Side view showing the shell pocket with a full box of 12 guage shells inside. A bit of a tight fit due to the height of the box, but it does zip closed and there is extra room in the pocket on both sides of the box. Better solution is to dump the shells out of the box and into the pocket. Note the position of the pocket in relation to the shell loops above on the belt.
I received an email from a guy asking about the Badlands Upland Game Vest - a product I added to Uplanders Warehouse just about a month ago after hearing some good feedback from a friend of mine. He specifically wanted to know what the front of the vest looked like, and how many shells could fit in the front/side pockets of the vest.
I decided to post a blog about it instead of a one-off email back to this person – because I’m guessing many of you – if you’ve hear about the Badlands upland vest – may have similar questions.
To start with, Badlands is a great manufacturer who has made quite a name for themselves with their big game packs (they are especially popular with bow hunters). They make a great pack and know how to distribute weight within a hunting pack for maximum comfort while carrying a load. I must admit, I’ve never hunted with their upland vest, but, after doing a thorough review for this blog post, I am quite impressed with the quality of construction and the many features it has.
So here are some of features of the vest as I see them:
Lots of pockets. There are two shell pockets on the sides, plus an additional 7 pockets on the back of the vest of varying sizes. This does not include the mesh basket-type pockets that are on the outside of most of the other pockets. Confused? Just know there’s lots of pockets.
One of the pockets mentioned above is for a water bladder. This vest will hold a 100 oz. water bladder. The vest does NOT come with the bladder, but it is built to hold one. I also just started carrying water bladders on my site in both a 70 oz. and 100 oz. version – both of which would fit in side the Badlands upland game vest.
An additional pocket mentioned above (one of the 7 in back) is a water-resistant, welded-seam bag that hangs from two clasps inside the gamebag part of the vest. There are a couple ways to interpret this bag: 1) you could use it to store your lunch or anything else you didn’t want to get blood or feathers on, 2) you could use it to store your birds for the hike back when you’re done hunting, or 3) throw some ice in there with a few of your beverages of choice Or, I guess you could just fill your hydration bladder with your beverage of choice as well. However, short of actually using it, my initial impression was to take it out to give you more room in the gamebag for birds. But it all depends on your hunt, and how much you need to pack with you. And fortunately, this extra bag is extremely easy to take off or add back in.
Same view with box of shells in pocket zipped closed
Another interesting and unique feature is that the side pockets slide backward to expand the gamebag. It’s a kind of rail system made from web straps that I found impressive. The more you pack in the back, the further back your side pockets slide. The downside is your shell pockets are less accessible the further back they slide. There are 5 shell loops on each side as well that don’t slide (they’re attached to the belt) – so if you keep them loaded, you still have easy access to your shells.
Note the position of the shell pocket after it slides backward to accomodate a larger load in the gamebag.
The straps on the vest are all adjustable to get the right fit. However, the vest only comes in one size, which doesn’t quite fit me. I am 6’2”, 250 lbs. and it felt small and the natural waist of the pack rides higher than my waist. Most people smaller than me shouldn’t have a problem. It is a very comfortable pack, and I like that the shoulder straps lie flat and don’t obstruct the butt of your gun when you’re shooting – obviously constructed by someone who has actually shot a gun with a pack on.
Overall, I give the Badlands Upland Game Vest a thumbs-up. I’d give it two thumbs up if Badlands would make it in a larger size.
If any of you have used this vest, I encourage you to comment on this post and share your experiences.
A view from the front showing the belt and clasp. Note also the chest strap.
The kids and I have been doing a little pheasant project the last couple months. We have a small GQF Hovabator incubator and bought some pheasant eggs to hatch. Memorial day weekend, we hatched 37 chicks. We’ve since lost 2, so we’re sitting at 35 chicks now that just turned 4 weeks old. There is some land not far from here where we plan to release them and see if they can’t survive – at least till hunting season
We typically hatch something each year. When we lived in Texas – and even Utah, it was quail. We can fit many more quail eggs in the incubator than pheasant eggs, and it was more fun having more birds around.
But the rules in Montana are different, and according to the Fish & Wildlife department, we can’t release quail here (they wouldn’t survive the winters here anyway). But there are no problems with releasing pheasants, so our bird of choice this year was a no brainer. I think we’ll try Chukars next though – as they are legal to release in MT as well, and I’ve never tried hatching them before. Let me know if you have any good Chukar egg sources.
