Smart homes, smart TV’s, smartphones, oh my! Yeah, the day and age we are living in is riddled with new technology at every turn. This smart technology that was once something many of us only dreamed about, is now a part of our every day life. It’s our new normal. And while I think there needs to be a balance that we hold between this technology and the real world, I can’t deny that some of this stuff is pretty cool. Each day that goes by there are more and more smart(fill in the blank). One of those items are watches. These smartwatches are showing up on more wrists each turn of the clock. It’s for good reason, as they are super handy. They do all sorts of cool stuff. Track your fitness, send and receive texts/emails, have GPS features, play music, tell time(duh), and much much more. Surely, these are too delicate for the hunting woods though right? I’d say that most of them are. That’s where the Garmin Fenix 5x Plus comes in though. A watch that can handle backcountry hunting and assist in it along the way with it’s mapping/GPS technology. I’ve been putting it through the paces for the past 6 months or so and have some thoughts.
As far as game bags go, there was nothing of the sort in my pack if I turn the clock back a few rounds. Not official ones at least. There were a couple of pillow cases that took up residence in my pack, but never needed a bath in the least bit. From there, I graduated to the cheap cheesecloth game bags. After a few seasons of running those though, I quickly became interested in higher quality game bags. The more hunting I did, the more game bags I was having to buy. In the long run, it just made sense to invest a little more for quality game bags. Since then, I have been a huge proponent of carrying them and haven’t really looked back at all. There are a few marks that they need to hit in my opinion though. They need to be lightweight, breathable, functional, and durable. The Argali High Country Game Bags fit the bill, and that’s what we’re going to chat about today.
Argali is a conservation minded company that thrives on making your life in the backcountry easier. On top of their game bags and Carbon Knife, which you can see a review I did of HERE, they also sell a multitude of other gear items through their website from boots and backpacks to shelters and stoves, they cover the gamut in backcountry gear. With those offerings as well, they also have helpful articles on their site where you might learn a thing or two. I recently did an article for them on Bowhunting Coues Deer. Check it out if that peaks your interest!
OK, before we get into the nitty gritty of the Argali’s High Country Game Bags, let’s talk for a second about why a hunter might want to really consider using such a thing. I mentioned in the past that I used to carry a pillow case in my pack. Pillow cases absolutely will get your meat from the field to the cooler, but they really lack in breathability. That cotton soaks up moisture and it stays there, instead of evaporating. This is where a good game bag is going to excel. Of course there is also the option of not using anything right? Sure, you could definitely just load meat up without any bags at all. This poses a potential problem though and that comes in the form of a fly. If flies are continuously allowed to land directly on the meat for a long period of time, they are going to lay eggs. From the eggs we get those scrumptious little critters we all love and adore, the maggot. All joking aside, I don’t think any of us want maggots on our meat. Best to just avoid that entirely with the use of a game bag.
Now, let’s dive into the High Country Game Bags that Argali offers. These are an ultralight set of bags, made with the backcountry hunter in mind. Coming in at 9 ounces, they won’t be slowing you down on the trail at all. This is also a pretty small package and can easily be stuffed anywhere in your backpack. The bags are made from a nylon blend material that is both breathable and durable. They are also reusable, meaning that when you’re done bringing home the bacon, just throw them in the washing machine and you’re ready for another hunt. Within the included stuff sack, you’ll get 5 game bags in total. These are made to fit either an entire boned out bull elk, or a bone in deer, antelope, or other similar sized game. I really dig that about these. They aren’t strictly a boned out meat bag. Versatility is always nice. You’ll notice that with the orange 220 paracord as a drawstring, that there also little orange tabs on the corners of the bag. These are there to help when it comes time to hang up the meat. You can easily use a strap or even more paracord to run through these tabs and hang your meat much easier. And once you do hang them up, you’ll be able to find them easily in the dark due to the reflective Argali logo on the bag. That all sounds good and dandy, but how would they hold up in the field?
When I first received these in the mail, I was pretty excited. I loved that they came with a small stuff sack that fit more than just the bags. I keep my Carbon Knife in there along with gloves, a small sharpener, and flagging tape. Keep in mind though that I don’t usually bring all of the bags with me. Out of 5, I’ll usually have 2 with me for deer and bear. Elk though? I’ll have all 5. Right off of the bat, I could tell that these were very well made and I appreciated the little things that they added in. Such as the reflective name, nylon webbing tabs, and strong paracord as the drawstring. These will also ride well on a backpack without falling out the sides, which is what would happen if they were too wide. With a early fall hunts planned, I couldn’t wait to get these dirty!
