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View Full Version : Recommendations for Upland Vest Please


Ron Thompson
08-02-2009, 01:46 PM
Having been away from Upland Bird Hunting for 20 plus years, I need some recommendaions for a good upland vest or coat for grouse hunting. Thanks in advance.

Robin Lewis
08-02-2009, 02:19 PM
Check out Filson's "Hunting and Shooting" clothes at www.filson.com I have used their products and am more than happy with the quality and durability. Depending on where and when you hunt will effect what attributes you will want; warm or light, brier proof or not.... etc. I'm sure they will have something to meet your needs.

Shop the internet for the best price, you may find a better price?

Dave Suponski
08-02-2009, 03:28 PM
Nobody can argue that Filson makes great hunting clothing. But I have used a Dunns upland vest for years and I have come to love it.Light and comfortable with blaze orange on the shoulder areas and a LOT of pockets. Mine is getting along in years but it will have to fall off my back before I will replace it!

Greg Baehman
08-02-2009, 04:17 PM
The Orvis Strap Vest suits my needs perfectly, from the early hot weather right through the coldest days in January.
http://www.orvis.com/store/productchoice.aspx?pf_id=9G8C&dir_id=1089&cat_id=5251&subcat_id=6226&Group_ID=1605

John Dunkle
08-04-2009, 10:35 PM
I love my Filson wear. But - if you are running dogs while upland hunting - I can also recommend both the Cabales and Pella products Here is the vest I'm wearing with my dogs:

Cabelas Upland Vest (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0047800943274a&navCount=1&podId=0047800943274&parentId=cat601752&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&catalogCode=IK&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601752&cmCat=netcon&cm_ven=netcon&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=cabelas%20upland%20vest&cm_ite=netcon&hasJS=true)

And the Pella - as good, but a bit pricier (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0027459942315a&navCount=2&podId=0027459942315&parentId=cat601752&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat470076-cat600858-cat601752&catalogCode=XK&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601752&hasJS=true)...

John

Joe Bernfeld
08-04-2009, 11:40 PM
Take a look at the Beretta upland vests. Well made, roomy, plenty of pockets and nice looking.
Joe

Dean Romig
08-05-2009, 02:27 AM
Seems there are as many recommendations as there are upland gunners. My vest is from L. L. Bean. It has ample pockets, is blaze orange up top, and has a padded yoke that is very easy on the shoulders and upper back.

Bill Murphy
08-05-2009, 09:57 AM
I shot with a fellow the other day who was wearing a very simple and classic Carhartt bird vest. I didn't even know they made a bird vest. It was quite old. I have looked at and owned Carhartt products since before they became pricey. Has anyone else seen this vest?

Bruce Day
08-05-2009, 11:22 AM
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Fred Preston
08-05-2009, 12:35 PM
Bill, I have a Carhartt strap vest as well as a bird hunting coat (no orange). Been with me for 25 years or so. A friend still uses his ratty old overalls with shell loops. I think Carhartt field gear was quite common.

Bill Murphy
08-05-2009, 12:58 PM
Absolutely nothing hunting related in today's catalog as far as I can see.

Dave Tercek
08-05-2009, 04:11 PM
Filson products are great,but,beware of the big zippers and heavy duty buckles. I put a large gash in the checkering of a nice gun a few years ago. I also try to stay away from strap vests. A heavily loaded vest pulls tight over the shoulder down towards your arm pitt. This is exactly were you place the shotgun butt while shooting. I think a vest with a wide surface makes a more stable shooting base. The vest I'm using now is made by LL Bean. I should probably buy a spare,anything good is usually discontinued.
Dave

Mike McKinney
08-07-2009, 10:53 PM
Ron, I have worn a Filson Oil Cloth vest for several years, you won't tear it up. It's a little warm in early season and a pretty heavy garment. I even sent it back to have the shell loops replaced. I always hate to throw something like that away before it's worn completely out. I think if I wear it out before I'm dead, I may go with something a little lighter that won't last so long, probably the Bean or Cabelas.

