Best gear you’ve found

[Wheels]

A lot of good information and thoughts in this thread so far. Most I agree with or have not had the opportunity to try.

It's amazing how far socks have come in the last few years. Smart Wool and Darn Tough have been mentioned. I will add Icebreakers to the list.

Backpacks have also come a long way. There are many good ones out there now. Until something changes I will stick with Osprey.

 

[R.M.C.]

Leupold scopes
Trophy Bonded Tip bullets
Old school BDU pants

 

[Ray B]

It's a sad commentary but I look at several of my favorite things and note that they are no longer made. The list includes:
Bitterroot Bonded Core Bullets
Bausch & Lomb, Rochester BalVar 8 scopes, Zephyr binoculars
Winchester firearms, New Haven Conn.
Boyt- Made in USA products
Levi Straus Made in USA products
C.P. Donnelly Siskiyou gun Works rifles and barrels
North Fork Made in USA bullets
Filson Forester cloth jackets and trousers

I could continue but this is starting to depress me, so I'll remind myself that there are still a few items that are currently made that exceed my expectations,

von Gruff knives
Woodleigh bullets
Russell boots

 

[The Engineer]

Most of the kit items I value have already been enumerated. I just wish the Smart Wool socks could be had in thicker wool for more cushioning. I have a few pair of really thick Marrino wool sock that I save for warm weather hunting.

The absolutely slickest bolt action rifle I have ever handled is my Heym 416 Rigby Martin Express. As big bore rifle competitor I had fired thousands of rounds rapid fire in Model 70 Winchesters and Model 700 Remington based target rifles as well as hunting with several Dakota 76 rifles. However; I really did not understand smooth/positive feeding until I purchased the Heym. A real plus is it consistently produces touching three shot groups at 100 yards.

I love the optics in Swarovski Z6i scopes but to maintain a good cheek weld (The eyepieces on Z6s are too large to mount very low.) I find the Zeiss Victory HD scopes to be to be optically the equal to the Z6i and the Zeiss can be mounted at least 1/8" lower. Unfortunately this Zeiss scope is now out of production.

On the 416 I mounted the Zeiss scopes to the Heym integral bases utilizing Alaskan Arm quick removable rings. The scope goes back on to the exact same zero which allows me to take a pre-sighted in second scope in case the rifle is dropped, banged, etc.

 

[shootist~]

Girard Powered Case Trimmer
Lapua Brass

 

[sgt_zim]

I recently bought some Huntworth camo cold weather gear. It's quiet, soft, warm, and keeps the precip out.

The one thing I will say about the heavy coat...if it isn't colder than about 30 or 35, don't walk to your deer stand wearing it, at least if you're going to walk more than 40 or 50 yards. But for sitting in a deer stand when it's 30-40º, it absolutely keeps out the cold. So too do the balaclava and gloves I bought from them.

We'll see how they last.

At $180 for the coat, I think it was quite the bargain for what I got.

 

[Tanks]

My list that matches a lot of folks here:

KUIU clothing for mid and outer layer.
5.11 clothing and backpacks
Els belt and cartridge holders
Russell Moccasins
Smart wool and darn tough socks, smart wool base layer for colder climates.
Barsalino Fedoras
Swarovski scopes and binoculars
Leica rangefinders
Accurate Innovations gunstocks
Cutting Edge bullets

 

[deepwater]

Jack Keister Customs, Harrisonburg, Virginia - Bolt action rifle builder
Eddie Bauer, pre-1990
Craftsmanship. It can take a day, a week or a year. Just depends.

 

[fourfive8]

Courteney boots w/impala gaiters
HS Precision Stocks
338-06
416 Rem Mag
GS Custom bullets (gone missing)
North Fork bullets (gone missing in Sweden)
A-Frame bullets
TSX bullets
Winchester Model 70, New Haven
Ripstop cargo pants
Leupold scopes
Zeiss binocs
The Famous Grouse single malt

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The best bit of gear I've found is a bloody good gunsmith. They are invaluable when it comes to building absolute quality.
A good knife maker like Garry @ Von Gruff who shows us that what we have used in the past are good but he does better with pride.
While these people are not gear per se they show us what excellence is.
In Australia the best hunting socks would be Lidner merino socks from crookwell or nundle merino socks.
Bob

 

[375Fox]

I’ll add one to my list. The On X maps app on my phone has really changed things for me. It shows all the property borders and gives landowner information, it’s really made things easy to hunt here in Pennsylvania where most properties are less than 100 acres and borders aren’t always clear.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Avian x decoys
Opinal pocket knives
A quality hound bell.

 

[mikecatt13]

Dang, I could make a very long list.

As far as my safari prep, Viperflex sticks are incredible and so are our Blasers topped with Leupolds

 

[mdwest]

Avian x decoys

+1 on this....

My Avian turkey decoys are top shelf... great product..

 

[matt vejar]

Benchmade knives
Leupold 3-9 Varix-2 killed a lot everywhere!
Filson waxed hats-wherever it rains a lot.
Cabelas wooltimate coat and vest.
Cabelas MT050 rain jacket/pants

 

[Tra3]

@Wheels check out kuiu packs, I think they are similar to osprey, but in camo. I got one and my hunting buddies observed its excellent function and light weight and followed suit. I wear that pack 50+ days a year.

@sgt_zim imagine the clothing complications when it is -10F! A Nalgene bottle filled with hot water in your pack really helps.

For archery, Grizzly Stik arrows and broad heads.
Petzl or Black Diamond headlamps are a must, I carry two and a Surefire E2D defender hand torch (note: I got the surefire on recommendation from this group and now know why they are great.)

 

[Petey J]

My list may be a little different than others.

1. People Socks brand merino wool socks. I wear them all year in the Illinois winter and summer. Last a long time and super comfortable. And Made in the USA.

2. Beaver fur felt hats by Lil’ Grizz @ Hats By Grizz. I have a large head and none of the big hat companies come close to fitting. Grizz custom fits them to me. I’ve got 4, and we’re ordering the wife one probably this week (her Christmas present). I have plans for a couple more for myself (he can even do blaze orange fur felt).

3. Spinone hunting dogs. There are some out there that are not from hunting lines, but mine are amazing hunters, pointers, retrievers, trackers, and companions.

While I haven’t used them yet, I did buy 2 Rick Young Bino harnesses. Since I’m a very large man, I reached out to Rick about getting one that would fit (his website shows the standard and xl, but based on the listed size, weren’t big enough for me). Rick emailed back quickly, and said he could build me a custom sized unit based on my chest size. I had them in less than a week. Fantastic customer service.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Dang, I could make a very long list.

As far as my safari prep, Viperflex sticks are incredible and so are our Blasers topped with Leupolds

@mikecatt13
Used viperflex sticks in Namibia for the first time. Like having a benchrest in the bush.
Bob

 

[rookhawk]

Courteney Boots
Swarovski Rifle Scopes
Leica Rangefinding Binoculars
Barnes Ammunition
Mauser 98 Actions
EAW Pivot Mounts
Talley Mounts and Rings
Amber Polarized Lenses (Aftermarket) for Rayban Frames
ASC Shooting Sticks
Surefire Flashlights
VonGruff Safari Bushcraft Knife
Gearhead B-24 Stalking Bows
Magnus Stinger Broadheads

 

[Trail Rated]

Does Tru-Oil count? I refinished a bunch of my rifle stocks and have been pleased with the results.

Also, my $30 Schrade fixed-blade knife and my Jeep Patriot 4x4 with its new Falken all-terrain tires