Over the past few months, I’ve been fortunate to test these bags out on a number of critters. 2 black bears, a mule deer, and a coues deer have taken a ride in the Argali High Country Game Bags. For the bears, we did bone in quarters, which worked out perfectly. These were also packed out of some of the most brushy and snaggy country you could get yourself into. The bags held up great considering the environment. The mule deer was taken on a backpack hunt in Colorado and kept the meat in great shape for the pack out and the 8 hour drive home. My brother and I each took half of the deer in one game bag each. We also did bone in quarters for the mule deer and they fit great. And the coues was taken right here in Arizona. Of course, that was also a bone in pack out. We did hang some of these bags in trees, but in all honesty, we didn’t use the little orange tabs. The paracord drawstring worked just fine for us. After these hunts were all said and done, in no way did I feel the need to toss these bags out the window. From backpack hunts to posh truck camps, they’ve been with me and will continue to be.
Pros
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The employees at the archery pro shop I frequent are always joking around with me, cause I’m hard on my gear. I’m always going in and getting my bow retuned and checked for anything funky going on after a hunt. What I’m getting at here is, as an avid backcountry hunter, great gear is very important to me. I depend on this stuff to do what it’s suppose to do without fail and don’t take flaws or failures lightly. If it’s in my pack, you can bet it works. These game bags are no different and I look forward to each time I get the opportunity to turn them red. To learn more about the Argali High Country Game Bags and other Argali products, visit www.argalioutdoors.com.
When it comes to backcountry hunting, and just hunting in general really, there are a few pieces of gear that I believe are absolutely key. The first is your boots, for they are your tires of the backcountry. Bad boots can, not just make a hunt miserable, but can also end it. The next is your clothing. Having a solid layering system will go a long way and provide you with the comfort and protection you need from the elements. And finally, the next piece of gear that I think needs to be on the top of our list as backcountry hunters, is our backpacks. It is our mobile apartment and carries everything we need to survive in the dirt. The very vessel that gets our hard earned game meat from the field to the cooler. In light of that, we are diving into the, new for 2019, Exo Mountain Gear 4800 K3 backpack. A more than worthy contender in the backpack world of hunting.
Hey, everyone! So, just recently I posted up my review of the, new for 2019, First Lite x Nemo Recurve 2P shelter. There is both a written version and video version that you can find HERE. I thought it might be cool to get an in the field view of this bad boy, so that is what we’re doing today. You’ll get to see what the shelter looks like when all packed up. Then I’ll show how the shelter is actually set up. From there, I point out some things that I really like about the shelter and some other things that I think could be improved. This shelter is a bomber little piece of gear that comes in just a shade under 2 pounds and has a ton of living space on the inside. It is a fantastic option for early to mid season hunting and I’ve been really liking it. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them down below.
After it’s all said and done, I am pretty stoked on this tent. I spent quite a bit of time in it hunting high county mule deer and had zero issues. I was a bit skeptical of the design at first. The Recurve is just different when compared to other shelters on the market. Today, I know that I can bring this tent in the field with confidence. To learn more head on over and check out the First Lite x Nemo Collection.
If you’ve followed my hunting journey for any amount of time, you probably know by now that I’m a big fan of First Lite clothing and Nemo Equipment. I’ve tried other stuff in the past, but these two companies have constantly impressed me and gave me confidence in the field. In tandem, they have been with me on more than a few adventures and in a multitude of different conditions. It isn’t often that two exceptional companies like this join forces. When I heard that First Lite and Nemo Equipment were going to team up on producing some high quality gear for backcountry hunting, I was ecstatic. Seeing the list of products they were releasing had me counting down the days until availability. I just knew the gear was going to be killer. An item that caught my eye immediately after looking at the specs was the Recurve 2p tent.