Dean Romig
08-07-2009, 11:16 PM
Mike, the L. L. Bean vest I use is not much lighetr than the Filson if at all. It is oiled & waxed canvas but is pretty rugged. No tears yet in mine and I've plowed through some pretty formiddable briar tangles and slash piles.

David Hamilton
08-12-2009, 12:19 AM
I like vests that have buttons instead of zippers. Just my preference for my clumsy fingers. David

Robin Lewis
08-12-2009, 06:33 PM
Which vest, interesting question.

Truth be told, I have several. A light one for early season New England warm days; waxed for those heavy dew mornings or light rain; a lined one for cool weather and when I return to my boyhood home in Pennsylvania, "Filson Tin Cloth" for protection from patches of Pennsylvania White Thorn which can destroy regular hunting clothes in a single day.

I do try to avoid those big exposed zippers and buttons that can seriously scratch a stock. I like the ones with recessed zippers and buttons or at a minimum a storm flap to cover them. I like pocket flaps to keep weed chaff out and shells & gloves in, again without those big snaps that can scratch the gun. Front loading game pouch that is lined and easy to clean is always nice too.

I don't have a dog so I don't need all the extra pockets for dog "stuff".

This isn't as easy a question to answer as it seems. I think where, when and what you hunt limit the selection and then what features you require or simply want narrow the choice. I assume New England woodcock hunting requires something different than North Dakota mid winter pheasant hunting or Mississippi duck hunts; although I have never hunted in the South or far West.

Doug Helton
09-05-2009, 09:12 PM
I think I have tried every vest that has come down the pike the past 20 years , most have not satisfied , we have the need to carry quite a bit of water for our dogs and have found the Pella Bird N Lite and the Quillomene [ particulary if you carry a lot of stuff ] to have held up the best

Doug

Bill Murphy
09-16-2009, 12:15 PM
I have a bunch of vests, but the Filson Pro Guide strap is a real piece of work if you can find one for about half price. I will be selling mine at my estate sale since it will probably still have eighty years left in it. I bought a nice Beretta medium weight vest at a closeout last year just because it had orange on it. It turned out to be a great vest, not made of the wimpy material that most Beretta stuff is made of. I don't have to pick a vest for dog water pockets, the game pocket is fine with me.

Jay Gardner
09-16-2009, 03:22 PM
I picked up a Filson "Tin Cloth Strap Vest" last fall and it is closer to perfect to my needs than any other vest I have tried. No metal buckels to scratch a gun and not a piece of plastic on the garmet. Probably as close to what you would find on a truly vintage game bag as there is.

http://www.filson.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3204593&cp=2065673.3203067&clickid=leftnav_Men%27s_Hunting_txt&parentPage=family

Not inexpensive but worth the price.

Kurt Densmore
09-18-2009, 08:54 AM
I picked up a Filson "Tin Cloth Strap Vest" last fall and it is closer to perfect to my needs than any other vest I have tried. No metal buckels to scratch a gun and not a piece of plastic on the garmet. Probably as close to what you would find on a truly vintage game bag as there is.

http://www.filson.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3204593&cp=2065673.3203067&clickid=leftnav_Men%27s_Hunting_txt&parentPage=family

Not inexpensive but worth the price.

That looks like a really nice vest. Much more room for stuff than mine. I have had the one at the link below for several years and the only issue is that the orange gets really dirty with use and there is a buckle that I have to be careful with: http://www.filson.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2092266&cp=2069837.2075109
I can carry shotshells, compass and a couple bottles of water pretty comfortably. Add a couple of dead pheasants and I wouldn't want to be carrying them all day with this vest.

I like the strap vest because I can hunt in a t-shirt or a parka depending upon weather conditions. I also like and would recommend Filsons Tin cloth chaps. I have the single layer ones that are nearly worn through at the bottoms. The next pair will be the double tin cloth model.

Jay Gardner
09-18-2009, 10:32 AM
Kurt,

The one I used previously was made by Boyt and very similar to the one your Filson. Practical but not much room. That's what caught my eye with the new one I bought from Filson. I hunted Phez down in Indiana this past January and was able to get 5 birds in the bag over a down coat. Your recommendation on the chapt is right on. I need to get a pair of double tins for this fall.

Jay