Hey folks,
New to this forum and I really like the overall format / content. I am a longtime outdoorsman having spent much of my time hunting waterfowl and upland birds, deer hunting, fishing, working with sporting dogs (retrievers) and carving decoys. I am retired from a career in fish and wildlife conservation.
I find myself doing a lot more upland hunting as of late under a variety of temperature conditions. I am looking for an upland vest that will haul heavy loads of birds (have been doing some guiding, so I often carry clients birds on the preserve). The bird loads can get heavy and if the temperatures soar it can get pretty warm.
I have been looking (online) at the vests by WingWorks and Pella as they both seem to have a built in system to distribute the load of birds onto the wearer's hips (much like a backpack). We have a strict requirement for "Hunter Orange" here and neither one of these vests would fill the requirement (easily addressed with wearing other garments underneath the vest and a hat).
My question is to wearer / owners of either of these vests, what you like and or do not like about the vest, i.e. durability, comfort, features. Also and very important (load carrying capacity) I often carry the birds of up to three clients during a hunt (pheasant and chuckar partridge) so the weight can be significant. Just trying to make a wise decision before purhcase. Thank you for any information provided.
Quilomene is the way I would go. I have owned mine for some years now and hunted hard and the vest shows very little wear. I can carry eveything I could want in this vest. http://www.quilomene.com/page/995744
Not to hyjack your thread, but I was wondering about a dog vest that is not Neopren? Maybe something made out of the material our upland pants are made from??? Anyone know of one of these, or should I shut up and try to make money off of it??
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2008 Spring Turkey champs Team Gobbling Thunder
2005 Bow hunting champs Team XX
AR 34
drop zone rest
dead nuts sight
vibracheck stabilizer
carbon express
Deer, Turkey, Duck and Goose hunting
I have been using a camelbak vest for 3 seasons now. It is absolutely amazing. So good that I have bought one for my dad, one for my brother, one for my sister in law, one for my girlfriend and a backup one for me (in case they discontinue them).
You can tighten it around the waste and chest so it doesn't wear on your shoulders. I exclusively hunt pheasants and even with the hydration bladder full and three birds in the trunk, my shoulders hold up well.
I've been using a Filson vest for years. I have two other vests that just don't get used. The Filson is so well made that I expect that my grandkids will be able to use it when they are grown.
The game pocket has always impressed me as being quite large - though your requirements are substantial.
See: http://www.filson.com/product/index....069837.2075109
Pete
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"Only hunting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games."
Not to hyjack your thread, but I was wondering about a dog vest that is not Neopren? Maybe something made out of the material our upland pants are made from??? Anyone know of one of these, or should I shut up and try to make money off of it??
I bought the remington one made out of canvas. it fell apart at the seam in 3 hours of hunting. I would love to find a lightweight good fitting and durable vest for my shorthair.
As for myself i bought a browning upland vest and love it, it has been through more briars and thorn trees than any vest should have and it is still in one piece.
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I spent nearly every day of my life hunting... the rest have been wasted
I bought a "Mother" brand vest this year and it is the frickin' bomb. Tons of room for shells, birds, lunch, water bottle for you, clips for your transmitter...and you can add the hydration bottle for the dog or yourself. Awesome.
Pella has two products. The strap vest and the upland vest. I have the strap vest and love it... but I'm not sure it would fit more than 3 or 4 pheasants. The upland vest would fit more. You can see all of their products and a few other at:
you should want a large portion of your vest to be bright orange for safety reasons, at least I know I would and my vest is all orange, doesnt affect my hunting at all. I dont know if birds see in color but does it matter when they are designed to fly? which is the whole idea in the first place. Happy hunting.
======================== whack my boss copier
I have a couple vests and always wind up grabbing the Pella Strap Vest. It is very comfortable and works great for smaller birds. I am not sure it would be the best choice for Pheasants. It is made well and will last many seasons.
Upland Vest
