Badlands Upland Game Vest Review

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.

It’s all about the cup holders…

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!

“Bird Camp” Canvas Tents

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. 

Family Fish & Game Magazine

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.

Dove Bust

I miss Texas!

I took my son out for the dove hunt on the opener this past Monday to a place here in Utah I hunted several times growing up.  It was flat-out horrible.  A rainy cold front came through Sunday evening, and nothing was flying on Monday morning.  We sat around for a few hours in mid-40 degree temperatures waiting for the birds, but they apparently were hunkered down, wishing they had taken off for Mexico a day earlier.  I didn’t fire a single shot.

Our family lived in Texas for several years, and the dove hunts we experienced there were dream hunts.  Basically, we were shooting in self defense and the hunt lasted all of 45 minutes to get our 15 bird limit.  Then it was back to the house for the annual opening day BBQ.  I still haven’t called my buddy down there to update him on my Utah hunt.  I know he did well in Texas, and I don’t want him to rub it in

Father & son after the 2007 Texas dove opener. Ohhh, those were the days...

I need to convince my wife we need to relocate the family and business to the midwest or southwest (Texas).  I’m fond of Kansas – I hunt pheasant there every year, but I don’t know that the missus would go for it.  If any of you have any persuasive ideas on getting the family to move, let me know. These days it would sure save me a lot of gas money too

I broke out my new Browning Prarielands Dove Vest for the hunt, but realized it was the wrong piece of equipment for the day.  It’s a great vest, but made for warm weather hunts – it’s super light-weight and has a lot of mesh for breathability.  On a normal September 1, it would be the right vest in Utah too, just not on this particular opener. (I don’t know that any manufacturer would make much money with a ‘cold-weather’ dove vest)

The hunt (if you can call it that) definitely left me wanting. I’m still hungry to get the bird season kicked-off and put some game on the grill.  At least the college football season has arrived, and I got to go watch my team win its opener.  I guess I shouldn’t get too greedy.

Until next time… -JT

PS – a quick note to remind anyone reading this, we have extended the free shipping offer at Uplanders Warehouse.  It’s a great time to gear-up (even if you’re hunt’s a bust!). Use promo code FREESHIP when you checkout.

Snake Protection!

When I first launched Uplanders Warehouse on the internet back in March, I really wasn’t expecting much traffic or sales to come from the site throughout the summer.  My strategy was to launch the site in the off-season so I could get all the kinks worked out before fall rolled around.

But I’ve been pleasantly surprised! The volume and orders that have come through the website over the past few months has exceeded expectations.  And the number one product (or group of products) that has been driving the volume is snake protection.  Which makes sense when I think about it – but it honestly wasn’t on my radar prior to launch.

I initially launched with only Turtleskin SnakeArmor branded snake protection gear (snake chaps, snake gaiters, snake pants, etc.). I must tell you, the Turtleskin product is extremely light-weight and comfortable to wear.  Most snake territories are in the warm-weather states – making this light-weight product that much more enjoyable on hot days.  I own a pair of the Total Protection chaps and have worn them in south Texas – but fortunately haven’t run into any snakes… yet. But with snakes, and ounce of prevention is a lot better than the pain, suffering and medical bills tied to a snake bite.  Makes a $192 pair of chaps look like a wise investment.  The gaiters and knee-below protection chaps don’t cost as much, but I bought the chaps for briar and brush protection as well as snake protection.

Based on the demand for snake protection, I expanded my offering to include Crackshot Corporation’s Snake Guardz brand snake gaiters.  I’ll also be adding Crackshot’s Snake Chapz soon as well.  By the way, there is a cool video to watch on Crackshot’s website.  Click here to check out the video – then come back to Uplanders Warehouse to buy some gaiters ;) Crackshot guarantees thier product is ’snake proof’ with a $1 million insurance policy if anyone were to actually be bit through their product – which has never happened.

I’m curious what fall will bring with regards to snake protection sales. I’m curious to know if the spring snake protection business is bigger than the fall. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.  -JT