# New Gear For 2020



## steelyspeed

Pack raft arrived today. Looks good! Total weight 6lbs with seat and backrest. Can’t wait for a test ride


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## brushbuster

steelyspeed said:


> View attachment 494507
> View attachment 494509
> View attachment 494511
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> 
> 
> Pack raft arrived today. Looks good! Total weight 6lbs with seat and backrest. Can’t wait for a test ride
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


Nice, 1 air chamber or 2? Inflate with bag or pump. I bought a small battery operated pump for mine. That's a Time saver.


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## brushbuster

steelyspeed said:


> View attachment 494507
> View attachment 494509
> View attachment 494511
> 
> 
> 
> Pack raft arrived today. Looks good! Total weight 6lbs with seat and backrest. Can’t wait for a test ride
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


Nice, 1 air chamber or 2? Inflate with bag or pump. I bought a small battery operated pump for mine. That's a Time saver.


steelyspeed said:


> View attachment 494507
> View attachment 494509
> View attachment 494511
> 
> 
> 
> Pack raft arrived today. Looks good! Total weight 6lbs with seat and backrest. Can’t wait for a test ride
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


What's the carry capacity?


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## brushbuster

Now that I drew for Alaska bear hunt I'm going to get a spotting scope. Going to get a vortex , not sure if I want the diamond back or viper. Razor is a little out of my price range. I have binos in the viper series and the glass is excellent. Been wondering how good the glass is in the diamond back series. Anyone have a diamond back spotting scope?


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## steelyspeed

brushbuster said:


> Now that I drew for Alaska bear hunt I'm going to get a spotting scope. Going to get a vortex , not sure if I want the diamond back or viper. Razor is a little out of my price range. I have binos in the viper series and the glass is excellent. Been wondering how good the glass is in the diamond back series. Anyone have a diamond back spotting scope?


1 air chamber, and a bag. I timed myself and it took me 3 minutes to inflate.

I have a diamondback 20X60-60 angled spotter, bought in 2018. It works. I think it’s the best $400 scope out there. It’s been to Idaho for bear, Idaho deer/ek, and New Mexico for Barbary sheep. If I did it over again I would probably spend the extra $250 for the viper hd.

Congrats on the Kuiu draw, what a cool place for a hunt.


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## brushbuster

That answe


steelyspeed said:


> 1 air chamber, and a bag. I timed myself and it took me 3 minutes to inflate.
> 
> I have a diamondback 20X60-60 angled spotter, bought in 2018. It works. I think it’s the best $400 scope out there. It’s been to Idaho for bear, Idaho deer/ek, and New Mexico for Barbary sheep. If I did it over again I would probably spend the extra $250 for the viper hd.
> 
> Congrats on the Kuiu draw, what a cool place for a hunt.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


 that answers that.
Next question then would the Razor be worth the extra money stepping up from the viper?. I only want to buy once so if the viper has good glass is the Razor glass that much more noticeable?


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## steelyspeed

brushbuster said:


> That answe
> that answers that.
> Next question then would the Razor be worth the extra money stepping up from the viper?. I only want to buy once so if the viper has good glass is the Razor glass that much more noticeable?


Amazon has the last model of razor hd for $699, that’s a good deal. I will say the diamondback was good enough to spend lots of time through and clear enough to accurately judge bears. 


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## Former grunt

If the glass in the diamondback spotting scope is the same as in the diamondback binos, I'd buy the spotting scope no doubt. I have the diamondback binos and I had no issues picking out deer that were further then my range finder would read. The only reason I went with the Leopold Marksman spotting is because I got a good deal from Cabela's.


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## brushbuster

steelyspeed said:


> Amazon has the last model of razor hd for $699, that’s a good deal. I will say the diamondback was good enough to spend lots of time through and clear enough to accurately judge bears.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


I'll be taking it to Idaho this fall for elk and mulies also. A antelope hunt is Also In the future.


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## Former grunt

brushbuster said:


> I'll be taking it to Idaho this fall for elk and mulies also. A antelope hunt is Also In the future.


Sent you a pm


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## steelyspeed

brushbuster said:


> Nice, 1 air chamber or 2? Inflate with bag or pump. I bought a small battery operated pump for mine. That's a Time saver.


