Absolutely nothing hunting related in today's catalog as far as I can see.

Hunting vest
 

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

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.

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.

I like vests that have buttons instead of zippers. Just my preference for my clumsy fingers. David

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.

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

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.

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....entPage=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....069837.2075109
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.