breeze. I literally lick up my pack, only, to go afield.
I have the Tactical Tat'r by cabelas that I got a year ago on clearance for a very nice price. It has tons of pockets. It's short enough that when you sit down the pockets are at the perfect height. The seat in 2" thick and very comfy. Has a real nice game pouch/decoy holder. It basically fulfills all my needs.
What vest?