One problem has come up though. On a recent walk on the land where we plan to release the birds, we saw a family of foxes. Mom, dad and several kits. My thoughts now are that our birds would last maybe a week – and would be quite the delicacy for the fox family. Usually, a little predator control would solve the problem, but I don’t think my kids would let me back in the house if I exterminated a few cute little foxes. So, I’m currently looking for a new home. Fact is, I’m sure there would be predators on any piece of land I could release the birds on. It’s just that I’ve seen these foxes and know that they’re there. Maybe I’ll just keep these birds in the backyard and use them for dog training. At least then I get to eat them instead of our local fox family
I’m involved in my local chapter of Pheasants Forever (Gallatin Valley PF), and have met many great people as a result of this association. In fact, I’ll be chairing our annual banquet/fundraiser next February if anyone is interested in sponsoring. Anyway, one of the guys that sits on our PF committee is Doc Bradford. Doc’s a Michigan man who moved to Montana to retire 7 years ago. He got into shooting clay targets in his 50’s, and has since gone overboard. He’s a certified shooting instructor and has built a 9-station sporting clays course on his 80 acres of Gallatin River-front property. We just hosted a “thank you” event for this past year’s PF banquet sponsors at his place, and I must say his place is really incredible – but only if you like shooting and fishing and the beauty of nature Doc is about to open his range up to the public – Rising Spirits Sporting Clays is the name of his new business. I’ll have plenty of opportunity to get to know Doc and his range much better as I hope to be involved in the sporting clays league he is about to launch.
I’ll keep you posted on Doc and his venture – as well as my performance in the sporting clays league – in future posts.
I also received an email from a customer (Chris Pfadt) who bought some Crackshot Snake Chapz several weeks ago. I noticed his Three Forks, MT address when we shipped the order (just up the road from where we live in Bozeman 30-40 miles) – and we’re practically neighbors (by Montana standards). Anyway, Chris sent me an email once he realized we were neighbors as well and invited me to come and check out his operation. He runs the Grey Cliffs Ranch (www.greycliffsranch.com) – and after looking at the website, I had to wipe the drool off my chin. They’ve got upland hunting and trout fishing – and even some big game opportunities by the looks of it – all in a spectacular location. I can’t wait to get out there and check out his ranch. At the rate I’m going, I’ll never be able to afford hunting there – but it will be fun to go take a tour. I might need to bring my own snake protection though – apparently Chris is on a search and destroy mission for rattler dens.
Meeting new people and other upland businesses is a fun benefit of meeting people through Uplanders Warehouse. I’ll continue to post more businesses and interesting people as I encounter them!
So here’s a story for you that should get a few chuckles. I wish I could chuckle with you.
Back in early April, I had a severe sinus infection combined with some flu symptoms (fever, cold sweats, nausea, etc.). I was so congested and miserable that I couldn’t sleep. I took some Nyquil for some relief, but it wasn’t really working for me. My wife then gave me one of her sleeping pills which seemed like a good idea at the time. About 3 a.m., I wake up with the urge to vomit. I hustle out of bed and into the bathroom to try and reach the toilet. I think the head-rush of jumping out of bed and the sleeping pill (not to mention the Nyquil) caught up to me and I crashed to the floor – completely blacked-out (which isn’t a good thing if you’re 6’2”, 250 lbs). Next thing I know, come to lying on the bathroom floor in an awkward position with no idea of how long I had been out (my wife – bless her heart – later mentioned that she had heard a big crash, but figured I had just knocked something off the counter). After I got my wits about me, I figured out that I had somehow shaved off a sizeable piece off the outside of my big toe – the blood being the major clue. That pain wasn’t as bad as my foot though – and then there was my knee that felt a bit ‘off.’ Anyway, the black & blue coloration on my foot in the morning combined with the pain let me know that something was definitely wrong. I went to the foot doctor, and sure enough, I chipped a piece of bone off one end of the toe joint, and cracked a second bone.
The good news is that the sinus infection, flu, etc. is long gone, and the foot is healing up and feeling better. But my knee went from feeling ‘off’ to a steady pain, so I went in to another doc last week to get it checked out. The diagnosis is a torn meniscus – which typically requires surgery. They scheduled me for an MRI, but I canceled – I’m too cheap to pay for those things (it would cost more than the surgery on the knee). So I’m now hobbling around with bum knee hoping that it will fix itself. The more likely case is that I’ll suffer for another month or two before I figure out that my fall hunting might be in jeopardy from this blasted thing – then go spend the money and get it fixed.
