by Scott Smith | Contributing Editor
When we head into the woods, there are a few things we need: comfortable clothing; a way to carry gear; ensure you are hydrated; a good light to see in the dark, and a way to stay warm The folks at Buck/Duck Commander (900 Ehlen Dr., Dept TGM, Anoka, MN 55303; phone: 800-322-2342; online: atk.com), Columbia, Blackhawk (6160 Commander Pkwy., Dept. TGM, Norfolk, VA 23502; phone: 800-694-5263; online: Blackhawk.com), Camelbak (2000 S. McDowell Blvd., Ste 200, Dept TGM, Petaluma, CA 94954; phone: 707-792-9700; online: camelback.com), and Streamlight (30 Eagleville Rd., Dept TGM, Eagleville, PA 19403; phone: 610-631-0600; online: Streamlight.com) can take care of all of these items.
Blackhawk, Camelbak and Buck/ Duck Commander all offer hydration capable packs and water bottles. These companies have bags to fit the specific needs of hunters, because we all don’t hunt on the same terrain or in the same climate. Blackhawk and Buck/ Duck Commander are divisions of ATK, and bring their tactical and hunting backgrounds to offer hunters gear that will literally survive the war.
Camelbak’s hydration gear has survived the harshest conditions be it in the mountains, deserts or combat, so it will survive opening day.
Blackhawk’s Sling BackPack is a single strap pack that allows you to mount various pouches on the outside thanks to the STRIKE/MOLLE strapping. I chose to mount a pouch for a Blackhawk Nalgeen Canteen and Water Bottle. There are times I prefer a hard bottle to soft bladder, especially when drink tubes could freeze. The Sling is an easy on/off pack that is ideal for those post-work hunts in archery or muzzleloader season when you are not carrying a lot of gear; its capacity is 800 cubic inches. This pack is also a great travel/match bag. At $99.99 it is a deal; the pouches and bottles will set you back about $15 with the pouches being roughly forty bucks.
Buck Commander’s Black Timber is a cross between a tactical pack and hunting pack. You have bungees to tie down clothing and STRIKE/MOLLE to add pouches. There are two external pouches for easy access and three zipper pockets to secure items in order of need; the main pocket has a pouch for your hydration bladder. With a total capacity of 2,557 cubic inches this should handle most of your gear. The pack is Realtree AP and will cover your hi-viz vest, but in many states this could result in a citation. Buck Commander installs a blaze orange panel to prevent this and to mark your spot in the woods so fellow hunters do not shoot you. For $111.49 you will get one of the most versatile and well thought out packs I have seen in many moons.
With the MOLLE/STRIKE straps you will be able to add general and gear specific pouches from Blackhawk to Buck Commander’s gear, and vice versa. The patterns may not match, but you will have gear tailored to your needs. This versatility is something you won’t find with other packs.
Camelbak offers several packs that come with their hydration bladder.
Since Pennsylvania requires “blaze orange” in rifle season, I opted to look at the MULE in poppy. This pack arrives with a 100-ounce bladder and packs 671 cubic inches of gear in two main pockets with an expandable one between the front and main pocket that will carry most rain parkas. There is even a small top pocket for small electronics like a camera, phone, etc.
This pack will set you back an even $100 at full MSRP.
Camelbak also offers a couple of waist packs if you need to have liquids and a place to carry small gear. Our sample FlashFlo was a bright blue Skydiver; it is available in Hi Viz yellow to keep you visible in the field.
This $55 pack carries a 1.5 litre bladder so you are hydrated for that fast post- or pre-work hunt. This is a pack that will have many uses other than in the woods.
To see where we are going or where we are working in the woods, you need a good light. For the last several years I have used various lights from Streamlight. This year I have added the ProPoly 3AA and Stinger Lite Pipe to my travel/hunting gear.
The ProPoly, as the name implies, uses three AA batteries and is a “plastic” light. This reduces weight; cost to manufacture and to replace batteries plus it can be had in colors so you don’t lose it in the woods or your SUV. This light has a run time of over six hours with an output of 120 lumens and thanks to the O-ring seals, the unit is dust tight and highly water resistant. The PolyPro is priced at $31.50 and it should last for many years, this is a light that should be in your pack or several rooms in the house.
When you need to flood an area with light, the Lite Pipe will do the trick.
The Lite Pipe is an LED flood light on a Stinger frame. If you have a Stinger and wish to upgrade, the Pipe will set you back $51, while the kit with charger will be $192. This light wand is something else; you can light up a 10-foot square room, use it on your deck instead of a big floodlight and, in the field, it can be used to track your game or make it easier to dress out your future dinner.
I have used both the PolyPro and the Lite Pipe extensively and they have become go-to lights. They are durable, bright and cost effective. If you are looking for new field or home use lights, give these lights serious consideration.
Keeping you gear running and being able to dress your animal is what we need good knives and pocket tools for.
Buck (660 S Lochsa St., Dept. TGM, Post Falls, ID 83954; phone: 208-262-0500; online: buckknives.com), Blade Tech (5530 184th St. E, Ste A, Dept TGM, Puyallup, WA 98375; phone: 253-655-8059; online blade-tech.com) and CRKT (18348 SW 126th Pl., Dept.
TGM, Tualatin, OR 97062; phone: 503-685-5015; online crkt.com) make knives and pocket tools that are high quality, built to last and are built with the end user in mind.
Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) offers some of the most innovative and user friendly tools in the industry. The CRKT Tool is one of these. This tool has two knife blades, a straight blade and a saw blade. There are also flat and Philip’s head screwdrivers in the handle. You will also find built-in multi-size wrenches—metric and standard, plus a wire stripper. To expand the tool’s usefulness, there is an accessory tool bit which gives you a variety of hex, flat and Philip’s head bits, and it all stores in the supplied belt sheath. With an MSRP of $54.99, this is one of the lowest priced pocket tools on the market.
The other tool from CRKT that I use a lot is the Eat’n Tool. This is spork, can/bottle opener, wrench, flat tipped screw, pry/driver tool, all in a size that fits into a pocket or hangs in your pack from the mini-carabineer. This is one of those tools that once you have it, you will keep it in your vehicle for use at the drive-through, in the field or at that impromptu picnic, and the $14.99 price tag will allow you to purchase more than one.
Buck Knives is a company whose ages-old traditions can be “boring” to those who want new and cooler items.
Buck has been updating their line to give their knives a broader appeal. The Bantam Series is one collection of knives that is eye catching and is built for daily carry, or in the field, and in sizes for small- or large-framed folks.
The Bantam BHW has a 3¾” blade with an OAL of 7-7/8” and can be had in pink Mossy Oak. The Bantam BLW is a midsized knife in White Head Hunterz camo with a 3-1/8” blade and an OAL of 7½”. The handles are glassfilled nylon so they are virtually indestructible and the 420HC blade holds an edge and is easily sharpened.
These knifes are some of the most affordable clip-it knives I have seen; the BFW is $35 while the BLW is $30.
The biggest compliment I have heard on the Bantams is “They look as good as they perform.” That came from the fastest growing segment of the hunting/ shooting community—a female hunter/ USPSA competitor. She pointed out that women purchase with their eyes as well as their mind and you have to win both to make the sale.
The last of the knives we looked at this year is the Blade Tech Pro Hunter Magnum. Most shooters know Blade Tech for the fine Kydex holsters they make, but what people don’t know is founder and CEO emeritus Tim Wegner is a huge hunter. He designed this knife to be used for field dressing small game to the plains game of Africa.
The Pro Hunter is not cheap; the MSRP is $199.99. Don’t balk at the price, this is a knife built to endure abuse; with G10 grips, S30V flat ground blade, options on how to mount the clip, the blade is 5/32” thick and 3-5/8” long with an OAL of 8½”. I have used my Pro Hunter Magnum for things you should not and it has survived. Unlike the NIB one in the photo, mine looks like it has been beat and used—abused might be a better term; it has survived.
The last items we are going to look at this year will help keep you warm and comfortable in the field. We are going to look at gear from Columbia (phone: 800-622-6953; online: columbia.com) and Under Armour (1010 Swan Creek Dr, Dept TGM, Curtis Bay, MD 21226; phone: 888-727-6687; online: underarmour.com).
Columbia’s name is known to most for casual attire and hiking/climbing gear, but they also make some excellent hunting clothing. You will find Columbia’s clothing fits and feels like your favorite well-worn jeans but functions like the high-tech gear it is.
The Stealth Shot-Lite Pants ($140) shed water and most of the burrs I encounter where I archery hunt. While these are not waterproof pants which I find to be too noisy, these pants shed the early morning water on the leaves, grass, etc.; which during archery season can be as wet as from the rain. I have yet to get wet in these. You will find slash front pockets, the right one with a zipper security pocket so your keys and change do not get lost. There is also a zipper cargo pocket on the right thigh and zipper hip pocket on your right butt cheek. I would advise against using these as hardcore brush pants; they are not heavy nylon and will get shredded.
To top off my hunting suit I have been using the PHG Hoodie ($100).
When one walks into your hunting area, easy on/off is a requirement. This Hoodie is soft, quiet and on damp mornings and evenings keeps you warm and comfortable. To keep your hands warm on chilly days there is a tunnel front pocket. I like it because it packs well and like the Shot-Lites when wet, dries quickly so you are ready for the afternoon or next day’s hunt without needing a drier. I like the PHG and the Shot-Lites enough they will see range time in the fall because they are warm and comfortable.
The last item for hunting season 2013 is from Under Armour, their Super Speed Freek boots ($149.99-clearence). I have been wearing their lighter cousin the Speed Freek for the last two years for training and action pistol competition and absolutely love them. The Super is a beefier model of 32 THEGUNMAG.com the Speed Freek.
Fit and feel of the Super is just like that of a running shoe. That is not just my opinion but many of my buds are wearing these for shooting and duty and love them. The Super has a high abrasion/cut resistant upper made from Superfabric dobby. This is important to protect the Gore-Tex lining to ensure your feet stay comfy and dry in the wettest conditions.
The Super has a “stiff” ankle plate to reduce ankle injuries without being stiff on your ankle. To ensure your footing in all but the muddiest of conditions (the wet red clay of NC comes to mind), UA uses an aggressive self-cleaning outsole.
This sole grips in mud, snow, and even icy messes. Under Armour has built a boot for shooters, hunters, cops or outdoorsmen in general, which is practically perfect. If you see me out on the range, odds are I have the Super or standard Speed Freeks on. That is how much I like them. Give them a shot; I think you will agree.
Hopefully this piece will help make your ventures to the fields and woods profitable, fun, safe and comfortable.
All the best as you hunt to fill the freezer or for that trophy. Shoot straight, shoot safe and have fun.