Over the past few years, I have really been in search of the perfect knife. For awhile there, I was a replaceable blade knife fan. The thought of having to stop what I was doing to sharpen a knife up isn’t something that I wanted to deal with. What better way than to not sharpen at all and just switch the blade right? Well, that comes with it’s downfalls believe it or not. Whether that is cutting yourself trying to replace the blade or the blade actually breaking inside the animal, I’ve experienced it. Because of that, I decided to bite the bullet and try some fixed blades. The ones that I tried out worked great, but they weren’t exactly what I was looking for. One way or another, I’d find a flaw. When I saw the design of the new Argali Carbon Knife, my attention was caught hook line and sinker.
Before I get into the actual knife itself, let’s chat about the company for a minute. There are so many good companies out there in the hunting industry and I really think that picking who to give your business to, not only comes down to the product, but to what the company stands for. Do you identify with them? Argali is a conservation minded company out of Boise, Idaho focused on backcountry hunting. Their mission is to not only educate people about why we do what we do as hunters, but also to make your life easier on backcountry hunts. Argali sells an array of backpack hunting gear through their website and is pretty damn good at making films. They’ve been featured in Full Draw Film Tour and you can check out their films on their YouTube page.
So, what is this new Carbon Knife from Argali? Let’s look at the “why” first. Founder Brad Brooks set out to make an ultralight knife for backcountry hunting. One that was the weight of a skeleton-ized knife, with the feel of a full on handled fixed blade knife. He also wanted to be able to process an entire elk in the field without sharpening it. No big deal right? Yes, that was a tall order, but an order that was met believe it or not.
The Argali Carbon Knife is a drop point design made with the ounce counter in mind. At a mere 1.8 ounces, this isn’t going to be weighing your pack down. It may help make your pack heavier with all of the meat you cut up with it, but the knife is a feather. A feather that packs a punch being made out of S35VN steel. This steel is tough as nails, but not so tough that you couldn’t sharpen it yourself. The problem with harder steels than this is that they tend to be a bit more brittle and once they lose their edge, it is a pain in the butt to get it back yourself. Those knives are also more prone to snapping actually. I’ve seen it. The Carbon Knife doesn’t fall into that category.
The handle on the Carbon Knife is definitely another feature to point out. Made out of G10, this has a very tacky feeling to it. Meaning that it isn’t going to be slipping out of the user’s hand anytime soon. A hunter does have the ability to actually take this G10 off of the handle and apply paracord if they choose. I don’t see any reason to do so though. The handle is pretty ergonomical as well and a great size. Not too big, not too small. Some others out there I’ve found are either too skinny or the handle just doesn’t fit the hand as well. This handle is 4″ long.
This 3.25″ blade comes sheathed in an ultralight Kydex sheath. They come in both First Lite Fusion/Orange and just plain old black. In my experience, Kydex has always been super tough and I haven’t had any issues. Another cool feature of the sheath is that the user can actually change the tension by which it holds the knife via a simple screw.
Right off of the bat, when I first got this knife in hand, I was beyond stoked. The knife is wicked ultralight, which I always appreciate as a backcountry hunter. From the handle to the design of the blade and everything in between, I had a great feeling about adding this to my kit. Not to mention, this knife just plain looks great and is aesthetically pleasing. All of that aside, the real test would come when I got something on the ground.
In the past few months, I have had the pleasure of using this new Carbon Knife to process 2 black bears and a mule deer. All animals were skinned and cut up using the gutless method. The knife performed flawlessly. This thing is SHARP! Being the one cutting, I could feel it, but my hunting partners all commented on how easily the knife glided through the animal. While I didn’t feel like I had to sharpen the knife during these animals, I tried anyways, just so I could see if their was a difference. I was surprised to find that there wasn’t really a difference. This means that the knife indeed held its edge like it was suppose to.
Some other things that I appreciated about the knife were the shape, length, and jibbing. The back of the knife is actually slightly curved inwards. Argali does this so when cutting through the hide with the blade up, you avoid cutting the meat beneath. So, the point is actually up off of the meat, not level with it when making that slice through the hide. Pretty nifty. The blade length was perfect and I never felt like I needed more knife. The jibbing on the back of the blade is also handy. These are just super handy for being more precise with cuts when skinning or quartering. Overall, the knife performed better than I thought it would.