What paddle and life jacket do you have? I need to order both 


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## brushbuster

steelyspeed said:


> What paddle and life jacket do you have? I need to order both
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


The paddle is a cheap 4 piece takedown that came with the raft my pfd is a NRS


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## GVDocHoliday

I'm loving this thread and taking notes. Real experience here, not some insta-ifluencer pushing product they get for free. I appreciate the OP for starting it and everyone who has contributed.


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## MallardMaster

brushbuster said:


> Now that I drew for Alaska bear hunt I'm going to get a spotting scope. Going to get a vortex , not sure if I want the diamond back or viper. Razor is a little out of my price range. I have binos in the viper series and the glass is excellent. Been wondering how good the glass is in the diamond back series. Anyone have a diamond back spotting scope?


Congrats on the tag!! That is gonna be one heck of a cool adventure for you.


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## MallardMaster

GVDocHoliday said:


> I'm loving this thread and taking notes. Real experience here, not some insta-ifluencer pushing product they get for free. I appreciate the OP for starting it and everyone who has contributed.


You are spot on with that statement. I need more gear like a need a hole in the head, but what can I say....I love functional gear that makes my trips more efficient. As I stated earlier, I am looking high and low at a tipi tent but having a hard time pulling the trigger on it. I am now looking for something a little more efficient for our big woods deer hunt in the UP this fall. As @GVDocHoliday said, I am really enjoying the unbiased opinions here on this stuff.


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## steelyspeed

MallardMaster said:


> Congrats on the tag!! That is gonna be one heck of a cool adventure for you.


Lots of envious bear hunters are looking forward to following that hunt. Too bad you have to wait until 2021 


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## brushbuster

I recently bought a new bag for my Stone glacier evo frame. I have the 40/56 for extended trips that I took to NW Alaska last year. I bought the approach 1800 for my upcoming elk hunt. This will be a great little day pack that will accommodate and organize my elk hunting stuff for the day. Bag and pack weighs 4 lbs. The meat shelf on the pack will haul 150 pounds of meat, If I don't blow it this time, haha. I can also use the 2 bags together if I need to on longer trips. I hope to a caribou hunt in NW Alaska soon, and I am also putting in for a caribou draw hunt road side next November that will require a long hike in and a float out. I got lucky once maybe I will get lucky again with the draw. If not I will end up going with the pilot I went with last year on my fishing trip.


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## MallardMaster

brushbuster said:


> I recently bought a new bag for my Stone glacier evo frame. I have the 40/56 for extended trips that I took to NW Alaska last year. I bought the approach 1800 for my upcoming elk hunt. This will be a great little day pack that will accommodate and organize my elk hunting stuff for the day. Bag and pack weighs 4 lbs. The meat shelf on the pack will haul 150 pounds of meat, If I don't blow it this time, haha. I can also use the 2 bags together if I need to on longer trips. I hope to a caribou hunt in NW Alaska soon, and I am also putting in for a caribou draw hunt road side next November that will require a long hike in and a float out. I got lucky once maybe I will get lucky again with the draw. If not I will end up going with the pilot I went with last year on my fishing trip.


Does the ECO come with the load shelf? I was seriously looking at the 40/56 set-up, but I ended up getting a SO Frame for signing up for a life membership with BHA. I am really looking into the SG X-Curve Frame because of the load shelf. That thing is super critical and while I have no regrets, I think that I will still need another pack to take care of all my current and future needs.


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## brushbuster

MallardMaster said:


> Does the ECO come with the load shelf? I was seriously looking at the 40/56 set-up, but I ended up getting a SO Frame for signing up for a life membership with BHA. I am really looking into the SG X-Curve Frame because of the load shelf. That thing is super critical and while I have no regrets, I think that I will still need another pack to take care of all my current and future needs.


Yup both the packs have the same load shelf and can accommodate most all the bags. one pack is lighter the evo, but not by much and the other has curved frame that kinda fits the curve of the back a little better( x curve frame). The 40/56 is a minimalist bag. I like it but I did add some outer pockets and a lid. I can add or subtract pockets as dictated by the trip and needs of the hunt. The idea behind the modular pack systems is carry what you need and not having pockets and other crap which accounts for extra weight if you don't need to.


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## MallardMaster

What are you guys running for a water filtration system?