And here’s the icing on the cake. I packed up the kids and took them fishing at Canyon Ferry reservoir on Memorial Day. The fishing was horrible – not a single bite in a few hours of solid effort, so we resorted to skipping rocks. My 12 year old daughter was finally getting the hang of skipping rocks, but consistently had a late release and would shoot the rocks more up the shoreline than out into the lake. I was comfortably sitting in my camp chair on the shoreline, enjoying the evening, when my daughter - standing all of 2 feet away from me – launches a rock directly into my good knee. I could have killed her if I didn’t lover her so much.
Like most experiences in life, there are lessons to be learned. Here are my key learnings from these experiences:
Lesson #1: Throw up in bed. In the end, it’s cheaper
Lesson #2: Don’t let your wife slip you any pills
Lesson #3: It’s hard not to swear around your kids when they throw rocks at your knees
Working with customers in the retail business can be a mixed bag at times.Sometimes things don’t quite go as planned, such as a recent order from a customer named Petey.He ordered a pair of Gamehide chaps which were showing in-stock on our website – www.uplanders.com. When we went to pull and ship the chaps, there were none on the shelf in the size he ordered.Ouch!Incorrect inventory in our system usually provides the best opportunity for us to upset a customer – and we try really hard to avoid this. It’s just a bad experience and more often than not, causes a negative reaction from the customer. And rightfully so in my opinion – I’m a consumer too, and I have little patience for retailers who don’t have their stuff together.
When we do screw up, we do try to make it right as best we can.Everything turned out great in the end, but I think Petey’s response to the situation is more a reflection on him and his personality than it is from anything we did.Thanks for being a great customer Petey!
Ok, this winter business is really getting old. I thought we were past winter and into spring already, but apparently not. We woke up this morning to another foot of the white stuff. Someone please make it stop!!!
The best part is I’m taking our Boy Scout troop on a campout tonight. I have some visions of how muddy those boy can get my gear, but I’m sure they can surpass any expectations I may have. They’re always good at that
I ‘ll be putting the boys up in the Taj Mahal – my 10×14 Kodiak Canvas tent. They’ll be living in style tonight – and I’ll be cleaning up for the next week I’ll post some pics when we get back. -JT
I about missed a flight last week due to a heavy snowfall, then we get hit again yesterday. The photo of my truck was taken this morning (April 24) right before I got the broom out.
I find it amusing when people comment about how many cupholders a vehicle has when shopping for some new wheels.This feature doesn’t even come close to the top of my priority list when evaluating a car or truck.
Yet, I hear the exact same comments when people are shopping for a new hunting vest (“I like how it has two water bottle holders…”). I hear other people comment on the size of the game bag being the most important feature.I’ve also heard that front-loading bird vests are an absolute must.Then there are those who will only wear the traditional style and won’t give a strap vest a second-look.So I thought I would throw these questions out to you and get your feedback.What are the most important features of a good hunting vest in your opinion?Take the poll below and share your opinions!
I grew up sleeping in a Springbar brand tent.I still own a Springbar and absolutely love them – they are nearly indestructible (trust me, I have 4 kids).I’ve slept many nights in my Springbar, through rain and snow storms, and severe winds – and made it through unscathed in all kinds of sketchy weather.
So I was a little skeptical when Aaron Hill – a good friend of mine – told me he was going to get into the tent business and build a tent that’s better than a Springbar tent.But sure enough, he’s done it.Not so coincidentally, his new tents have the same basic frame technology as the Springbar tents.But he has upgraded and added several features to his tents that I like much better than the Springbar tents.Aaron called his company Kodiak Canvas Tents and has now been in the tent business for a few years.You can get his Kodiak Canvas tents in several different retail outlets now as well (Cabelas, Sportsmans Warehouse, etc.) – but obviously I prefer if you buy it from Uplanders Warehouse
He’s been bugging me for a while telling me I need to sell his tents on Uplanders.com.I kept resisting, thinking that it wasn’t really a product that bird hunters would use.Well, this past fall, guess who I went hunting with, and guess what we slept in?We called it “bird camp.”Turned out to be a great hunt in central Utah chasing chukkars around and up and down mountains.Given that I actually used his tents on a bird hunt, I could no longer argue that the product wasn’t for bird hunters.
So now I offer them to you.Kodiak Canvas tents truly are wonderful tents.Being an owner of both a Springbar and a Kodiak Canvas tent, I have to tip my hat to Aaron and his tents – in my unbiased opinion (still being a Springbar lover), he has a better tent.
Mind you, these tents are not backpacking tents.These are serious “bird camp” (or deer camp if you prefer) tents – or what other call “base camping” tents.The materials used (heavy-duty canvas) are not light by any means.Which is partly why you feel so safe and secure when sleeping in them – they are the ultimate heavy-duty tent.