Pros
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All and all, I am very happy with this knife and think it will be a resident in my backpack for quite some time to come. Finding good gear is fairly easy, but finding great gear is a challenge. I can confidently say that this knife isn’t anything short of great. It’s ultralight and packs a wicked punch. Whether a backcountry hunter or not, this new Carbon Knife from Argali should be on your radar. It has all of the benefits of a skeleton knife with the power of a full handled fixed blade. Winner winner chicken dinner…..or should I say venison dinner?
To learn more about the Argali Carbon Knife visit www.argalioutdoors.com.
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After just getting back from my high country mule deer hunt in Colorado, I thought it would be cool to put together a video of the gear that I brought with me on this hunt. I did this before leaving actually and the only item that I switched out from the photo is the spotting scope. Instead of the 11-33×50 Vortex Razor, I went with the 22-48×65 Vortex Razor. That extra reach with the glass was much appreciated in the big high country that is Colorado. In the video, I also forgot to mention my Garmin Inreach Explorer+. That is something that I never leave home without as far as hunting is concerned. Other than that, I hope you enjoy! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop them below! High country mule deer is definitely something that I am now addicted to! Good luck to those still out there in the field!
Just a few items that I want to mention after being in the field with them were the Argali Carbon Knife, Exo Mountain Gear 4800 Pack, and the Nemo x First Lite Recurve 2p Tent. Each one of these items stood out to me after vigorous in the field testing. The Argali Carbon Knife has proved its weight in gold after going through 2 bears and a mule deer. Feels fantastic in the hand and holds an edge like a champ. The new Exo Mountain Gear 4800 did not disappoint in the least bit. We packed out my buck and camp through the dark. That was the easiest 80-90 pounds I have ever carried. Can’t wait to load it up again! Lastly, the Nemo x First Lite Recurve 2p tent was something I was worried about it. I even mention that in the video. After spending almost a week in it, my worries cease to exist. This shelter is as light as light can get for a 2p tent and offers plenty of room inside for livability. That won’t be the last time I use it.
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Season is about to get going here in a few days! Time has really flown by and I feel like only a few months ago I was elk hunting in September. I’m sure there are more than a few of you that feel the same as I do! Before season starts is gear season if you ask me. One of the new gear items I got for my hunts is the new Exo Mountain Gear 4800 Backpack. Exo packs have never disappointed me in the past and I’m sure that this one will deliver as well. There has been a ton of anticipation for this new pack and I thought it might be cool to do, not a review, but a quick overview and first impression type piece. For this I thought a video format would do the best so that’s the route I went. It’s just way easier to show you this kind of stuff, rather than type it out. So, here it is! Exo Mountain Gear 4800: First Impressions. Enjoy!
The past few years I have spent a good portion of late August/early September chasing elk around with my bow. Along the way, I’ve made some incredible memories and harnessed a potent love for archery elk hunting. While that love has not faded, this year is going to be a little bit different for me. This year, I was fortunate enough to draw not one, but two early archery mule deer tags. One is in Utah and the other is in Colorado. A high country mule deer hunt is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a few years now, but never have because of elk season. I decided to finally pull the trigger and try to make it happen. Looks like it worked…..double! Both of these hunts will be backpack hunts lasting from 7-10 days each. As you can imagine, my head has been racing trying to figure out what I’ll be bringing with me gear wise and all. So, with this post, I wanted to lay out just that. What I will be packing with me along the way for the 17 in total days of backcountry hunting for velvet mule deer!
As you may have read in a previous review I did on the Crispi Wyoming, things got off to a rocky start, but ended very favorably. With what learned from the Wyoming I took right over to a new release for Crispi this year, the Colorado. This boot was made in mind for folks that wanted a beefier boot without sacrificing flexibility. The Colorado is equipped with the same upper that many know and love from their ever popular boot The Summit. Unlike the EVA sole that came on The Summit though, The Colorado packs a polyurethane sole for more rigidity and longevity. With that they threw in their dual density polyurethane sole in the high impact areas of the boot. This is going to help fight against foot fatigue. Abrasion resistant cordura is what makes up the upper of this boot. This is super breathable and lightweight, making The Colorado a fantastic boot choice for early season hunting. Another feature that Crispi has added is their ABSS or ankle bone support system. The ABSS is going to give you the support you need in heavy pack outs and steep terrain. Of course The Colorado comes with a full Gortex wrap as well, making it waterproof.
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