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## shaffe48b

Gvdocholiday thanks for the reminder that I need to get on it. After dog training season and my spring trip demoral, ive let go of the progress i was making. Training that is.


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## GVDocHoliday

I'll tell you right now that the Xcurve hugs the contours of my back very nicely. With 40lbs I can't really tell a difference. The frame arrived with male buckles on all the compression straps...not sure how that managed. So all I'm using are the vertical straps off the top of the stays threaded through the meat shelf. Without the bag I don't have an easy way to secure another 40lbs to the frame.


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## shaffe48b

Maven optics still has 15 percent off until April 30.

Short notice for a big purchase, but they are lowering their prices because they are not doing shows with covid.

I ordered two of their binos off the demo program and sent one pair back last fall (ugh should have waited). You have like two weeks to try them out. Direct to consumer. Great reputation.


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## matt405

Ended up getting two new things for gear:

Mystery Ranch Pop up 38- Been hiking with a 40 lb bag of salt in it, feels great and after adjusting it to my body it feels like a dream compared to my badlands 2200 that I used last year.

Crispi thor boots- just got these yesterday and did a mile with the pack on. Felt great and didnt have any hot spots on that short of a hike. Looking forward to pushing these on a 10+ mile hike to see how they feel. They are very stiff right out of the box.


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## steelyspeed

I bought the Crispi Colorado’s when they were $60 off. A few miles in and they seem great, very comfortable out of the box.

Just got the first lite guide lite pant. Wore them this week fishing the flats of wilderness state park, amazing pants! Perfect warm weather pant that dry fast.

Also received first lite’s soft shell pants and jacket. Very comfortable, excited to use in Michigan and Alberta this year.


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## chemjunkie

Former grunt said:


> I've got a spot that I would like to deer hunt this year and the best way to get it would be crossing a couple acre pond. I've looked at pack rafts but the $ scares me. Guess I'll go with my original plan of buying a used kayak, camping it then stashing it in some thick stuff close by the pond this summer so I don't have to try and drag it in Everytime I wanna hunt that spot.


I bought one of these kayak carriers for about $60 and it works well. Put it on the back third of the kayak and pull it by the front end. The large tires go through sand quite well and you can load up the gear in the kayak. If you balance it right then the load isn't too much to carry so pulling it is easy. The biggest downside is that the wheels smell horrible (too many petroleum based processing oils) so it may be a drawback if you want to use it for hunting. However I have seen others with different types of wheels that may be better.


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## brushbuster

Got a pair of Schnees 0g beartooths, extremely comfortable out of the box, still need to put some miles on them before Idaho elk hunt in September


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## lreigler

I picked up a new ground blind for the Kansas trip. My go to is my saddle setup but now I’ll have a comfortable option in case there’s no good trees.


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## IT.Fisherman

Was lucky and drew a Michigan Bull Elk tag. Tomorrow I should be picking up my new gun since I had nothing adequate - Weatherby Vanguard 300 Win. Mag. top with a Leupold vx3i 3.5-10. Cant wait to get to the range!


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## steelyspeed

IT.Fisherman said:


> Was lucky and drew a Michigan Bull Elk tag. Tomorrow I should be picking up my new gun since I had nothing adequate - Weatherby Vanguard 300 Win. Mag. top with a Leupold vx3i 3.5-10. Cant wait to get to the range!


Lucky pull!! Congrats!!


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## U of M Fan

ordered this last week


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## GVDocHoliday

Just ordered the new Lonewolf Custom Gear Double Steps this morning. Talk about acid reflux...but I assume these should last the rest of my life and fit my hunting style perfectly.


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## WMU05

I've been running a lone wolf setup for long hike hang and hunts on public land for a number of years now. Maybe the best money I've spent on outdoor gear.


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## U of M Fan

came a couple days ago


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## stickbow shooter

U of M Fan said:


> View attachment 555499
> 
> came a couple days ago


You dog you, nice setup.


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## stickbow shooter

GVDocHoliday said:


> Just ordered the new Lonewolf Custom Gear Double Steps this morning. Talk about acid reflux...but I assume these should last the rest of my life and fit my hunting style perfectly.


I'm surprised Cody didn't get those. He is to impatient I guess. Those look to be the cats @$$ .