You may have noticed that there are some new articles in The Roost section of Uplanders Warehouse (www.uplanders.com).We just did a deal with Family Fish & Game magazine where they are providing us with some new articles for our Roost and we are promoting their magazine.They also provided us with a special offer for Uplanders Warehouse customers – only $9.95 for 12 issues of their magazine.Being a family man with a wife and 4 kids, I think it’s a great publication.There is a little in there for all of us – and I’ve noticed my kids enjoy reading through it (and looking at the pictures as much as I do.I think you can see by the few articles we’ve posted that the magazine has some quality writers.
While I pulled out a few articles that were upland related, the magazine covers all types of hunting and fishing.And like myself, I’m betting that birds are only one of the many species you hunt.Give it a look, and give the magazine a try.I’m betting you get more value out of it than the $9.95 it will cost you for a full year.
Wow! What a week we had! 7 states in the last 7 days (Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado). February 4th we left for Pheasant Fest in Madison, Wisconsin. We had great weather the whole way out there – and when you’re driving a truck pulling a trailer, you pray for good roads. The ride home was a different story. We had a good stretch of white knuckle driving across South Dakota. Rain in Minnesota turned to snow in SD, and that last stretch of 100 miles to Rapid City took quite a while at 35 mph. We were a bit more fortunate than the 4 vehicles we saw that slid off the road. After a detour to Mt. Rushmore (we had never been there before – and were highly impressed), we finally made it back to Montana Tuesday night. Just in time for me to fly to Denver at 6am the next morning on other business. Right now, I don’t care to travel for another year – until we leave for Des Moines and next year’s Pheasant Fest!
Anyway, the show was great. We made several new friends and met tons of great people. The show was a success and we stayed pretty busy all weekend. There are literally hundreds of new people now sporting our “i chase tail” t-shirts and hats. It just warms my heart to see it
Here’s a shout out to a couple new friends from the show:
The Kratzke’s and their metal sign business called Metalcraft (www.metalcraftbyk.com). It’s a family business (Jim, Cathy, JJ, Michelle, etc.) and they have a great product. They make and sell some cool signs for your yard or business. Their signs are wind-powered and have some animation (like a pheasant taking off). Neat stuff – go visit their site and put a sign in your own yard (and tell them that Jared and Dixie sent you).
Travis Akin from RoosterTail Hunts in Mellette, South Dakota. Travis tells some great stories and has the pictures to back it all up. If you ever want to hunt wild roosters in South Dakota, check out Travis and Rooster Tail Inc. (www.roostertailhunts.com). He’s definitely on our list to visit next season!
Corey and crew from Sutton, NE. Self proclaimed "uplanders.com-a-holics"
Here’s another side note that made me laugh. On our drive out to Wisconsin, we got an email from one of our customers (Corey from Sutton, NE) who sent us a picture of him and his gang. He mentioned that he passed out our t-shirts to all of his buddies on their last hunt of the season. He said Uplanders Warehouse was his unofficial sponsor of the hunt – and sent us this picture to prove it. A self-proclaimed “uplanders.com-a-holic” and we love him for it!
Left to Right: Dixie, Gayle (our Benelli winner) and me (JT)
I also need to mention that we took our monthly product giveaway up a notch and we gave away a Benelli Nova shotgun at the show. The winner was a very ecstatic Gayle from Janesville, WI. I’ve attached a picture of us in front of our sign promoting the contest. Congrats Gayle! And happy hunting with your new Benelli. The contest was definitely popular and generated a ton of new leads for me to email A highlight of the show for us and definitely for Gayle. I’m pretty sure the shotgun giveaway will be back next year for any of you planning to stop by our booth in Des Moines.
Finally, I need to give a big thanks to my wife Dixie (who many of you met at the show). She put in a ton of work to make the whole show happen for us. She’s a great face for our business not only cause she’s a hottie, but because she’s an outgoing and fun people person (and a great contrast to me – the quiet one). Thank you and I love you!
I received an email from a guy asking about the Badlands Upland Game Vest - a product I added to Uplanders Warehouse just about a month ago after hearing some good feedback from a friend of mine. He specifically wanted to know what the front of the vest looked like, and how many shells could fit in the front/side pockets of the vest. 
Or, I guess you could just fill your hydration bladder with your beverage of choice as well. However, short of actually using it, my initial impression was to take it out to give you more room in the gamebag for birds. But it all depends on your hunt, and how much you need to pack with you. And fortunately, this extra bag is extremely easy to take off or add back in.
