What do you get when you combine an ultralight backpacking company with a high end technical clothing brand in the hunting industry? You get a list of gear that needs to be on all backcountry hunter’s radar. Earlier this year, Nemo Equipment and First Lite came together and released a line of gear specifically geared towards the backcountry hunter. This new Nemo x First Lite line includes shelters, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and more. Among that list are two shelters that have the weight conscious hunter in mind. The Spike 1p and Recurve 2p. Both were made for going light and fast. With Nemo’s track record of developing stellar, dependable shelters for backcountry enthusiasts and First Lite’s intimate knowledge base of backcountry hunting and technical fabrics, these two shelters are sure to impress. The only way to really find out though, is to get them dirty.
Who loves coffee?! I sure do and missing out on my morning, and sometimes afternoon, coffee is not something I am a fan of, haha. In light of that, one of the questions that I get asked a lot is what I do on backpack hunts for coffee. Am I bringing some cheap instant with me? Am I pre-grinding and bringing my own with a press? I’ve done all of the above. You gotta do what you gotta do in the name of coffee on hunting trips. Nowadays, things are a bit different on the coffee front for me. So, I’m going to walk you through my backcountry coffee set up!
In the video below, I take you through my stove, and how it works. I also lay out the kind of coffee I’m bringing with me. Dark Timber Coffee has been a huge improvement in my coffee game in the field! Not only is it super easy, it is DELICIOUS! You’d be doing yourself a disservice by not trying this stuff out. That is of course if you’re a coffee lover like me.
I hope that this video helps elevate your coffee game on your hunts! If you have any questions about any of this stuff, please feel free to reach out. I’m happy to help and explain anything more that needs explaining. To learn more about backcountry hunting, check out the recent book I wrote called “Becoming a Backpack Hunter: A Beginner’s Guide to Hunting the Backcountry.” And if you dig the videos, I’d super appreciate if you hit SUBSCRIBE on the Youtube Channel to stay up to date with future videos. Thanks for watching and until next time, good hunting!
Gosh, I just love getting new bows, hahaha. This year I’m shooting the new Prime Black 5 and I am super psyched about it. Great draw cycle, feels great in the hand, and holds awesome. This bow build is one that I feel extremely confident in for 2020.
Got another gear video from the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah! Late last year, Exo Mountain Gear came out with their new 1800 day pack. I’ve really enjoyed this minimalist backpack in the few months I’ve used it. Recently, I had it out on a javelina hunt, and I’ve been using it for short day scouting trips. It really does hold everything you need and nothing that you don’t. You can check out a video of how I personally pack this backpack for the javelina hunt I linked above. You’ll see a layout of the pack and exactly what I am putting and where. Of course I had to stop by the Exo booth at the show to get a rundown from the company. Jake from Exo Mountain Gear runs through their whole new 1800 pack and gives insight into pricing and other options with the K3 pack system. This isn’t a piece of gear you should sleep on!
I really hope you’ve been enjoying these gear videos I grabbed from the Expo! I sure did enjoy chatting with everyone. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Youtube channel and blog to stay up to date with all of my future posts! Thanks for watching and good hunting out there. I’ve been currently out scouting for a spring bear hunt coming up here shortly in Arizona. Tick tock! Before we know it, hunting season is going to be here and this whole thing is going to start over again.
If you’re anything like me, you spent quite a bit of time as a youngster, and even an adult, consuming hunting media. Watching others embark on adventures around the world, doing something that we love is just downright inspiring. It pushes us to chase our dreams out in the mountains. As I got older, documenting such adventures became more and more appealing to me. Not so that I could be like the TV personalities I’d watched as a kid, but to simply have something to look back on. Something that I could share with my future kids and grand kids. “See? Your Dad used to do some pretty cool stuff.”
Carrying a DSLR or mirrorless camera around is hard work though. It just is. They are cumbersome and can be a distraction from the whole hunt, especially if you’re filming alone. GoPros revolutionized this and made it simple for us to strap a camera on our head or bow and go. All the while, we are capturing quality footage with just a push of a button. What if I told you that there was a camera specifically made for this? A GoPro made for hunting. Something made by folks who are like minded. The company is TACTACAM and their 5.0 camera is built for us hunters.
First Lite is a brand that I’ve followed for years. I remember when they only had 3 things. That’s quite funny to think about nowadays as they’ve grown so much through the years and evolved into a powerhouse of high quality, technologically advanced hunting clothing. They were absolutely at the top of my mind when it came to booths to visit at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo for 2020. After hearing everything that they had to offer, I am pretty dang stoked for this year! A few key items that stuck out to me were the new and improved Uncompahgre Puffy jacket and Brooks Down vest. The original Uncompahgre is one of my all time favorite First Lite pieces and has stood the test of time. The Brooks Down Sweater from last year was so crazy light it was frightening. With that being said the warmth to weight ratio was off extremely impressive. Losing even more weight with the vest version, is gonna be next level. Check out the video below!
Boom! There ya have it! Another video from the Hunt Expo. I’m really enjoying putting these out for everyone to see. It was so cool getting check out all of the new gear coming out as well as getting first hand knowledge about it from the company. You can expect more videos coming down the road! Keep your eyes out! Thanks for watching and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Youtube and Blog to stay up to date with future posts!
I just got back from the Western Hunting Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah! Man, we saw some awesome products, made new friends, and overall had a blast. Through that time, I had the pleasure of interviewing a few companies that I personally work with. They go through what they have available and even some insight into what 2020 has in store. Argali was top of mind as far as 2020 goes, so that’s what you’ll find below. You can also check out reviews that I’ve done on both the Argali Carbon Knife and the Argali High Country Bags. I’ve been using both of those pieces all Fall and have really enjoyed it! Here’s a short video of owner Brad Brooks going through what 2020 looks like for Argali. Enjoy!
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
Cons
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.
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