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## U of M Fan

stickbow shooter said:


> You dog you, nice setup.


Now my fat a$$ just has to practice with it so I get a routine.


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## stickbow shooter

Trying to get my kids hawk Helium cast offs from him. Or at least his lone Wolf's.


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## GVDocHoliday

stickbow shooter said:


> I'm surprised Cody didn't get those. He is to impatient I guess. Those look to be the cats @$$ .


Well he did get a new hunting buddy. Can't really beat that.


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## brushbuster

This is my whitetail setup new for this year


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## GVDocHoliday

If they ever get back in stock...I'm thinking this may be replacing my hard side. I've always poo-pooh'd on inflatables thinking they just couldn't compete for strength with a hard side. I've been very happy with my Golden Hawk 12'9 and it's stability and load capacity...but You'd never seen me carry it more than 250' from my parking spot...let alone my hunting gear and bow all at the same time. 

Well, I started looking at these again a couple of weeks ago after having an opportunity to play with an inflatable stand up paddle board. It was my first time handling anything with the material and construction of an inflatable. The SUP was 1000 denier and had a 'dropstitch' construction which made it super rigid. I was impressed with the material...felt super strong, not weak at all. So I started googling and stumbled across the Sea Eagle 385 Fast Track 'Angler'. The Angler having super beefed up walls to prevent fish hook punctures. Well, I really went down a rabbit hole reviewing these watercraft. 44lbs, stiff enough to be transported inflated on roof or trailer, and when deflated small enough to be transported with my KUIU or Kifaru packs....and I've been doing all my training the last month at 60lbs. I could really see this as a great flooded river bottom and flooded timber transportation mode. I can get it to places I could never get my fiberglass canoe. Not to mention the fact that it's in inflatable means that it has some give, and would probably be harder to damage. I've really talked myself into getting this. I think it's time to put my golden hawk up on the marketplace.


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## steelyspeed

GVDocHoliday said:


> If they ever get back in stock...I'm thinking this may be replacing my hard side. I've always poo-pooh'd on inflatables thinking they just couldn't compete for strength with a hard side. I've been very happy with my Golden Hawk 12'9 and it's stability and load capacity...but You'd never seen me carry it more than 250' from my parking spot...let alone my hunting gear and bow all at the same time.
> 
> Well, I started looking at these again a couple of weeks ago after having an opportunity to play with an inflatable stand up paddle board. It was my first time handling anything with the material and construction of an inflatable. The SUP was 1000 denier and had a 'dropstitch' construction which made it super rigid. I was impressed with the material...felt super strong, not weak at all. So I started googling and stumbled across the Sea Eagle 385 Fast Track 'Angler'. The Angler having super beefed up walls to prevent fish hook punctures. Well, I really went down a rabbit hole reviewing these watercraft. 44lbs, stiff enough to be transported inflated on roof or trailer, and when deflated small enough to be transported with my KUIU or Kifaru packs....and I've been doing all my training the last month at 60lbs. I could really see this as a great flooded river bottom and flooded timber transportation mode. I can get it to places I could never get my fiberglass canoe. Not to mention the fact that it's in inflatable means that it has some give, and would probably be harder to damage. I've really talked myself into getting this. I think it's time to put my golden hawk up on the marketplace.


Looks awesome! That is heavy compared to a pack raft, but I get the draw with all of the added features


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## GVDocHoliday

steelyspeed said:


> Looks awesome! That is heavy compared to a pack raft, but I get the draw with all of the added features


Yeah...not looking for a pack raft...looking for a suitable canoe replacement. I had already been researching the Old Town Solo and the Discovery 119 as a possible replacement to current rig...but the Sea Eagles can replace and offer more useful opportunities. The 350fx is also on my radar...as it's nearly have the deflated volume as the 385fta but still has the drop stitch floor and alligator hide neoprene coating. But it's only marketed as a solo where the fast track is a 3 person at only a foot longer.


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## lreigler

I just pulled the trigger on a couple spypoint link micros. I figure having more eyes in areas will be pretty valuable. Hopefully the service works out there. And if they get stolen I guess I’m only out $100 per camera. 

I’ll be running them on my home property until we leave mid November for Kansas. Going to be pretty tempting not to leave work in late oct/early November if they send me a pic of a nice buck!


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